第二部分：丰富替代故事

翻译以下内容，用markdown格式： Part Two Thickening the alternative story

Introduction As a new and preferred story begins to emerge, the therapist is interested in finding ways to assist the person consulting them to ‘hold onto’ or stay connected to it. Staying connected with the emerging alternative story can be a challenge for many people. For example, as Dorothy’s new story o f ‘strength and survival’ begins to emerge (as described in the previous chapter), the therapist would be mindful that it was likely to be difficult for Dorothy to hold onto this new description o f herself without some support. This is understandable as the dominant story o f ‘worthlessness’ had been shaping and influencing her life for many years. In this situation, the therapist would be interested in thinking o f ways to assist Dorothy to keep this emerging story close to her in her daily life. Therapists engaged with narrative ways o f working would assume that when Dorothy is more connected to this new story it will assist her in the present as well as shape her future actions. As Dorothy indicated that this new story is a positive direction for her, consistent with her preferences, hopes and values for living, the therapist would wish to find ways o f thickening this story, o f making it more richly described and thus more available to Dorothy. It would be the therapist’s role to provide some structured ways for Dorothy to stay connected to the story o f herself as strong, and as a survivor. One way o f thickening the alternative story involves finding witnesses who will act as an audience to performances o f the new story. Therapists are therefore interested in trying to engage audiences to the emerging alternative story. If the therapist can find ways in which the people in this audience can not only act as witnesses, but can link their lives in some way to the new story o f the person consulting the therapist, this can significantly add life and richness to this new story. There are many possibilities for inviting an audience to engage with the alternative story. The audience may consist o f people, present or absent from the session, real or imaginary, from the person’s past or present. Some o f the ways in which other people are engaged in this part o f the work include:

through re-membering conversations (chapter 9) •as members o f leagues, networks, committees, groups, or teams and co­ research (chapter 13) •as participants within rituals and celebrations (chapter 12) •in definitional ceremonies as outsider-witness group members or as members o f reflecting teams (chapter 14) There are also other options for thickening the alternative story that do not necessarily involve other people directly. These include: • therapeutic documentation - including declarations, documents, certificates, handbooks, notes from the session, videotapes, symbols, lists and pictures (chapter 10) • therapeutic letters (chapter 11) A ll o f these options can play their part in creating a richer description o f the alternative story and this in turn can assist the person consulting the therapist to stay connected with the new preferred story. The therapist and Dorothy might choose to use one, two, or perhaps more o f these options over the course o f their meetings. The choice will depend upon a number o f things: Dorothy’s interest, her skills (for example reading and writing abilities), her preferences (some people prefer visual media, other auditory, others written), the availability o f other people, the time available (for example to write a letter or phone a person), accessibility, (for example, outsider-witness groups are usually made up o f two or more people), the therapist’s interests/skills, the therapist’s knowledge o f the person and o f their likes and dislikes, the therapist’s understanding o f the person’s past experiences and what would fit for them, and/or the knowledge the therapist has gained from others in similar situations about what is helpful. The possibilities are almost endless in this area o f the work. The following chapters will explore the different options in some detail.

Chapter 9 Re-member ing conversations To understand what is meant by re-membering conversations, it is first necessary to think about a person’s life as a club with members. When we think about all those people whom we are associated with in the course o f our daily lives, we could consider them as members o f our ‘club’ o f life. Some o f these members we may have consciously invited into our lives, others we may have had little choice over including. Re-membering conversations involve people deliberately choosing who they would like to have more present as the members o f their club o f life, and whose memberships they would prefer to revise or revoke. The use o f the term re-membering is therefore not just about recollecting or being reminded. The hyphen between re and membering is significant to its meaning and use in narrative therapy.6 When people are faced with a problem, they often experience isolation and disconnection from important relationships. The dominant problem story may be successful in minimising or making invisible certain partnerships or histories in the person’s life. Re-membering conversations are intended to redress this and powerfully incorporate and elevate significant people’s contribution in the lives o f those consulting the therapist. Engaging in these

conversations provides a direct contrast to many current cultural practices that encourage individualisation and disconnection o f people from one another. When the therapist begins to discover an event or events that stand outside o f the problem’s influence (unique outcomes) they are curious to discover as much as possible about them. They trace the history o f these events and attempt to locate them amongst other events outside o f the problem’s influence (landscape o f action questions). As these events are linked in a history over time, people are invited to explore their meanings: what these events mean in terms o f their personal qualities, commitments, preferences, desires, beliefs, skills, knowledge, etc. (landscape o f identity questions). As these are linked into an alternative story, and as the alternative story is given a name and more thoroughly explored, the therapist wonders: •Who else would know about this? •Who else would know what this person stands fo r? [outside o f the p r o b le m ’s influence] • Who would be least surprised to hear them say this?

The term re-membering was coined by Barbara M yerhoff (1982). It was introduced into the therapy world by Michael White (1997). The therapist wonders this because they are trying to identify other people who may be knowledgeable about this different story o f the person’s identity. It is likely that these memberships are hidden from the awareness o f the person and the therapist is interested in bringing them forward and making them more visible. Therapists assume that identifying these significant people will further add to the identity description and alternative story that is being generated. Re-membering conversations can contribute significantly to richly describing the history o f alternative stories. Significant figures in a person’s life are often the holders o f memories o f events in which the person consulting the therapist displayed certain skills, traits and abilities. The significant person’s knowledge o f these events can be linked with other events in the alternative story that is being generated. Linking together events in the alternative story in this way contributes to rich description. Significant memberships may include people alive or no longei living; they may be related or unrelated to the person, real or imaginary, from their past or present. These memberships may also include animals, toys, pets, places,

symbols or objects. All these possibilities can be explored widely. The therapist may ask the people consulting them questions to discover these memberships: • Who w ould be least surprised to hear you say this? •Who else w ould know that you stand f o r tolerance and peace? •Is there som eone you can think o f who could tell a story about you in relation to yo u r commitment to loving relationships? • Can you think o f som eone who would know something about your preference f o r parenting in this way? • I f I w anted to discover some more about this skill o f yours, who (other than you) w ould be able to tell me about it? One or more memberships may be identified. The therapist continues to be curious about what these people would say about the person and their history. The therapist would ask many questions to explore what these people would be likely to know and say. A question in these conversations could be: ‘If your aunt [the significant member identified] was here today and I was able to ask her a little about you, what do you think she would tell me about these skills o f yours? When would she have first noticed them?’ The therapist would continue to ask questions to invite speculation about what the significant member would be thinking, what would have led them to these ideas, when they first would have thought this, what they would say, why they would say this, etc. Questions that begin with Who, What, Where, When, How and W hy can extract rich descriptions o f these significant details. The therapist might also ask questions about what the person’s relationship with the significant member would have meant for them. For example: ‘What do you think it meant for your aunt for you to include her in your life in this way? What do you think it meant for her to spend those times with you?’ Through these sorts o f conversations, an historical alternative account o f the person’s identity can be generated and the significant memberships o f a person’s life can begin to be privileged and explored. The therapist assumes that this is helpful in itself but sometimes it may be possible for the person to actually re-connect with these re-membered people in other ways. The therapist may try to contact these people and interview them about their knowledge o f the person who is consulting the therapist (see Sonia’s ritual o f membership described in chapter 12). Letters, phone calls, emails or invitations to meet are often extended to the people identified so that the therapist can discover more about these aspects o f the person’s identity that relate to the alternative stories o f their lives (see chapter 11). This w ill thicken these accounts and add to the story o f identity that the therapist and the person at the centre o f the therapy are co-authoring. These meetings with significant others are often extremely important in the course o f the therapy. They engage people with a history to the alternative story that is linked to the lives o f others in ways that powerfully contradict the problem-saturated account o f their lives. If significant people identified in these conversations are unable to be contacted, if they are no longer alive or are unable to communicate, sometimes someone who was or is close to the significant person can act as a stand-in. In these situations, the therapist can ask a series o f questions to the person who is standing in, who then endeavours to give answers ‘through the ey es’ o f the significant person. In the following examples I detail just a few o f the many possibilities for re-membering conversations. Sophia Sophia (aged six years) was reclaiming her sleep from the influence o f bad dreams. She had been successful in having four nights o f happy dreams when I met with her and her Baby B om doll. Sophia told me that she had managed to reclaim her sleep by doing some ‘hard thinking’. After ensuring that abuse was not a part o f the context o f Sophia’s life, I was interested in further exploring Sophia’s skills in addressing the bad dreams. I asked her if ‘hard thinking’ was something she had always had, or something new. Sophia was not sure. I pursued my interest in her skill further with the assistance o f re­ membering questions. If I had not, this skill in the alternative story would have gone unnoticed and disappeared. The rich description o f this skill might not have been articulated and explored and this would have closed the door on many o f the unique discoveries that were subsequently made. I asked Sophia if there was anyone who would not be surprised that she was ‘a hard thinker’. Sophia did not know. I then named some possibilities for her, from my knowledge o f relationships in her life: A lice: W ould your mum or your dad or your teacher, grandma, cousin, friend, or maybe one o f your toys know anything about this ability o f yours to use hard thinking? Sophia: (after a pause) I think Baby B om [a toy] and mummy would know a little bit. A lice: If I were to ask them about it, what would they tell me? Sophia: I don’t know what mummy would say but Baby B om would know because she sees me do my homework. A lice: What does she see you do? Sophia: She sees me thinking hard when something is hard. A lice: So you think hard when things are hard and are you the sort o f person who gives up or keeps going? What would Baby B om say about that? Sophia: She would say that I never give up when things are hard because I know my four times tables and that was hard and I didn’t give up. A lice: So what would Baby B om call that quality you have in not giving up when things get hard? Sophia: A fighter From this brief conversation further qualities o f ‘being a fighter’ and ‘sticking to things’ were identified. This led to me asking many more questions about the history o f these qualities and about other members o f Sophia’s life who would also know about them. In this way these qualities were richly and thickly described. Once more richly described, these abilities and accounts o f Sophia’s identity would be more available for Sophia in the future. I believed this would help her with the bad dreams and would ripple out to benefit other parts o f her life as well. Sophia was unsure o f what her mother would know about her hard thinking. I guessed that she might know something that might be interesting to find out about, so I suggested inviting Sophia’s mother, Marcia, to join us for a

