Welcome to the first issue of the International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work for 2013!
This issue begins with two papers from diverse contexts within Australia. The first shares stories from Christmas Island, where Poh Lin Lee works with asylum seekers and survivors of torture and trauma. The second shares creative ways of working developed in Aboriginal residential and other drugs services open to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. Both papers offer new ways of responding to social suffering and creative forms of narrative practice. The authors of these papers also presented their work at the recent 11th International Narrative Therapy and Community Work Conference. It’s possible to watch a video of Poh Lin Lee’s presentations by clicking here
The second section focuses on considerations of cultural democracy and critical race theory and how these concepts and fields of knowledge can challenge and extend the field of narrative practice. The third section contains two papers about the use of narrative ideas within organisations.
Along the way, a delightful short story of practice from the UK is included, about returning the normalising gaze.
Once again, this is a diverse collection of thoughtful writings. We hope they are relevant and interesting to you in whatever context you may be reading them. We will look forward to hearing your thoughts about them.
