Peterborough TRAUMA April 2010

Text Box: Registration fee includes lunch both days Low early rate of $250 until Jan. 31st Early rate of $290 until March 26th -$325 thereafter

Narrative Therapy Centre

Of Toronto

This two-day workshop is co-sponsored by the NTC and Hugh J MacMillan Counselling

Thurs. April 29th & Fri. April 30th 2010

Text Box: Angel Yuen M.S.W., R.S.W. is a school social worker in Toronto and private therapist in Durham region using narrative approaches with children, young people, families, couples and also in supervision and teaching. Over half of her work is with people who have experienced significant trauma. Angel is a member of the Dulwich Centre team in Adelaide, Australia for their International Narrative Therapy and Community Work Program and also their Responding to Hardship International Training Program. She is co-editor with Cheryl White of the 2007 book Conversations about gender, culture, violence and narrative practice.

Thursday April 29th & Friday April 30th 2010

SPACE IS LIMITED

Narrative Therapy: Responding to Traumatic Experience

A narrative therapy approach to trauma would suggest that “No one is a passive recipient to trauma”. Regardless of the nature of the trauma people always respond!In the words of Michael White, founder of the narrative approach:

People always take steps in endeavoring to prevent the trauma they are subject to, and, when preventing this trauma is clearly impossible, they take steps to try to modify it in some way or to modify its effects on their lives. These steps contribute to the preservation of, and are founded upon, what people hold precious. Even in the face of overwhelming trauma, people take steps to try to protect and to preserve what they give value to.

This workshop will explore hopeful possibilities of recovery with people who have experienced recurrent trauma (including abuse, violence, loss, oppression and injustice). Participants will learn:

· How to respond to children, youth and adults who have experienced trauma with a focus on restoring a sense of oneself

· How to scaffold questions in the most helpful way

· How to doubly-listen to the stories of trauma and the responses to trauma

· How to engage in re-authoring conversations that bring forward more hopeful stories

· How to use collective narrative practices to link the lives of people who have experienced hardship

The two days will include an overview of narrative therapy ideas and collective narrative practices of responding to trauma while using experiential exercises, case examples, video illustrations, and sharing the ‘micro maps’ of narrative practices. An existing understanding of narrative ideas is helpful, but not entirely necessary.