meeting. At this meeting I interviewed Marcia in Sophia’s presence about her knowledge o f Sophia’s hard thinking skills, her fighting spirit, and her ability to stick to things when they are hard. Many more stories o f these abilities emerged, adding to a new story o f Sophia’s identity. This process enabled Sophia to break from the bad dreams. It also made it possible for Sophia to dream her own dreams about fairies and happy things. Leo nie L eonie’s father, Bob, had died suddenly and unexpectedly, causing great distress and sadness to many who knew him. Leonie consulted me some six months after the funeral, saying that her life had suffered enormously since his death. She continued to cry uncontrollably and was not ‘able to get on with her life ’ nor forget about her father. Many people had encouraged her to ‘forget and m ove on’ and Leonie had been endeavouring to do this with great difficulty. This difficulty was talking her into thinking she was a failure and silly and that she should have felt better by now. I asked for permission to inquire about her father and the memories o f him that Leonie cherished. I asked about the effect o f the ideas o f disconnecting, moving on and forgetting her father had had on Leonie. Leonie spoke o f the burden she felt and the drain in energy it required to try to push his memories away. I wondered what it would be like for her to have these memories closer rather than more distant from her. What difference did Leonie think this would make? Leonie was surprised by this suggestion but spoke o f how she thought it would assist her. Our conversations then centred around the memories and recollections she had o f her father, the way he had lived his life and the similarities and differences that they had appreciated in one another. I asked Leonie what she thought her father would say if he could witness her tears and sorrow over his death. Leonie was interested in this idea but somewhat puzzled by this question, so I asked her if there was anyone who might know about what her father might say about her sorrow. Leonie instantly named her father’s life-long friend, Ted. She explained that Ted and her father ‘knew everything about each other, and really respected each other’. I asked Leonie if she would be interested in T ed’s

view s on this question (i.e. what her father would say if he could witness her sorrow and tears). She was very interested as she said it would mean a lot to her to know what her dad would say to her at this time o f sadness. We invited Ted to our next session and I interviewed him about his knowledge o f Leonie’s father. We heard many stories o f the special relationship that Bob had shared with his daughter. Ted thought that Bob would feel honoured that Leonie felt such sadness as he thought that Bob would experience her tears as an acknowledgement o f what they shared together. I asked Ted about some o f those times. He shared a story about Leonie and Bob regularly attending football matches together. As he was telling us this, I noticed that Leonie became very tearful. I asked her about her tears. Leonie told us that she just realised that since her father’s death she had been unable to watch or attend a football game as she thought that this would be ‘disrespectful’ to her father. Hearing Ted speak in this conversation helped Leonie considerably. She described how she sensed her father’s presence strongly as Ted spoke. She made many decisions as a result o f this meeting that contributed positively to her life - for instance she and Ted now regularly attend football matches together to honour Bob. Ted has written to me since the meeting to express the impact o f the conversation on his life: ‘Speaking about Bob like we did helped me to realise that I don’t have to forget him. Leonie and I have a great time together now and our time together is now a very important part o f my life.’ Reciprocal sharing Re-membering conversations more directly acknowledge the valued contributions that others have made to the lives o f people consulting the therapist. It is a reciprocal type o f sharing. People who are identified and included in these conversations experience them as powerfully acknowledging and honouring o f them also. This honouring, in turn, contributes to their lives being more richly described. Often what is discovered is that there are many similarities between the preferences, commitments, beliefs or valued ways o f living between the person consulting the therapist and the person(s) whose membership is acknowledged. Through re-membering conversations, people become joined in these similarities and shared beliefs in ways that often create urther possibilities for action for everyone involved in the conversations. People feel joined in their beliefs, commitments and preferences for living. As these are discussed and elevated through the therapist’s questions, they become more visible and cherished. Summary Memories and histories o f connection become more available when people are invited to engage in re-membering conversations. People are able to link and join with significant others in their lives around shared values, commitments and preferences, in ways that powerfully contribute to the history o f alternative stories. People have told me that this way o f linking with the important members o f their club o f life has meant that they experience the presence o f these significant people in their lives more vividly in their daily interactions, and that this opens up possibilities that otherwise would not have existed. Re-membering conversations can also involve deliberate decisions to exclude certain people from the membership o f a person’s life, people who may have contributed to the life o f the problem story (see Z oe’s story in chapter 10). By privileging those memberships that are deemed to be supportive o f a person’s wishes and ambitions in life, and by revoking the memberships o f those who contribute to the life o f the problem, re-membering conversations can play a significant part in the re-authoring process. Further reading Epston, D., Freeman, J. & Lobovits, D. 1997: ‘Unlicensed co-therapists.’ In Epston, D., Freeman, J. & Lobovits, D. (eds), Playful Approaches to Serious Problems: Narrative therapy with children and their families, chapter 9. New York: Norton. W hite, M. 1988: ‘Saying hullo again: The incorporation o f the lost relationship in the resolution o f grief.’ Reprinted in White, C. & Denborough, D. (eds) 1998: Introducing Narrative Therapy: A collection o f practice-based writings. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. White, M. 1997: ‘Re-m em bering.’ In White, M., Narratives o f Therapists Lives, chapter 2. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications.

Chapter 10 Therapeutic documentation: Documents, declarations, certificates, handbooks, notes from the session, videotapes, lists, pictures As people re-author their lives and relationships, certain knowledges about the problem and the person’s preferences for living become clearer. The dominant story’s influence diminishes as new and preferred stories emerge. Therapeutic documentation records these preferences, knowledges and commitments so they are available for people to access at any time. Therapeutic documents Therapeutic documents are often written when people make important commitments or when people are ready to celebrate important achievements. Documents are written in consultation with people and contain the information they judge to be important. The therapist ascertains from the family how they would like the document to be written and what they intend doing with it. Some people have been known to carry these documents with them at all times, in their handbags or wallet, so that they are easily accessed when required. These documents can be private or can have a wide readership, recruiting an audience to the new and preferred meanings that are evolving for the people who are seeking assistance. They often serve as ‘counter-documents’ to the problem-saturated documentation o f people’s lives that often occurs in various institutions (schools, hospitals, welfare systems, prisons, etc.). Documents may also include letters to and from significant people that follow on from re-membering conversations. They may record the history o f all the steps that have led up to a significant unique outcome. They may describe how much o f a person’s life has been reclaimed from a particular problem ’s influence and how this has occurred. Or they may document agreements or suggestions that have been made in a therapy session. Having a written document that records the commitments and directions that people have chosen often assists them to reclaim their lives from the influence o f problems. People subjected to the voices o f schizophrenia, for example, have said that they find documents particularly useful (see Brigitte, Sue, Mem & Veronika, 1997, Power to Our Journeys 1999). When faced by an attack from the voices, they read their ‘document o f identity’. They say this assists them to stay connected to their own hopes, skills, competencies and ways o f living, and that this is very helpful. It is difficult, in this introductory book, to illustrate the diversity o f ways in which therapeutic documents can be written and used. There are infinite possibilities. I have included here just two examples, and would encourage you to experiment with your own. Family peace document The following document was written with the Anderson family. The family members decided to put one copy on the fridge in the kitchen and that each family member would put a copy in their bedrooms. This document was to remind them o f the commitments they had made to Family Peace. A II members of the Anderson Family have agreed that fighting and bickering have been separating their family and causing problems for too long. The Andersons are interested in continuing to develop Family Peace because they all prefer it. Those members who have signed this document agree to:

Co-operation and sharing during TV watching. Each member will consult other family members and vote on the program that the majority of members are interested in watching. Those who do not get their first preference will refrain from tantrums and crying, and instead will negotiate to videotape their program for later viewing. Sticking to the roster of chores that has been agreed upon. No discussions will be entered into by anyone about the roster until the review meeting. Taking turns sitting in the front seat of the car. In doing this, family members understand that this decision will not always be fair. They have decided upon this course of action in the interests of gaining Family Peace. Each person will respect an individual's item of clothing and bedroom. If a family member wishes to borrow an item of clothing or enter someone else's bedroom, they will consult the owner before doing so. This document will be reviewed in one week's time for comment. Signed ... (by family members) Ivor's steps against Panic and for Happiness Ivor wrote the following two documents with his therapist. The first document describes the Panic that was wreaking havoc in Ivor’s life. The second document, entitled ‘Steps for Happiness’, is a counter-document. It describes the counter-plot or alternative story. These documents were written after the therapist had ensured that abuse was not a part o f the context o f Ivor’s life. Whereas some documents are fixed and never changed, others may become ‘works in progress’. These more fluid, changing and responsive pieces allow for the recording o f significant details and events in the emerging, new and preferred alternative story.

