News and views continued.....

News and What you may
have missed in MAY 2012

The workshops in May have gone well The introduction to Narrative was a small group and we had the opportunity to really personalise the leaning. A bonus was that Jane Hutton joined me in presenting the ideas on day 2. Working with Drug and Alcohol and Mental Health followed straight after and 11 people joined in and participated with such interest and enthusiasm that the two days just seemed to evaporate again Jane Hutton joined in for one day and Gaye and I enjoyed the 'learning up' experience.

It is important to us in these workshops that there is a sharing of valuable knowledge amongst participants and that the teaching or 'learning up is congruent with the narrative approach. The feedback from participants was that they got lots of ideas and reinforcement attending the workshops.

News and views
from Marilyn 2012

I don't know how we moved so fast along the calendar this year. It has taken till now to get trainings started.

The current program responds to many requests for the exploration or expansion of skills in using a Narrative Approach. I hope it offers what people are looking for.

Training gatherings are enjoyed and valued by participants. They also present challenges: accommodation found, booked and paid in advance.

Presenters are invited, dates checked and confirmed.

The admin; something that I don’t do with ease, fliers, contact lists, registration forms, invoices and certificates finally get prepared and sent.

I regret that when numbers are insufficient and I have to disappoint the few who have booked. I am delighted when the training goes ahead and a group of interested people shares learning.

Alongside the Narrative Workshops on this web site I have the pleasure in July of traveling to Beijing with Gaye to present on Narrative Group Work. It was groups work in a mental health context that Gaye and myself first explored the use of Narrative practices. The learning’s for us were a turning point in our practice. The excitement of seeing the different stories become available for the lives of those who participated in the groups back in the late 1980's first convinced us of the value of a therapeutic approach that was based in a Narrative Perspective. That conviction has only been enriched over the intervening couple of decades. (See Worthy of Discussion article reference this web site)

The opportunities to both use and convey the Narrative Ideas in Supervision Conversations has also been a big part of my work.

As many professional organisations look to tighten up on supervision requirements my interest in what constitutes 'really good supervision' both from a narrative point of view and in general is heightened. I am looking at trying to co-research this with colleagues and am involved in teaching some workshops on supervision in the year ahead. 

Collaborating in the teaching of Narrative is a commitment that I share with many of my colleagues and friends in the narrative community. I am looking forward to all the co teaching opportunities this year with Gaye Stockell my long time work partner, with Mary Denese Holmes, Jane Hutton and Liz Todd all of whom feature in teaching or writing projects currently. These joint ventures not only provide creative learning contexts but the preparation, doing and reviewing of them allows us all to grow and develop our own theoretical and practices and knowledges. Many folk, new to narrative, comment positively on the culture of sharing learning and friendship that characterises this 'professional community.

I really appreciate being part of these occasions.

Life, however, is not all narrative practice. A little of me will finish this news latter. 7 grandchildren and their parents keep me alert and smiling. Small holidays in the beauty of New Zealand and the remoteness of the Australian desert keep me refreshed. Family and friends support me to navigate the challenges of life the joys and sorrows.

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