Winning stories: Responses to Ambivalence and Insensitivity — Nada Eltaiba

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This paper describes a project applying a narrative therapy approach to linking social work students and graduates. Students seeking information about what it’s like to practice as a social worker were encouraged to ask questions and to learn from the experiences of graduates working in the field. In turn, students gave the graduates feedback about their expertise and guidance. The process was interactive and iterative. The students’ lecturer and a graduate co-facilitator took the students’ questions to a meeting of graduates working in the field. Their responses went back to the students, who in turn wrote letters to the graduates witnessing their testimonies and expressing their appreciation. Some interesting questions and issues were raised during the process, leading discussion and storytelling about ways of dealing with workplace challenges and improving outcomes. Documents produced through this process will become a resource for future students and graduates, and inform teaching in the social work department at Qatar University.