1. Ivor's knowledge about PANIC

2. Ivor's steps against Panic ’For Happiness*

3. Deciding ’I want It out of my life'.

4. Discovering It tells lies.

5. Continuing to do things despite what It says - looking Panic 'in the eye'.

6. Exposing It and working out what It tries to tell me.

7. Remembering that I have managed to successfully challenge Panic on at least 5 different occasions.

8. Knowing about all the things I do to minimise the Panic like: ❖finding something else to think about or do ❖getting to a safe place ❖staying around people who care for me when I know I'm feeling vulnerable ❖concentrating on taking slow, deep, calm breaths ❖asking myself 'Could that really happen?' To be c o n t in u e d ........ Declarations Declarations are similar to therapeutic documents although they tend to be used more publicly. They are written with the intention o f sharing them with others. Finding witnesses to a declaration is another way to recruit an audience to the new and preferred story, but is not mandatory. Sometimes people may choose to keep their declarations to themselves. People may be invited to write a declaration stating a position, a commitment or perhaps a preference that has significance for them in the new story. Ashley said, ‘The act o f writing a declaration seems to make it “set in concrete” and much more real and meaning­ ful than just saying it. I was amazed at just how many times I referred to it.’ Zoe consulted me about abuse she had been subjected to by an ordained member o f the Catholic Church. It was Z oe’s intention to disconnect her associations from the formal institution o f the church. Zoe wrote a four-page
   ‘Declaration o f Independence’ stating her position in relation to the church, her future intentions and beliefs. This document was read on several occasions to assembled audiences o f supporters who were invited to witness and sign the document to show their support. Not only did this declaration provide Zoe with continued strength to reclaim her life from the effects o f abuse, it also supported her in the process o f claiming financial compensation for the abuse. Before meeting with the church’s barrister and psychiatrist, Zoe read and re-read her declaration with the signatures o f thirty-eight people who had signed it. Having the document and signatures o f her supporters, she said, gave her strength to keep going with the various stages involved in pursuing her claim and with facing the Compensation Panel. Declarations can be as simple as a one-word statement written during a session, or longer and more formal such as Z oe’s. I have found that people sometimes write these declarations away from sessions and bring them proudly with them to our next meeting. Lisa told me that, one day when she was out having lunch with her friends and bulimia nervosa was forbidding her from joining them in eating, she decided: ‘I’m not going to put up with this anymore. It is ruining my fun.’ She went home that afternoon and designed a poster on her computer with those very words elaborately printed in large letters. She made several copies and placed them in significant places where she thought bulimia might try to ambush her. At the session we named these posters her ‘Declaration for Fun and Living’. Lisa often referred to this declaration when faced with the isolation o f bulimia. She showed it to a close friend who was honoured to be included in Lisa’s life in this way. Lisa found this declaration extremely sustaining and told me that writing it, reading it and sharing it with her friend was a very important turning point in reclaiming her life. Certificates Certificates can be drawn up and signed to commemorate significant events and turning points. Certificates help to celebrate the new story that emerges and to commemorate how the person has managed to overcome the problem to regain their life from its influence. The title for the certificate often comes from the names given to the problem and the alternative story during the course o f therapy. It may be a certificate to commemorate a skill, personal quality, desire, hope, commitment, action, statement, competence or preference that has been discovered and richly described in the new story. It could be a certificate for bravery, courage, intelligence, temper taming and fear catching, confidence, trust or self-belief. The certificate could be phrased using the (now obsolete) problem name: for example: •An escape from Self-Doubt •Breaking the grip o f Guilt •Freedom from a D rug lifestyle •Beating Dishonesty •Breaking from Violence In each example the word in italics can be substituted for the name given to the problem. Alternatively, the certificate might name and commemorate the alternative story. For example: •Reclaiming happiness and sparkle •Getting to know patience •Navigating the journey o f courage •Five hard-won wisdoms •Standing in solidarity •Celebrating connectedness I sent Freiya the following certificate when she had successfully banished ‘the habits’ to the sun and ‘stuck to the path o f getting things done .

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT FREIYA IS ON THE PATH TO SETTING THINGS DONE 19th June 1999 The following people have noticed many changes and would like to say: L. HamiltonF. Mitchell J. GordonA. Morgan Alirra received the following certificate when ‘the headaches’ were no longer in her life. A special ceremony was conducted and a formal presentation o f the certificate was made to Alirra in the presence o f her parents, two teachers, a friend and myself. The commemorative chocolate cake that was prepared for the celebration was delicious (see chapter 12 for a further description o f the celebration). The possibilities for such certificates are endless. h is is som e o f the 1FU1N that A lirra has had:

Staying- at A m y R o w an ’s house and playing- ;Spice Girls’.

9 tM 4i IM Wi |k S ta y in g up late and not g o in g to sleep at A m y 's place, te llin g gh o st stories, and h a v in g a m id n igh t snack.

A m y has been to A lirra ’s house to stay and did a p lay to geth er.

R o lle rsk atin g p arty. W ent to E llie’s house tw ice, bum ped dow n the stairs on sleep in g bags, and swam in the pool. W atch in g T V in the m orning. H avin g M cD onald's fo r breakfast. G oing to Canberra. S w im m in g in the H yatt pool w ith S ally fo r hours. W atch in g H ot-air Balloons at 6.30 in the m orning. G o in g to T e d d y Bear shops. ii» A N D T H E R E IS M O RE TO COME HH! .

Handbooks Handbooks are another way to formally record people’s knowledges and expertise. Some o f the titles o f handbooks that I recall have proved helpful have included: •H ow to Escape from Fears and Worry •What Children K now about Separation and D ivorce •K id ’s Temper Tamer Handbook: H ow to Cool O ff and Be Cool These handbooks collect the stories o f those with experience o f these issues. They contain the person’s ideas, thoughts and abilities in counteracting a problem’s motives and ways. People newer to a problem’s ways can have access to the handbooks o f others, via their therapist, and can find the knowledge o f others sustaining o f them in their journey. Reading the stories o f others may encourage them to add their experiences and ideas to an existing handbook, or alternatively to write their own handbook, telling their story in a different way. In such handbooks, people may record milestones on their journey or write cumulative statements o f their progressions along the way. The therapist might encourage them to make additions to the handbook when unique outcomes emerge, as a way o f confirming and documenting the change and the new story based on their strengths and competencies. When handbooks are lent to others, this is not with the intention that they be used as expert guidance. They are not recipes for others. Instead, the intention is to share knowledges and celebrate successes. The helpfulness o f handbooks lies just as much in the reading o f them as in the writing o f them. Some handbooks become collaborative, public documents where every reader is invited to contribute their expertise and add their discoveries to those previously recorded. Space in this publication does not permit the printing o f such a handbook. However, the reading list will assist readers to pursue this area further. Notes from the session and video or audiotapes During consultations, the therapist may take written notes to keep track o f the important things that are being said and to help them guide the direction o f the conversation. For example, I usually record unique outcomes and particular phrases or expressions used by people to describe the alternative story (i.e. things standing outside o f the problem-saturated story). The therapist always asks the family for permission to take notes during the session, and most narrative therapists consider these notes to be the property o f the family. When I am seeking permission to take notes, I explain that I will only record the words o f family members (not my words), that I will tell them what I am writing down and that I w ill check the accuracy o f what I am writing with them. I explain that the notes belong to them and that they are welcom e to take them at the end o f the session. I sometimes ask for permission to keep a copy, explaining my intentions or thoughts about doing so. Families have told me that they have found these notes useful to refer to between sessions. Families have said that to see their words in writing reminds them o f the conversation and the ideas that arose during it. They comment on how the notes assist them to shift from the ideas that are associated with their perceptions o f the problem to ideas about their lives that fit with the commitments and preferences that have been more richly described in the therapeutic conversation. Therapists who have access to videotaping or audiotaping facilities may offer to record the conversation for the family. Again most narrative therapists would consider these tapes to be the property o f the family and would clearly discuss the purposes o f such recordings at the outset. Some families like to keep copies o f these recordings, whilst others return them at the following session to be taped over with their next conversation. Some family members like to review the tapes between sessions or perhaps show it to someone who was absent from a particular session. If tapes are kept over the course o f several meetings, they become an interesting historical record o f the developments that occur. These tapes can also be useful when families experience a ‘setback’. V iew ing or listening to previous helpful conversations can be sustaining and can counteract the disillusionment that people are vulnerable to at these times. Lists Lists can be a quick and easy way to record aspects o f conversations which make it possible to keep track o f experiences. Lists may be compiled to record significant developments, ideas and contributions. These lists can be added to as new discoveries are made. Martin used a list to record the steps he had taken in his ‘Courage and Bravery project’. Each time we met, he added more items to the list until they numbered fifty - the number o f steps he predicted would be necessary to complete the project. W hen significant achievements are listed and read back to people, they becom e more ‘real’ and clearer to them. Lists also assist people to revisit their knowledges and skills and to continuously record their developments. Ben and his therapist, Jill, discussed the effect that Rushing was having on his schoolwork. Ben was interested in reclaiming his learning from these negative effects. Together he and Jill listed the things that helped him to go forward and to stand aside from Rushing, and what it was that took him back into Rushing. Ben attached this list to the front o f his workbooks, and some o f his classmates were so impressed with B en’s list that they wanted copies. Ben's list What helps me go forward*.W h a t ta k e s m e back: Slowing down Having time to thinkRushing Not thinking Blocking out distractionsGuessing Being distracted Messy work Being sensible Listening Keep talking to a minimum Slowing down means neat work Take time to listen to the sounds of the letters Talking Not listening Being silly A discussion o f the therapy that Ben was involved in with Jill is detailed in Huntley 1999. Pictures Pictures can also assist people to stay connected to an emerging alternative story. These pictures can be either drawn or collected from other sources, for example, magazines, books, posters, photographs. When I meet with children I find that they often like to draw as we are talking. These drawings become part o f the documentation o f the therapy and make a significant contribution to sustaining the positive developments that occur. For example, after I had checked out that abuse was not a part o f the context o f A llyssa’s life, it was the use o f pictures that proved influential in reducing the degree o f Fear which she was experiencing. Allyssa drew a series o f pictures representing the size o f the Fear in relation to her size, and pictures that illustrated the ways in which she was getting the Fear out o f her life. These pictures formed a story o f A llyssa’s abilities to regain her life from the influence o f Fear. This is not uncommon. I have noticed that when I engage in re-authoring conversations with children, their drawings often feature events or aspects o f the new story rather than aspects that place the focus on the problem-saturated story. Sometimes their drawings can predict future developments. These drawings o f the future can act as a prophecy and provide some motivation, support and encouragement to children to reach the new destinations they aspire to. Sometimes children choose to draw pictures that are seem ingly unrelated to the therapeutic conversation. On these occasions they have told me that this does not matter because when they look at the picture it reminds them o f the details o f our conversation. Often children choose to take their drawings home and share them with others. In this way, the drawings become part o f a retelling o f the conversation and recruit an important audience to developments in the child’s life. Pictures can also have symbolic meaning. Theshara consulted me about the effects o f Depression on her life. Throughout these consultations she brought to the session a greeting card or picture that had particular meaning and significance to her. Upon reflection, she concluded that over the course o f our meetings her choice o f cards and pictures was changing. The cards and pictures were gaining in colour and hope - in parallel with events that were occurring in her own life. These symbols offered us a starting place for our conversations as we explored the meanings she ascribed to them. Theshara kept these pictures and cards in a diary to record her journey away from Depression. She added comments next to these symbols and this assisted her to stay connected to her hopes for happiness. Theshara told me that the symbols were far more helpful to her than the written word. She explained that one o f Depression’s tactics was to prevent her from reading - it often tried to distract her when she attempted to do so. These pictures become another o f Theshara’s tools for regaining happiness. Summary This chapter has explored a range o f different ways o f documenting therapeutic conversations: documents, declarations, certificates, handbooks, notes from the session, audio and videotapes, lists, and pictures. I have not described here the ways in which music and song can also be used as forms o f therapeutic documentation. Nor have I explored the ways in which community arts projects can act as collective forms o f documentation o f preferred alternative community stories (Stiles 1999). The possibilities are endless. All o f these mediums can be used as resources to assist in the documentation and further exploration o f alternative stories. Whereas the intricacies o f a conversation can so easily be forgotten, therapeutic documents can be referred to over and over again. Each reading (or playing or drawing) can act as a retelling o f the alternative story, and this in turn contributes to new possibilities. Further reading Epston, D., Freeman, J. & Lobovits, D. 1997: ‘Publishing the new s.’ In Epston, D., Freeman, J. & Lobovits, D. (eds), Playful Approaches to Serious Problems: Narrative therapy with children and their families, chapter 7. New York: Norton.

