Narrative practice and peer support — Hamilton Kennedy

In 2018, Hamilton was working in a youth psychiatric hospital as a peer-support worker and studying narrative therapy. Having initially trained in intentional peer support (IPS), Hamilton began to incorporate narrative ideas into their work. This paper offers an exploration and some stories of this process. It recounts the strengths and challenges of combining a peer approach with narrative practice. Combining narrative practice with a peer approach provided new opportunities for resisting totalising narratives of ‘illness’, working towards achieving meaningful lives, and reconnecting with people and relationships.