Histories

In this chapter we provide materials that briefly outline some of the important histories that continue to inform and shape narrative practices today. You will be introduced to co-founders Michael White and David Epston as well as other influential people who contributed to the development of narrative practices. We will also name some of the key practices Michael White developed over his lifetime and some of the main authors he drew upon.  
 
 

In this article Cheryl White explores a history between co-founders of narrative practice Michael White and David Epston. This history features a spirit of adventure, a particular quality of partnership and a way of collaborating that influenced the development of narrative practice

Where did it all begin? | Cheryl White

Michael-and-David

Picture: Michael White & David Epston
 

Michael White was one of the co-founders and co-directors of Dulwich Centre and worked here from the day it opened in 1983 until his death in 2008. This extract aims to assist you in gaining a sense of the processes Michael White engaged in originating narrative practices and we invite you to consider how some of his legacies might be significant to you and your future practice.

Legacies of Michael White | David Denborough


 

David Epston, co-founder of narrative therapy, is widely respected for his innovative and creative work.He has introduced to the field of family therapy a range of alternative approaches including the use of leagues, archives and co-research.David lives in Auckland, New Zealand, where this conversation took place. Here in this small extract we learn about the term co-research, which he coined in the late 1970’s.

Anthropology, archives, co-research and narrative therapy | an interview with David Epston

 

For David Epston’s website you can visit: Narrative Approaches


 

In this extract we read about co-founder Michael White’s thoughts on the range of influences he drew on in the development of narrative practices

‘Family Therapy: Exploring the fields past, present and possible futures’ | An interview with Michael White


As mentioned in the readings above, Aboriginal Australian practitioners have significantly influenced the development of narrative practices. Aunty Barabara Wingard describes narrative practice as “Telling our stories in ways that make us stronger”. She also speaks about ways of listening “to people’s stories to put them more in touch with their own healing ways”. You can read more about her work here:

Aunty Barbara Wingard | Telling our Stories in ways that make us Stronger

barbara wingard


“And what of solidarity? I am thinking of a solidarity that is constructed by therapists who refuse to draw a sharp distinction between their lives and the lives of others, who refuse to marginalize those persons who seek help, by therapists who are constantly confronting the fact that if faced with the circumstances such that provide the context of troubles of others, they just might not be doing nearly as well themselves”

– Michael White

One of the important ideas that informed narrative practices from very early on was this sense of ‘solidarity’. Here  is a small excerpt from the epilogue of the book ‘Continuing the Conversations’ that illustrates how this influenced Michael White’s practice.

Continuing the Conversations | Cheryl White


 
  For reflection… 
Which particular ideas or stories intrigued you?   Why do you think these things stood out to you?   What from these histories would you like to take with you into your future practice in some way?  

 

Please now share your thoughts & reflections below and then continue to the next chapter! Please include where you are writing from (City and Country). Thanks! 

 

This Post Has 306 Comments

  1. catherine.ann.smit

    This chapter brought me much energy and excitement as I re-connected with my self in my 20’s, a young, earnest woman who was doing a year of supervision at Relationships Australia in Adelaide as a couples therapist, and found herself visiting the Dulwich Centre for lunch time meetings and also reading about Narrative therapy and attempting to apply them in her student work.

    I loved that this young woman was drawn to Narrative ideas because it resonated with her passionate beliefs about finding a way to do therapy that was not inadvertently propping up the existing social structures and status quo, which often seemed so unjust and unhelpful to marginalised peoples, like women (especially as a young feminist), indigenous people and people of different cultural backgrounds and different genders/sexualities etc.

    After reading the histories of Narrative Therapy, I now understand where this instinctive feeling came from – that it was based in the conscious intentions of the founders and the community of narrative practitioners, as a result of their particular cultural, class and family histories.

    The notion of “solidarity” and the ways in which this plays out in narrative practice, now gives what I felt back then, a name. The story of Sam and Micheal White stands out for me, but also the stories of Aunty Barb playing “Grief” in co-researching with indigenous communities in South Australia.

    1. catherine.ann.smit

      I’m Cat Smit, from the Sunshine Coast Hinterland in Australia – learning on the traditional lands of the Gubbi Gubbi and Jinibara First Nation peoples.

  2. annie.coole

    I warmed to the relationships of the narrative pioneers who have worked together with immense respect for each others insights and revelations. The practice of keeping an open mind with mutual regard for another’s experiences and stories no matter their past. Stories that evolve into infinity with the integration of each and every persons experiencing. Taking a higher regard of each other of their won knowledge of survival tactics bringing inner healing and healing to whole communities embracing those who come after them. I think of my grandchildren and my own life story. I have been reflecting on how they came after me and somehow are before me in the generation story line.