Chapter 11 Therapeutic letters Within narrative practices, letters are used in variety o f ways to assist families. David Epston and Michael White (1990) have introduced a number o f different sorts o f therapeutic letters including: •letters as summary o f the session •letters o f invitation and to build relationships •letters o f redundancy •letters o f reference There are many pieces that have been written on the use o f letters in narrative therapy (see further reading list) so in this chapter I will only provide a short description o f each o f these different types o f letters. Before letters are sent Before the therapist sends a letter, they always consult the family about this idea. They ask the family members if they would be interested in receiving a letter and, if so, they inquire as to the reasons for this interest. The therapist might explain some o f the possibilities as to the content o f the letter and ask the family members which o f the possibilities appeals to them. Issues o f confidentiality are important to consider at this time, so the therapist needs to ascertain how the letter should be addressed. Therapists can prepare the family for receiving a letter by asking them what they think they would be likely to do with the letter - would they read it just once or more often? where would they keep it? - and to predict its likely effects. The therapist can also explain that he or she will be interested, at the next meeting, in hearing the fam ily’s comments about the letter and about the effects o f receiving it. In this way, the therapist can set a context whereby the family members feel comfortable to suggest changes, deletions and additions to the letter and can ask them for their ideas about which parts o f the present conversation they think would be important to include in the next letter. Letters as summary From time to time the therapist will write to the people consulting them, providmg a summary o f the conversations they have shared. These letters may contain any o f the following: •some o f the main ideas or thoughts that emerged during the conversations •questions that the therapist has wondered about since the conversation •some reflections from the therapist about the conversation •documentation o f some o f the unique outcomes that were discovered during the session • requests for clarification about some part o f the conversation that the therapist would like to be clearer about • aspects o f the conversation that were not fully explored during the session that may be o f interest to the person receiving the letter When writing these letters, the therapist is careful to use the language and words that were spoken during the session. Therapeutic letters contain the names the family has given to the dominant and alternative stories, and the language o f externalising conversations and questions. Often the notes that therapists make during a conversation enable them to write letters that include the exact phrasing and expressions that were helpful to the people concerned. Therapeutic letters, which vary in length, content and form, become an extension o f the therapy session. Therapists develop their own personal style o f writing these letters. Receiving feedback from the people to whom the letters are written plays a large part in this process. The following letter was written to Penny after a conversation about the hostile voices o f schizophrenia. The letter contains summaries o f the things that Penny told the therapist, some questions posed by the therapist, and direct quotations from the session itself. The letter moves between past, present and future time frames and details the names o f the problem (the hostile voices) and the emerging alternative story (the upper hand), while focusing predominantly on the alternative story. This emphasis is intentional. It is assumed that documenting the alternative story will assist Penny to stay more connected to it and that this will contribute to her future actions being shaped positively by it. D ear Penny, I thought I ’d write you this letter after we met on Tuesday because there were so many things you told me that caught my attention and that I ’ve since been curious about. You described how ‘the hostile voices ’ were quieter this p a st week and that you had m anaged to have ‘the upper h an d’ in most instances. I was wondering more about your ‘upper h an d’ and asked you if you had noticed it before. You told me that you thought that you must have been training it over the p a st fe w months but that this was the first time that you had used it. I was wondering more about that training and how you did that? It sounded as though all the practice you did with you r ‘upper hand ’ was rewarding as you sa id that the ‘hostile voices ’ only tried to retaliate when you had ideas o f going to m eet Sally at the bus stop. Even then though, your ‘upper h an d’ silenced the hostile voices and you m anaged to go on your outing. I was wondering what it has been like fo r you to do all this? What person al strengths or qualities did you use? I was wondering also if Sally knew what you were up against in meeting her that day? I f she did, what w ould she say it took? We also talked about the freedom and fun you had got back over the p a st fe w weeks. You said that even if the voices insisted on whispering to you that ‘at least they d id n ’t boom at me like they usually do ’. You spoke o f your increased freedom to be in the garden, to have fun watching TV and making phone calls, and the freedom to care fo r y o u rself more. I was wondering i f there was anyone who would have p red icted that you would g et back you r fun and freedom from the hostile voices and reclaim
yo u r fun and freedom in the ways that you have done? M aybe you could tell me next time we meet. There are lots o f questions in this letter. Some o f them might be interesting to you and others not - we can talk about them next time if you wish or anything else that is important to you. I ’ll look fo rw a rd to hearing about you r trip to the city and I ’d love to see that photo, if you remember! K ind Regards, Alice Many people have told me that receiving a letter such as the one above can be very helpful. They have found the written word sustaining as it reminds them o f the conversation shared. Letters that summarise a conversation and contain some further questions also assist people to stay connected to the emerging alternative story that is co-authored in narrative meetings. When people are more connected to the preferred stories o f their lives, they are more likely to continue to be able to get free from the influence o f the problem. After Trish had received a similar sort o f letter to the one sent to Penny, she said: ‘I couldn’t believe you would spend the time to write to me. It made me feel so much stronger in relation to Anxiety to know that someone else was with me in the fight. I read it so many times during the week - it really helped to bring Anxiety out o f the shadows. I noticed I could fight it a bit m ore’. Brief letters B rief letters that contain perhaps only one or two questions or sentences can also make a positive contribution to people’s lives. I wrote this short note to Samuel after a session in which he told me about his intentions to apply for a job in the newspaper. Samuel was interested in reclaiming his interest in music and intended to pursue work in this area for the first time in twelve years. An abusive incident had resulted in him being totally disconnected from his musical talents and had prevented him from even looking in the relevant section o f the newspaper for several years. Samuel and I had discussed the steps leading to this breakthrough and had celebrated them in our conversation together. I sent h im this note: Samuel, Since we talked I cou ldn ’t stop wondering who was ‘standing with you supporting you when you decided to buy that first newspaper and begin to look in the music section. Were you totally alone or was there someone ‘beh in d ’ you? Alice This short letter assisted Samuel to consider those people who had assisted him along the path o f reclaiming music in his life (see chapter 9, Re­ membering conversations). He later said that having these people more in his consciousness at the time o f taking these important steps gave him more determination to continue than he might otherwise have had. Letters o f summary can take many creative forms. Amy, a six-year-old girl, was particularly interested in the pop group The Spice Girls. I sent Amy a Spice Girls sticker that was stuck on a piece o f paper with a large speech bubble containing an appropriate question from Scary Spice, A m y’s favourite character. Sometimes it can be helpful to send drawings or pictures to people. Freiya was ‘on the road to getting things done’ and expressed her immense satisfaction in her ability to stick to this path. One day, when reading a magazine, I found a beautiful picture o f a series o f paths through dense bushland and forest. I sent it to Freiya and wrote the following: ‘This picture reminded me o f the path that you told me you had chosen. I was wondering how you chose it from all the other ones? How did you know it would suit you?’ Letters of invitation and letters to build relationships Letters can also be useful in inviting people to attend meetings with the therapist and various family members. The reasons for such an invitation are made clear to the people who are being invited, and an opportunity is made for them to respond to the invitation. Lauren received this letter from me: D ear Lauren, I have spoken to your mum and she's told me about what's going on at the moment. I've been thinking about you and w ondered if it would help to come and have a chat sometime. I've met you r sister before and would like to g et to know you too. What do you think?
From Mrs Morgan Other people who are significant in the life o f the person consulting the therapist, but who are not family members, can also be invited to attend sessions. D ear Mardie, As you know, M ichele and I have met a fe w times to discuss som e things that are important to her. The other day she told me that you had made a comment about something she had done at school when she was younger that M ichele was very curious about. M ichele and I are interested in hearing som e more about what you know about M ich ele’s abilities at school and we were wondering if you would be able to meet with us? I would ask you a fe w questions, if that is ok, so that M ichele can hear about that p a rt o f her life. I hope you are interested in join in g in this project and look fo rw a rd to m eeting you. Best wishes, Alice M organ Letters o f invitation can also help to introduce people to the therapist, and establish the beginnings o f a relationship prior to direct conversation. This can assist people with their decision to consult a therapist about a particular difficulty. Loretta Perry wrote a series o f letters to a young boy, Finn, who had not spoken in his family for some time. The first letter o f a series is included below. At the time that Loretta sent it, Finn had not attended any therapy sessions. Loretta had spoken to Josie, Finn’s caretaker, who provided some ideas to assist Loretta with the letter. This letter contains invitations, therapeutic comments and questions and it served to develop a connection between Loretta and Finn. Loretta wrote seven further letters before she received a response from Finn. This is an example o f how letters can be used to build connections to people when simply turning up to a therapy appointment is not an option for them. (All the letters and a discussion o f the therapy are detailed in Perry 1999.) D ear Finn, I was disappointed that our first appointm ent fe ll through, so I thought I ’d write. I ’ve been told by Josie that you ’re on retreat —I hear the re tre a t’s been going seven months. Some time ago I watched a show on television and was fa scin ated to learn about individuals, perhaps like yo u rself who comm it to and jo in what they call ‘Orders ’. Orders invite vows o f silence and prom ises from the people, sometimes fo rever - have you heard about this? O f course the interviewer couldn ’t talk to the p eo p le on retreat, so they had to ask questions o f their fam ily members, or o f their old friends if they d id n ’t have any fam ily people around. None o f the people on retreat seem ed to have made any new friends since the vows o f silence. The interviewer asked them som e questions about the silence that had taken them over - questions like: D id silence have to work hard and fo r a long time before it won you over? Or did silence convince you to commit to it overnight? Does silence on the outside mean silence on the inside? And does a commitment to fo re v e r mean forever? The interviewer asked things like that. Finn, I was wondering whether there were any sim ilarities between the commitment y o u ’ve made to silence and the ideas p u t fo rw a rd in the show. The show g rabbed my attention, and left me wanting to know more about p eo p le that silence calls upon. You see, because o f the time constraint there were som e things left unsaid, particularly in relation to one young woman - she wasn ’t as young as you though. But, all in all, the show go t me thinking. I ’d really love to m eet you but fu lly understand if the vows y o u ’ve taken preven t this from happening. I f the commitment to silence d o esn ’t want you to come back to a speaking w orld ju s t yet, could an old frien d o f yours, or som eone from you r fam ily, come in you r place, ju s t like in the television show ... ? Loretta PS: H ow do you g et to know w h a t’s going on in the w orld outside your retreat? D o you send your eyes and ears outside while you stay indoors? Letters of redundancy These letters may be written to someone who is seeking to make redundant some job or role they may have once fulfilled during the time they were under the influence o f a particular problem. Some problems invite parents to take particular roles that assist their child during the time they are faced with the difficulty. As the child makes steps away from the problem’s influence, this role may be no longer required. This was the situation with Allyssa. Fears had been preventing her from sleeping in her bedroom alone. She was continually tired and this made it difficult for her to remember to bring things to school. It also meant that she was often ‘disorganised’ and ‘forgetful’. After checking out that abuse was not a contributing factor, we explored the relationship between Allyssa and her mother, Pam. Pam supported Allyssa as she shrunk the Fear, by offering to remind her o f the items she needed to take to school and agreeing to make special trips to school if she forgot certain necessary items, for example, music equipment or sports clothes. Pam looked forward to returning to the times when Allyssa was able to do this for herself. Allyssa was successful in getting Fear out o f her life and began to sleep soundly in her bedroom. As she regained her energy she began to notice that she didn’t need her mum to do all the tasks for her that she had taken on. We wrote Pam this letter with the good news. D ear Pam, Today Allyssa and I have talked about some o f the changes she has noticed since she has g ot her life back from Fears. Allyssa told me that now she can sleep better, she has found that she is more ‘in control o f her life ' and that she can ‘remember things now Allyssa is very pleased about this and her ability to organise her own things. When I asked her what you would think, Allyssa thought you would be excited too. Allyssa announced today that this means 7 d o n ’t need my mum to do it anymore, because I know that I can do it now ’. I guess that means that you w o n ’t need to worry about the reminders and the organising jo b you had and will have some more time on your hands. H ow is that fo r you? I remember once you telling me you couldn ’t wait fo r this day to come, so I ’ll look forw ard to hearing what you do with it! Allyssa also said that she wanted to thank you a lot fo r what you did to keep her life going as she shrunk Fear and she has made som e plans fo r how to do this. I w o n ’t spoil the surprise! Regards, Alice M organ Letters of reference These letters are usually written ‘To whom it may concern’ and contain accounts o f a person’s developing identity, one that is not defined by the problem that has been influencing their lives. The therapist writes this type o f letter in consultation with the person and often multiple copies are made for wide distribution. These letters can be particularly helpful in situations where a problem has invited a certain ‘reputation’ into the person’s life. These negative reputations can be difficult to shift, so a letter such as this may assist those around the person to begin to entertain a new and more positive reputation. These letters contribute to shifting the accounts o f the person that were once problem-saturated to new, more positive ones. Shaun was regaining his life from Trouble. His family and school were concerned about the effect that Trouble was having on him. As Shaun regained his life from the problem, the following letter o f reference was written. Shaun requested fifteen copies be made and sent to ‘key’ people like his teachers, his friends and members o f his family. To Whom It May Concern: As you know, Shaun has been regaining his life from Trouble for several months now. I have been meeting with Shaun to discuss his achievements and thought you may like to be kept up to date on the following: • It is now 33 days since Shaun was required to attend a detention. • Shaun has completed and submitted all the work that is due and is currently up to date on all assignments. • Shaunhas been having victories over Lying. • Shaunthinks that his attitude to study is more positive and that he wants to stay at school. • Shaun intends to own up to' the graffiti he wrote and offer to clean it off the walls. Although it is still early days, Shaun intends to continue to challenge Trouble's ways and continue with these developments. I am writing you this note to invite you to collect further evidence of Shaun's life moving away from Trouble and to inform you that these achievements may require you to treat Shaun somewhat differently than the ways of the past. What do you think? I would be happy to hear from any of you that may have further ideas or comments to make. Best wishes Alice Morgan Summary Within narrative practices, therapeutic letter writing often plays a significant part. In some circumstances, the entire therapy can occur through letters (e.g. where direct conversation is impossible). Letter writing can also be particularly significant in situations where people are unsure as to whether they wish to talk to a therapist (i.e. in involuntary situations). In these situations letters can provide a less threatening opening to a relationship than talking face- to-face. In other situations, letters act as a parallel process to actual conversation, contributing to the thickening o f alternative stories and providing reflections that can be referred to at any time. Further reading Epston, D. 1998: ‘Expanding the conversation.’ In Epston, D., Catching Up With David Epston: A collection o f narrative practice-based papers published between 1991 & 1996. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. White, M. & Epston, D. 1990: Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends (especially chapters 3 & 4). New York: Norton.

