The Taming of Ferdinand: Narrative Therapy and People Affected with Intellectual Disabilities— Fiona McFarlane & Henrik Lynggaard

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In this paper, Fiona McFarlane and Henrik Lynggaard, two clinical psychologists from England, show how they engaged with a young woman affected with intellectual disabilities in conversation informed by narrative therapy. They discuss how, after a difficult beginning, they manage to find a way of communicating that engaged the woman and how they involved her partner as a resource to the process. More specifically, they show how they used drawings and modification of language to make questions and narrative techniques relevant and accessible to the person. They end by making some suggestions for how such adaptation could be useful more generally for people affected by intellectual disabilities.