  3. Anjali Bhatia

    Hello. I am writing this from India.
    For me, the key takeaways from this chapter were the spirit of adventure and irreverence characterising these conversations leading to the development of Narrative Therapy. While working with Indian students in a cultural milieu that is vastly different from the Eurocentric one that most Western psychotherapy schools developed in, I often find myself questioning my adherence to methods that may not work as effectively in a culture like ours. For example, didactic instruction works may convey an impression of loving strictness that resonates with youth brought up in large, traditional families, whereas Socractic questioning (the touchstone of most cognitive approaches) may make some of them feel ‘interrogated’. I now understand that creative deviations from the accepted methods is not a ‘shortcut’ I am taking, but a healthy adaptation to context.

  4. Martin

    I’m Martin, from Kent, England.
    The key message which seems to link all of these histories is that of handing ownership (and consequently [re]authorship) of clients’ problems back to them, rather than any assumption on the part of the therapist that they can magically ‘solve’ these problems using some kind of exclusive, therapist-reserved secret formula! Recognition of the client’s agency in co-researching their own problem, and then co-creating a re-authoring of that problem into a preferred/second story, seems to me to point to a far more sturdy and long-lasting solution than one imposed by the therapist as ‘expert’. By starting from the assumption that the client is in fact the ‘expert’ when it comes to their own life, the process does indeed become a learning opportunity for the therapist, just as much as it does for the client. In my career as a school teacher I definitely learned a great deal from my students, perspectives that I had never considered on texts I had been teaching (for years in some cases!). It seems to me that Michael White and David Epston’s ongoing “spirit of adventure” means keeping a completely open mind in implementing Narrative Therapy practices, as they do indeed have the potential to evolve endlessly: the integration of each and every client’s life skills, knowledge and survival tactics into a kind of ‘healing archive’ to carry forward for the benefit of future recipients guarantees a never-ending story! I can definitely see how this collaborative approach to individual problems fits perfectly with my Life-Coaching Workshop context.

  5. mara.bennett

    Hello everyone, I’m a dementia counsellor in Australia. I loved this chapter and the story of Michael and Sam’s interaction. I find in my work that families are already adapting to the changes they are experiencing by the time I meet with them. They come to our organization because they want to learn more about dementia and talk about how it challenges them, what they are worried about or what their fears are, but I am always inspired by what people are already doing to navigate the journey. When people ask me for advice about certain situations, I first ask them what they have already tried or what changes they have already made, and whether these have been helpful or successful. I find people figure out what to do just by living it, however the struggle to figure it out and the reality that people are often navigating uncharted territory leaves people feeling like they have no idea what they are doing. I find that even making a counselling appointment is a sign of people’s hope and optimism, and part of the journey to adapting to dementia, because if you weren’t optimistic or open to change, you wouldn’t make the appointment! I’m excited to try to harness people’s existing skills and knowledges more now that I’ve read this chapter.

  6. John Hankins

    To me, the “informed, not knowing” is a concept that really defines how we each live in the world. This becomes more distinct when we see this through a cultural lens and/or in a historical perspective. The more examples of this we can observe, the more we can understand about knowing what we don’t know.

  7. k.e.m.taylor@gmail.com

    Kirsten, New Zealander living on Dja Dja Wurrung country in Castlemaine, Victoria.
    One thing that stood out to me was the language used to describe our interactions – for example – “people who consult with us” or “people we meet with” – these choices have a different flavour than “clients we support” or even “working with clients”. I think the reason I find this language so intriguing is that I have always felt uncomfortable with being cast as an “expert”. I work in a hospital setting, so this is the way I am expected to see myself. But maybe I, too, can become “irreverent” the way Cheryl White describes. I am also interested in the idea of co-researching ways to change a relationship with a problem. And Michael White wrote about families coming up with unique ideas to address their problems – ideas he never could have imagined or predicated. I have often marvelled at the creative strategies used by the people I meet with, and I have often admired their resilience, and learned from them (there you go, I’m trying the new lingo!) but I have felt strange about the fact that I am “getting” something out of the exchange myself. So these ideas from narrative approaches help me to feel more at home within myself and within my work.

    1. jillsummerwill

      I really relate to what you say here, having been in the field for over 25 years we have used many terms to describe “clients’, Service users” and “participants” and I think the reframing of terms helps to place the person once more outside the problem and gives greater opportunity to recognise the resilence, strengths and proactiveness of people we meet with.

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