Chapter 12 Rituals and celebrations Rituals and celebrations mark celebrate significant steps in the journey away from a problem story to a new and preferred version o f life. It is difficult to write generally about rituals and ceremonies as they are as varied as the people who are involved in them. Celebrations can be formal or informal, and can take place with or without the presence o f the therapist. In this section, I describe three ceremonies that I have participated in to give some sense o f the possibilities. Sonia's ritual of membership Sonia and I planned a ceremony to elevate and privilege three relationships that were significant to her and to formally relinquish two other relationships. This idea arose from a re-membering conversation (see chapter 9) that had occurred during one o f our sessions. I had inquired about who else would know o f Sonia’s strength and courage and o f the commitment she had made to a future o f ‘self-belief and nurturance’. I had also asked about the people who would support, or who were currently supporting, this new direction for her life. Sonia had been disconnected from this commitment to self-belief and nurturance for much o f her twenty-four years, and it had been continuously discouraged by some members o f her biological family.

Sonia told me that there were three very important people in her life who supported her and encouraged her commitment to self-belief and nurturance - a teacher she had in her final year o f school (Fiona), a close friend (Dianne), and her ‘adopted mother’ (Sadie). I invited Fiona, Dianne and Sadie to a celebration and explained its intention: to honour their contribution to Sonia’s life. At the ceremony, Sonia and I read some prepared statements to Fiona, Dianne and Sadie and presented them all with Honorary Life Membership Certificates to Sonia’s life. I interviewed Sonia about the significance o f this to her whilst the three wom en listened. I then asked Fiona, Dianne and Sadie a series o f questions about the contribution that Sonia had made to their lives. In this way, the reciprocal nature o f their relationships was honoured and acknowledged. At this ceremony we also read prepared statements that announced the cessation o f two abusive relationships that Sonia no longer wished to have in her life. The ceremony concluded with hugs, champagne and much laughter. Alirra's ceremony of fun Alirra had been successful in ‘getting back fun and confidence’ from the influence o f Headaches. One day, I asked Alirra if she thought we should plan a celebration o f her achievements. Alirra was delighted with the suggestion and wanted to invite some people to join us in this. The next two sessions were spent making plans. Alirra chose to invite the people who had made significant contributions to the ‘getting back fun and confidence’ project - her mother and father, her current teacher, her teacher from the previous year, her friend and m yself. Together we made the invitations and planned the agenda for the event. At this celebration, each participant had the opportunity to speak and reflect on Alirra’s achievements and contributions. Alirra asked me to speak on her behalf about the contributions that all those who were present had made. A presentation to Alirra o f a certificate to commemorate ‘getting back fun and confidence’ (see chapter 10) was made in the presence o f her invited guests. Members o f the meeting signed the certificate as witnesses. Her mother gave Alirra a present and had baked a special chocolate cake. This was decorated with balloons (a symbol o f fun that Alirra and I had often spoken about) with the words ‘Alirra: strong, confident, caring, determined, courage’ written in

