Dear Reader,
This issue includes papers from practitioners from Australia, Tanzania, USA, Denmark and the UK. Not only is there a diversity of authors but also topics and themes!
Part One begins with a practice paper by Loretta Pederson entitled, ‘Sharing sadness and finding small pieces of justice’. This is an eloquent invitation to practitioners to consider ways of honouring acts of resistance and acts of reclaiming in working with women who’ve been subjected to abuse. The second paper, is an innovative practice-research paper, by Emma Bullen, which analyses the outcomes from the narrative therapy conversations she has shared with women who have experienced domestic violence. We don’t often publish research papers, but we believe this thoughtful piece will be relevant to practitioners and researchers alike.
Part Two involves two pieces that focus on ways of linking the lives of those with whom we meet individually or in groups. Georgina Gerber-Duvenhage’s paper ‘Fakebook: Renovating reputations’ combines narrative practice with a vitally creative engagement with the culture of social media. We will really look forward to how other practitioners may take this idea into their own contexts. Julia Gerlitz’s paper, on the other hand, ‘Linking lives: Invitations to clients to write letters to clients’, builds and extends upon the rich tradition of letter writing in narrative practice.
Part Three consists of a paper by Christoffer Haugaard, a psychologist working at a psychiatric hospital in Denmark, who is interested in narrative therapy and philosophical ethical considerations.
And Part Four consists of a paper by Jenny Gibson, Jessica Clark, and Sian Thomas. Jenny Gibson lives in the UK and works within the community learning disability field. Jessica Clark lives with her parents and younger sister in New Zealand where she has overcome varying problems such as the ‘Experimental Defeating Warrior’.
Sian Thomas has family links to Wales and talents in story-telling and anxiety defeating. ‘Narrative therapy and dual disability: How to deal effectively with Worrywarts, Milkshakes, and Sticky Situations’, is the first paper by Jenny, Jessica and Sian.
We hope you enjoy this diversity of thoughtful papers. We have certainly enjoyed putting this issue together.
Warmly
Cheryl White
