Presenter: M. Mookie Manalili, Part-Time Faculty / Psychotherapist / Doctoral Student; SSW / MCAS / WCAS
This presentation presents and expands upon "Narrative Therapy", an emerging evidence-based approach rooted in family systems therapy practices and poststructural philosophy practice. As seen in the discourse (and discontent) in American culture and psychology, social justice movements have sought to critique the assumption of homogenizing every human person. Indeed, each human person is contextualized by heritages, cultures, and stories, which cannot be fully redacted in our therapeutic treatment. As our students (and patients) grapple with 'problems', 'diagnoses', and symptomatology - their unique values, goals, and motivations can (and ethically should) be brought to the foreground of accompaniment and therapy - to empower the folks we serve and allow for more humane treatment of students (and patients).
The presentation explores the theoretical foundations of narrative therapy, particularly social construction, and developmental, philosophical, ethical, and post-structural traditions. NT addresses the therapeutic position referred to as 鈥渄e-centered and influential,鈥� which respects 鈥渃lient鈥檚, patient鈥檚, person鈥檚鈥� local knowledge that is often obscured or subjugated when placed alongside normative discourse often reproduced in cultural and professional knowledge claims.
As a result of this session, participants will be able to:
- We will explore and critique the context of epistemologies and knowledge that give rise to what is "normative" for our students. We will do so through think-pair-shares and group discussions using Narrative Therapy practices.
- Narrative Therapy explores the power-dynamics that are implicit in each discourse and interaction, as well as the roles which we play in larger systems.
- The aforementioned frameworks and ways of approaching questions.