icing. These words came from conversations that Alirra, her mother and m yself had shared about the personal qualities Alirra possessed that assisted her with getting back fun and confidence. A ritual of declaration Zoe and I planned a ritual to celebrate and publicly acknowledge her ‘Declaration o f Independence’ (see Declarations in chapter 10). At this ritual we used the four stages o f the outsider-witness group process, described in chapter 14. The formal part o f the evening began after dinner. Zoe lit two candles for her two children who were overseas at the time o f the meeting, and who had sent their support for the evening. The event was audiotaped and sent to them. Family members who were invited to the event first witnessed an interview between m yself and Zoe. After I had interviewed Zoe, I then interviewed the invited members about what they had heard. I invited them to reflect on the conversation they had witnessed and to comment on those aspects that particularly caught their attention. Zoe was an audience to this conversation. Zoe then had the opportunity to comment on these reflections and read her ‘Declaration o f Independence’ to all assembled. The fourth part o f the evening gave everyone the opportunity to ask me questions about why I had asked the questions I had, and about my ideas or thinking. We concluded by all signing the declaration and listening to ‘What a Wonderful World’ sung by Louis Armstrong Junior. Summary The possibilities for the use o f ritual and celebration within narrative work are unlimited. The timing, scope and content o f rituals are determined through a collaborative process between therapists and the people consulting them. In each circumstance, considerations are made in relation to what would be the appropriate audience and setting for the ritual, and how it could be structured in a way to most powerfully acknowledge all that has been experienced. Rituals do not necessarily have to involve celebration. Powerful rituals o f loss, grieving and moving on may also be a part o f a therapeutic journey. In considering the structuring o f rituals, therapists usually consider the principles that inform re-authoring conversations. Care is taken to ensure that rituals do not focus solely on the problematic story and that alternative stories are performed in appropriate settings in front o f especially selected audiences. The telling and performance o f alternative stories in these settings can be transformative.

Chapter 13 Expanding the conversation: Co-research, leagues, networks, committees, groups and teams Those people who have experience with problems, either in the present or in the past, hold special knowledges, skills, competencies and expertise that can assist others in similar situations. They have particular expertise and wisdom about, for example, the ways that particular problems operate, the ways in which problems speak, the likes and dislikes o f particular problems, and the ways they have found to counteract or change their relationship with these problems. For example, Barry, through his relationship with ‘substance abuse’, has special knowledges and understandings about this problem and how he managed to reclaim his life from its effects. He holds understandings about how substance abuse invites itself into people’s lives, how it speaks and operates, and how he changed his relationship with substances from an ‘abusive’ to a more ‘harmonious’ one. These words were chosen by Barry to describe the changes in his relationship to substance use. These knowledges that Barry has acquired have the potential to assist and support others who are interested in reclaiming their lives from drug problems. Imagine what it would be like to collect and record Barry’s special knowledges and for these to be accessible to other people. Imagine a library o f understandings about ‘the voice o f substance abuse’ or documents that record ways to break from the effects o f certain substances on one’s life. Narrative therapists assume that access to these special knowledges can further reduce the influence o f such problems in the lives o f those affected by them and contribute % to significant shifts in understandings about ways to counteract them. Sometimes the process o f unearthing and recording people’s insider knowledges is called ‘consulting your consultants’, or ‘co-research’. It involves the documentation o f people’s knowledges and skills about problems and ways o f addressing them, so that this knowledge can be distributed to others. This distribution o f knowledge often happens through the written word. For example, documents or therapeutic letters may be circulated (with permission) between people who are struggling with similar issues. Many narrative therapists try to find other ways to assist people to access the special knowledges and understandings held by others. Establishing and consulting leagues, committees, teams, groups and networks constitute one way this can be done. These leagues are groups o f people interested in sharing their insider-knowledges with others. They bring together and circulate the voices o f people who are involved in a similar struggle. In this way, it is their voices on these matters that are privileged, rather than the voices o f therapists. There are a number o f ways that people have made hard-won insider- knowledges more accessible to others. These range from small-scale, local projects to large-scale, international ventures. For example, teams or networks have been established by small groups o f narrative therapists and the persons consulting them. These teams or networks document and record information in the form a file or collection/resource for other people to consult. People are invited to join these groups, leagues, networks or teams that are active in standing against certain problems, and to contribute to their activities and events. Some therapists have established books/handbooks (see chapter 10) written by the people consulting them on topics such as ‘Fear Catchers’, ‘Monster Taming’ or ‘Surviving Self-abuse and Scratching’. These handbooks document the stories o f those whose lives have been affected by such problems, and include rich descriptions o f ways in which they have resisted the influence o f the problem in their lives. Some o f these networks and leagues have a relatively recent history, whilst others have been established for some time. The Anti-Anorexia/Bulimia League has been collecting and documenting knowledges about anorexia and bulimia nervosa for several years, and now its archives are collected in Australia, N ew Zealand, the United States o f America and Canada. Not only do these leagues circulate many letters that have been written to undermine the voices o f anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, but also some members speak out publicly about a range o f issues including the effects that certain images o f women in the media have on w om en’s lives. Teaming up against a problem The idea o f having a ‘Team ’ to assist persons to stand against the effects o f a problem evokes many possibilities. To this end, therapists are often interested in opening a conversation in which other people are identified who could stand with and support the person or family experiencing the difficulty. Sophia (aged six years) consulted me about some ‘bad dreams’ that had crept into her sleep and frightened her. I ascertained that abuse was not a part o f this context and was then interested in exploring with Sophia ways o f reducing the occurrence o f these ‘bad dreams’. Sophia told me that the nightmares had lots o f nasty animals on ‘their side’ and that she felt very powerless in their presence. I was interested in discovering from Sophia the people she thought might be on ‘her side’ against the bad dreams; who she thought would disapprove o f what the bad dreams were up to, and, like Sophia, would want them to stay out o f her sleep. I asked Sophia what she thought would happen if we got these people together on a team. What did she think would happen to the ‘bad dreams’ if she had more people on ‘her side’? Sophia thought the team would keep her safe from the ‘bad dreams’ and that it would be ‘good ’. I asked her to name the people she knew would be on her side. Instantly she named her mother, father, and grandmother. Further questioning led to Sophia identifying Fluffy, her toy cat, who was very important to her. Sophia explained that Fluffy slept with her and was the first to see the bad dreams in the night. A baby doll was present during this conversation and I asked Sophia whether the baby would also be on her side against the bad dreams. Sophia rather indignantly replied ‘But she’s only one years old !’ I asked the ages o f the other members o f her team. We recorded them in list form on the whiteboard, and discovered that between all the team

members there was one hundred and ninety-seven years and four months o f experience. Sophia confidently assured me that the ‘bad dreams’ did not have a hope now. We contacted all the members o f the Team by phone, in person or by letter, and asked them if they would be interested in joining Sophia’s T eam Against the Bad Dreams’. They all enthusiastically agreed and certain ‘jo b s’ were given to each o f them to perform. Establishing this team during these conversations was a turning point for Sophia and contributed greatly to her reclaiming ‘fairy’ dreams and ‘happy’ dreams. Re-membering conversations Discussion o f re-membering conversations was provided in chapter 9. I mention their significance again in this section to alert readers’ attention to their potential in the ‘audiencing’ aspects o f narrative therapy. Re-membering conversations are another way o f engaging an audience to witness a person’s achievements, and to witness an account o f what is reflected in these achievements - special abilities, competencies, knowledges, and preferences about ways o f living. It is often possible to invite the person(s) identified through re­ membering conversations to attend a session. The therapist can then interview these significant people, in the presence o f the person who has come for counselling, about their thoughts, and reflections about this person. If the potential audience people are not available to attend such a session, the therapist may, with consent, phone or write to them (by letter, fax or email) and ask them about any impressions they might have o f their friend’s/colleague’s/ acquaintance’s life. Summary Problems often contribute to isolation, loneliness and dislocation. They also often contribute to circumstances that dishonour people’s unique knowledges and know-how. Finding ways to link together people who have experienced similar difficulties, and creating processes through which these

people can share and build upon each others’ skills o f living is a significant part o f the work o f therapists engaged with narrative practices. By focussing on the linking o f people’s lives with those o f others in helpful ways, and in creating avenues by which insider-knowledges can be shared, therapists can play an influential but de-centred role in the lives o f those who consult with them. Through the use o f outsider-witness groups, leagues, networks, committees, teams, and through re-membering conversations, people’s lives becom e linked with others in ways that more richly describe alternative stories. Sometimes this contributes to the linking o f just two or three lives; at other times entire archives o f solution-knowledges might be created and shared between people in different countries. The process is an enriching one for all who are involved. What a difference it can make to people to be joined with others in their struggles to address the problems o f their lives. Further Reading Epston, D. & White, M. 1990: ‘Consulting your consultants: The documentation of alternative know ledges’. Dulwich Centre Newsletter, No.4. Reprinted in Epston, D. & White, M. (1992): Experience, Contradiction, Narrative & Imagination. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. Grieves, L. 1997: ‘From beginning to start: The Vancouver Anti-Anorexia Anti-Bulimia League.’ Gecko, Vol.2. Madigan, S. & Epston, D. 1995: ‘From “spy-chiatric gaze” to communities of concern: From professional monologue to dialogue.’ In Friedman, S. (ed), The Reflecting Team in Action (pp.257-276). New York: Guilford. Reprinted in Epston, D. 1998: Catching Up With David Epston: A collection o f narrative practice-based papers. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. Nosworthy, S. & Lane, K. 1996: ‘How we learnt that scratching can really be self-abuse: Co-research with young people.’ Dulwich Centre Newsletter, No. 4.

