Decolonising practice
An introduction from Tileah Drahm-Butler
Decolonising Identity Stories
Tileah Drahm-Butler discusses how narrative therapy can be used as a decolonising practice.
Now you can read Tileah’s chapter on the same topic:
Decolonising identity stories: Narrative practice through Aboriginal eyes
This chapter is from the book Aboriginal narrative practice: Honouring Storylines of price, strength and creativity by Barbara Wingard, Carolynanha Johnson and Tileah Drahm-Butler
I am curious to put those externalising questions into practice.
Separating the person from the problem works well in recovery – love the person not the addiction.
Need to get better at asking questions and listening.
I love that the focus is on honouring the person’s strengths and resiliency rather than focusing upon deficits, not “‘labelling” people as ‘being’ the ‘problem’ but rather as ‘having’ a ‘problem, creating space for people to step out of their dis-ease.
Tileah Drahm-Butler open the conversation into empowerment for our Aboriginal and TSI people by naming the problems they own them and can change that narrative into a learning and personal growth experience. This claps the face of colonising and the control over their lives, stories and problems, giving ownership back and a new direction for empowerment.
By adopting this decolonising practices, we become enlighten in all area of being.
One of the take-home messages for me is that counseling as I’ve been taught is actually in that anti-colonial framework and I’ve never thought of it that way before. I love the use of the word yarning instead of counseling or therapy and will use this from this day forward when I see my clients. I never got to grow up in culture and this is really helping me to understand how to decolonize myself so I can work in that holistic framework of SEWB more than I am now. I’m also going to order the book as well 🙂
I love working in ways that ensures the person remains the expert in their own life. The yarns where it is about them, removing stigma and humanising the conversation and experience is so important.