Chapter 14 Outsider-witness groups and definitional ceremonies Sometimes, narrative therapists create processes in which audience members act as witnesses, in very particular ways, to the conversations between the therapist and those coming to therapy. These processes are known as definitional ceremonies (after the work o f Barbara Myerhoff, 1986). These can be powerful rituals in assisting people in the reclamation or redefinition o f their identities. The people who are recruited to be members o f an audience to the conversation between the therapist and the person(s) consulting the therapist are often called outsider-witness groups. Sometimes outsider-witness groups are referred to as reflecting teams when this group is made up o f professional colleagues. Outsider-witness groups are made up o f two or more people, either known or unknown to the person consulting the therapist. Outsider witnesses may be other therapists, family members, friends, members o f a community or people unknown to the family, who may be able to offer some relevant expertise or experience. A child who has been subject to teasing and harassment may be interested in meeting with a team comprised o f other children who have had a similar experience. Lesbian couples may be interested in outsider-witness groups comprising other members o f the lesbian community. Aboriginal families or communities may choose to consult a team made up o f some members o f their community.

Narrative therapy often engages outsider-witness groups in a process (or definitional ceremony) that has four distinct stages. A room that is divided by a one-way screen is commonly used for these meetings, although this screen is
not a necessity. When a screen is available, the therapist and person/family sit on one side o f the screen, and the outsider-witness group sits behind the one­ way mirror, listening to and watching the interview. In this way, the outsider- witness group cannot be seen by the family consulting the therapist, although family members know o f and have approved o f their presence. It is always up to the family members to decide whether or not they wish to have such a group as an audience to their conversations. If a one-way screen is not available, the presence o f one can be imagined. The separation this creates is important as it is more beneficial (and more ceremonial) if there is no interaction or dialogue, during the first three parts o f the process, between the outsider-witness group on the one hand, and the therapist and family on the other. Outsider-witness groups have been used in many settings away from the ‘traditional’ therapy room, including within community gatherings (see further reading). Part 1: Initial re-authoring conversation The first part o f the definitional ceremony involves the family and therapist joining in a re-authoring conversation. The outsider-witness group observes this conversation and listens carefully to what is being said. Part 2: A retelling from the outsider-witness group At the conclusion o f the conversation between the therapist and the family, the outsider-witness group swaps places with them. The family is now behind the screen with the therapist and able to watch and listen as the outsider- witness group retells what they have just heard. The conversation between the members o f the outsider-witness group is guided by the principles, ethics and practices o f narrative therapy. Their retelling takes the form o f a dialogue - questions and comments flow freely between the members o f the group. These retellings contribute to a rich description o f the conversation that has just been witnessed. They achieve this rich description by focusing on the emerging alternative stories o f people’s lives, and on the unique outcomes that were identified during Part 1 o f the interview. Outsider-witness group members ask each other questions about anything that caught their attention, comment on events that they were curious about, and express curiosity about aspects o f the conversation that they would like to understand more fully. Group members may also speculate on the meaning o f certain events and hesitantly wonder about the implications o f these for the future o f the person/family consulting the therapist. Alex, an outsider-witness group member might say: ‘When Josie was talking I noticed she said that it was a relief to trust her mum with that piece o f information. I was wondering more about what lead up to her being able to trust her mother like she did? And what that says about what Josie wants or is committed to in her relationship with her mother? I was wondering what this commitment might mean for their relationship and what Josie thinks about that?’ A smooth conversation amongst the members o f the team is achieved by group members interviewing each other and by responding or adding to something that other group members have said. One member may say in response to A le x ’s comment: ‘Yes, I was curious about the significance o f Josie’s trust in her mother also and I heard her mum say that their relationship is gaining closeness again. I wondered if it was a ‘closeness’ that Josie was committed to or maybe it is something else?’ Outsider-witness group members may then ask each other questions like: ‘Why were you particularly interested in that? What did you hear that had you wondering about that event? Why do you think you are curious about that? What do you think that says about Josie and her mum’s relationship that they are getting back their closeness?’ The outsider-witness group members make it clear that they can only speculate about the family members’ responses. Each time a speculation is entered into, it is done with the utmost o f hesitancy and respect —team members never presume to know what is ‘right’ for the person or family. This is achieved through comments like, ‘ I’m not sure if this would fit with Josie, so I’d like to check it with her’ or ‘I’m not sure about that and would really like to know more about it to make sure it would suit Josie and her relationships. I can’t be certain about it but was just thinking that ... Group members also take care to explain why certain parts o f the conversation caught their attention - perhaps because what they witnessed was similar to something that had occurred in their own lives, perhaps because it reminded them o f someone or some event, or perhaps because it reflected something they had recently been reading o f thinking about. Group members share the responsibility for recognising how what they have heard in some way resonates or connects with the experiences o f their own lives, or with their own commitments and beliefs. In this way the hopes, commitments and beliefs o f the outsider-witness group members become linked in some w&y with those o f the family members. This can powerfully thicken the alternative stories o f the lives o f family members. It is also usual for group members to talk about how the conversation they have witnessed has affected their thinking about their own lives or work, and/or its potential to shape and contribute to their lives or work practices in the future. This sharing is done in such a way that the family still remains at the centre o f the retelling (as distinct from it being a personal sharing that centres the group members). This is known as de-centred sharing (White 1997). It is a deliberate and careful type o f sharing, one that provides an acknowledgement o f the ways in which the stories o f the lives o f the family members are linked to the stories o f the lives o f group members. It could sound something like this: ‘When Josie was talking about trust, I was thinking about how I have sometimes had trouble finding trusting places in which to talk about certain things in my own life. Hearing Josie today has made me more conscious o f how precious relationships o f trust are. Her words will help me to think more about the people in my life whom I can trust and I will go away from here wanting to speak with them about what they mean to m e.’ Group members could then take this comment into a discussion by asking questions about it or by commenting on something they heard that had them thinking in similar ways. In these contexts, attention to transparency (being open about why one is saying what one is saying) on behalf o f the outsider-witness groups members is very important. Particular attention is also usually given to the difference in power between group members and the family in ways that minimise the potential for this imbalance to have harmful effects. Team members are careful to speak in ways that recognise the family members as the experts on their own lives. This conversation between outsider-witness group members continues until the allocated time is reached, or until the family members or the group members sense that it is time to swap places. Part 3: The family member's response The third part o f this process provides an opportunity for the family members to comment on the retellings o f the outsider-witness group. The therapist usually asks the family members about their responses to the retellings

• for example, what they thought o f the group’s comments, what interested them about these comments, what did not interested them - and invites them to speak generally about the experience. This part o f the interview is not a continuation o f the therapeutic conversation that occurred in Part 1. Instead, it is an opportunity for the family to comment on the retellings o f the outsider-witness group and to have the last say on what was discussed. In this way, the group becomes more accountable to the family for the real effects o f what they said - the group learns directly from the family members about what was most and least helpful to them. This feedback assists the group members in their further explorations o f the practices o f appropriate outsider-witness group retellings. Time is given for family members to give an account o f their overall experience o f being an audience to a conversation about their lives, and o f how they predict this might affect their lives in the future. Part 4: Discussion of the therapy After the family members have commented on the retellings, the outsider-witness group is invited to join the therapist and the family. At this time there is an opportunity for everyone to reflect on the first three parts o f the process. The aim here is to invite everyone ‘behind the scenes’ o f the therapy, thus making the therapeutic conversations transparent. The family members may or may not wish to contribute to this discussion at this time. They may just listen. This practice o f transparency fits with an ethical position held by many narrative therapists about only discussing the content o f the interview or details o f the life o f the family members whilst the family is present. The family and the outsider-witness group members are invited to ask the therapist anything about her/his contribution to the conversation. They might ask the therapist: •what his/her thoughts were at certain points during the interview, •why s/he asked particular questions, •why s/he pursued one particular direction or ‘line’ o f questions, •what s/he thought about other options for the conversations during the interview, •about ‘turning points’ in the interview, •for clarification about any aspect o f the therapeutic conversation that they wish to further understand, • to speculate about the possibilities for future conversations with the family that may occur as a result o f the meeting with the outsider-witness group. During this fourth stage, the therapist may also interview the outsider- witness group members about their retellings, about their ideas on other possible questions that the family members could have been asked, and about they might have done if they had been taking the role o f interviewer. Summary This chapter has described the four stages o f the definitional ceremonies that are associated with narrative ways o f working. When outsider-witness groups are used in community gatherings, or when they are made up o f community members rather than professional workers, the process maybe modified. However the principles remain the same. The outsider-witness group is there to witness the re-authoring conversations and then to retell what they have heard in ways that contribute to rich description o f alternative stories o f people’s lives and identities. People who consult therapists within the context o f these definitional ceremonies invariably find this experience acknowledging and helpful. Family members say that hearing their stories in other people’s words helps to further separate them from the problem-saturated stories o f their lives, and contributes to profound developments in the rebuilding o f their lives around preferred stories o f their identity. Usually, families which have experienced the retellings o f an outsider-witness group will specifically ask for this to be a part o f their future consultations. Further reading ‘Reflecting team s.’ 1999: Special edition o f Gecko, Vol.2. White, M. 1995: ‘Reflecting team as definitional cerem ony.’ In White, M., Re-authoring Lives: Interviews and essays, chapter 7. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. White, M. 1997: ‘Definitional cerem ony.’ In White, M., Narratives o f Therapists’ Lives, chapter 4. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. For examples o f the use o f outsider-witness groups in community gatherings, see: ‘Reclaiming our stories, reclaiming our lives.’ 1995: An initiative o f the Aboriginal Health Council o f South Australia. Dulwich Centre Newsletter, N o.l. ‘Speaking out and being heard,’ 1995: Dulwich Centre Newsletter, No.4. Closing remarks This introductory book is now coming to a close and I am conscious o f how much there is about narrative therapy that I haven’t included in these pages. I have chosen not to discuss the broader theoretical ideas that locate narrative practices within the context o f post-structuralist thought, and haven’t described how literary theory and anthropology have influenced narrative practice. Instead I have tried to explain some o f the key ideas. For this reason, I’ve deliberately used illustrations that are relatively uncomplicated. I hope that I have been able to convey the ideas without compromising their thoughtfulness or rigour. To end, I thought I’d include a list o f assumptions that inform narrative ways o f working that I find very helpful to remind m yself o f every so often. Assumptions that inform narrative ways of working: ❖ The problem is the problem (the person is not the problem). ❖ People have expertise on their own lives. ❖ People can becom e the primary authors o f the stories o f their own lives. ❖ By the time a person consults a therapist, they will have already made many attempts to reduce the influence o f the problem in their lives and relationships. ❖ Problems are constructed in cultural contexts. These contexts include power relations o f race, class, sexual preference, gender, and disadvantage. ❖ The problems for which people seek consultation usually cause them to reach thin conclusions about their lives and relationships. Often these conclusions have encouraged them to consider themselves as deficient in some way and this makes it difficult for them to access their knowledges,

competencies, skills and abilities. ❖ These skills, competencies and knowledges can be made available to them to assist with reclaiming their lives from the influence o f the problem for which they seek help. ❖ There are always occasions in a person’s life upon which they have escaped a problem’s influence. Problems never successfully claim 100% o f people’s lives or relationships. ❖ Ensuring an atmosphere o f curiosity, respect and transparency is the responsibility o f the therapist.

References Brigitte, Sue, M em & Veronika, 1998: ‘Power to our journeys.’ In White, C. & Denborough, D. (eds), Introducing Narrative Therapy: A collection o f pra ctice-b ased writings. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. Bruner, J. 1986: Actual Minds: Possible worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Freedman, J. & Combs, G. 1996: Narrative Therapy: The social construction o f p referred realities. N ew York: Norton. Geertz, C, 1973: ‘Thick description: Toward an interpretative theory o f culture.’ In Geertz, C., The Interpretation o f Cultures. N ew York: Basic Books. Huntley, J. 1999: ‘A narrative approach to working with students who have “learning difficulties” .’ In Morgan, A. (ed), Once Upon a Time ... Narrative therapy with children and their fam ilies. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. Kamsler, A. 1990: ‘Her-story in the making.’ In Durrant, M. & White, C. (eds), Ideas fo r Therapy With Sexual Abuse. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. Reprinted 1998 in White, C. & Denborough, D. (eds), Introducing N arrative Therapy: A collection o f practice-based writings. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. Myerhoff, B. 1986: ‘Life not death in Venice: Its second life.’ In Turner, V. & Bruner, E. (eds), The Anthropology o f Experience. Chicago: University o f Illinois Press. Myerhoff, B. 1982: ‘Life history among the elderly: Performance, visibility and remembering.’ In Ruby, J. (ed), A Crack in the Mirror: Reflexive perspectives in anthropology. Philadelphia: University o f Pennsylvania Press. Power to our journeys, 1999: ‘Documents and treasures.’ In Dulwich Centre Publications (ed), Narrative Therapy and Community Work: A conference collection. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications.

Perry, L. 1999: ‘There’s a garden - som ewhere.’ In Morgan, A. (ed), Once Upon a Time ... N arrative approaches with children and their fam ilies. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. Stiles, S, 1999: ‘Community cultural development.’ Gecko, V ol.3. White, M. & Epston, D. 1990: N arrative Means to Therapeutic Ends. N ew York: Norton. White, M. 1991: ‘Deconstruction and therapy.’ Dulwich Centre N ew sletter, N o .3. Reprinted in Epston, D. & White, M. (1992), Experience, Contradiction, N arrative & Imagination. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. White, M, 1995: Re-authoring Lives: Interviews & essays. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. White, M. 1997: Narratives o f T herapists’ Lives. Adelaide: Dulwich Centre Publications. Index B accountability. See also transparency, practices o f respect agency, 43, 68, 69 landscape o f action, 60 landscape o f identity, 62 questions to discover preferences, 72 alternative stories, 14, 36 rich descriptions of, 15 alternative story & statement o f position map, 70 & the use o f certificates, 91 audiencing, 73 connecting with, 98 creating a new story, 64 naming of, 59, 69. See unique outcomes:tracing history o f openings to, 58 retellings of, 99, 122 thickening, 73 why name?, 72 assumptions o f narrative therapy, 129 audiencing, 73. See re-membering conversations. See thickening the alternative story recruiting through declarations, 89 audiotapes use of, 96. See therapeutic documentation building relationships through letters, 105 c celebrations, 111 ceremonies, 111, 112. See also definitional ceremonies, o f fun, 112 certificates, 90. See therapeutic documentation circulating stories, 73. See thickening the alternative story committees, 115 communities o f concern, 119. See teams community work, 2, 4, 31, 99, 121, 122, 126, 127 consulting your consultants, 116. See co-research context. See deconstruction co-research, 75, 115, 116, 119 counter-documents, 86, 87 curiosity, 2 D declarations, 89. See therapeutic documentation deconstruction, 21, 22, 45 definitional ceremonies, 92, 121, 122 discourse. See deconstruction documents family peace document, 86 therapeutic, use of, 85, 99 to acknowledge problems effects, 40 dominant story, 11, 14 effects of, 7 in therapeutic context, 10 drawing, 19, 35, 98, 99, 105 E effects o f the problem, 39 evaluating the effects o f the problem, 42 externalising conversations, 17, 26 beginning, 18 considering the broader context, 22. See also deconstruction distinctions of, 29 some differences between, 29 what can be externalised?, 20 why engage in them?, 24 G groups, 115. See also outsider-witness groups H handbooks, 95. See therapeutic documentation I internalising conversations, 18, 29. See externalising conversations some differences between, 29 j justification o f the evaluation, 43 L landscape o f action questions, 60, 64. See landscape o f identity questions landscape o f consciousness questions, 62. See landscape o f identity questions landscape o f identity questions, 62, 64. See landscape o f action questions language o f externalising conversations, 18, 22 leagues, 115 letters, 101 as summary, 102 brief, 104 o f invitation and to build relationships, 105 o f redundancy, 107 o f reference, 109 use o f therapeutic letters, 101 listening, 18, 28, 33, 40, 46, 47, 50, 51, 54, 57, 58 lists use of, 97. See therapeutic documentation M map statement o f position, 44, 70 meaning, 5, 37 & thin conclusion, 12 deriving meaning from stories, 11 determining meaning, 5 memberships, 79, 83, 84. See also outsider-witness groups. See also audiencing. See also re-membering conversations & use o f certificates, 112 ‘club o f life’, 84 discovery of, 79 privileging of/exploration of, 79 rituals of, 111 metaphor, 21, 29, 34 N naming an alternative story, 69 narrative therapy & stories, 5 assumptions, 129 principles of, 2, 15, 17 what is it?, 2 networks, 115 notes from the session, 96. See therapeutic documentation o outsider-witness groups, 121 process of, 122 personification o f the problem, 25 pictures use of, 98. See therapeutic documentation. See drawing plot, 5 power relations of, 13, 22, 23, 124, 129 practices o f respect, 2, 3, 17, 20, 42 problem effects of, 39 evaluating the effects of, 42 is the problem, 17, 24 naming of, 20 situating in context, 45. See deconstruction tracing history of, 33. See relative influence questions 135 Q questions & agency, 72 & language o f externalising conversations, 20 & personification o f the problem, 26 & practices o f respect, 2, 3, 20 & revising relationships with problems, 28 & rich description, 69 & therapist transparency, 113, 126 back-up questions that uncover unique outcomes, 57 deconstruction, 46. See deconstruction, problem situating in context discovery o f unique outcomes, 56 evaluating the effects o f problem, 42 exploring the effects o f the problem, 41 externalised questions, 40 justification o f evaluation, 43 landscape o f action, 60 landscape o f identity, 62 naming the alternative story, 70 relative influence questions, 34 re-membering conversations, 79 that trace the problems history, 34 use o f in letter writing, 102 R re-authoring, 5 reciprocal sharing, 83 reflecting teams, 121. See outsider- witness groups process of, 122 relative influence questions, 34, 58 & tracing history o f the problem, 34 re-membering conversations, 77, 118 examples of, 80 respect. See practices o f respect re-storying, 5 retelling, 6, 98, 99, 122, 123 revising relationships with problems, 28 rich descriptions, 15. See thin conclusions, thin descriptions, thick descriptions rituals, 111 o f declaration, 113 o f membership, 111 s self constructions o f the self, 29 statement o f position map, 44, 70 stories, 5, 12. See also dominant story, alternative stories & deconstruction, 9 & the broader context, 9. See deconstruction alternative stories, 14 authoring, 6 circulating, 73 creating a new story, 64. See alternative story different types o f stories, 8 effects of, 7 in the therapeutic context, 11 living many stories at once, 8 meaning o f in narrative therapy, 5 openings to new stories, 58 T teams, 115, 117. See also outsider- witness groups and teaming up against a problem, 117 therapeutic documentation, 85, 99 therapeutic documents, 85, 99 therapeutic letters, 101 thick descriptions, 15. See thin conclusions, thin descriptions, rich descriptions . thickening the alternative story, 73 thin conclusions, 12 effects of, 13 thin descriptions, 12. See thin conclusions, rich descriptions, thick descriptions tracing history o f the problem, 33 why is it helpful?, 36 transparency, 113, 124, 126, 130 turning points, 90, 97, 118, 126 u unique outcomes back-up questions for discovery of, 57 determining meaning, 59 discovering, 51, 54, 58 examples of, 53 tracing history of, 59 v videotapes use of, 96. See therapeutic documentation

What is narrative therapy? This easy- to-read introdttcftorTseeks to answer this question through the use/of a c c e s s ib le language, a c o n c i s e s tru ctu re and a wide range of practical examples. This book covers a broad spectrum of narrative practices including ex te rnal isat ion, re-m embering, therapeutic letter writing, the use of rituals, leagues, reflecting teams and much more. If you are a therapist, health worker or community worker who is trying to, or is wanting to apply narrative ideas in your own work context, this book has been written with you in mind. j* * * ' A lice M orga n takes delight in consulting with families, w riting and teaching. Alice lives in Melbourne, Australia.