Tonight I accidentally discovered that the Dulwich Centre has a vimeo account with three new video projects featured. As someone who believes that Narrative practice combined with the interwebs holds much promise, I'm excited to see the DCF sharpening its social media skills. I look forward to what we'll see next. The three videos can be found here. The video of young Muslims sharing survival tips is powerful. Take a look..
Now if they would just allow embedding, some of these stories might get circulated...
Not sure how many readers of this blog have twitter accounts but I thought I should take a moment to list a few of the Narrative Therapy twitter feeds readers might find interesting.
If your company was to tell a story, what kind of story would it be? Would it be a thriller, where escape seems impossible? A mystery, where everybody is puzzled and no solution seems imminent? A tragedy, where your organization may be experiencing a reversal in fortune? Or worse yet, a slapstick comedy?..Read More Here
March 28, 2011
"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares."
Well I'm back from the Five Mountain Spring Retreat. I could have used a few more days but it's back to work. I had a great time getting robe'd up and hanging out with my teacher, and my Sangha who came from all parts of the country. It was a wonderful, and much needed retreat. Friday night I had the great privilege of participating in a conversation with 3 of my Dharma brothers who are Psychologists. Our teacher asked us to share how Zen practice has informed our work in the mental health field. There was a lot of great dialogue and great questions. I look forward to many more of these conversations in the future. The whole thing was recorded, so snippets might show up sooner or later. A couple of pics, the rest are on FB.
There's a new post up titled The Learning Decade over at The OC Metro. Please take a look.
Fast Company is calling the next decade the Learning Decade. The author of the recent article, Sam Herring, co-founder and executive VP of Intrepid Learning Solutions and the chair of ASTD's board of directors says the main drivers of this move to learning investment by organizations include: top line innovations, disruptive technology, competitive pressures, increasing speed, virtuous circle, emerging markets, industry change, industry consolidation, brain drain, failing grade, return to growth, future jobs, knowledge workers, leadership vacuum, culture change, and unanticipated conditions...Read More Here
I've been sharing recently with a few people that I have become very interested in the intersection of technology/power/discourse etc., and the potentials or pit-falls that may reside in the rapid taking up of social media tools.
Recently I have been reading about Actor Network Theory. ACT accounts for "actors" that aren't human and tries to reassemble the social to include technology, discursive fields, and environmental events, such as an earthquake. I suppose you could argue that ACT is the most systemic of all systems theories. As I understand it, ACT steps out of binary positions and includes tech in the network, rather than a position of first self or second self, as some would language the use of social networking sites for example.
I have also been researching how the internet might aid in identity development and modes of resistance and how taken for granted notions such as the digital divide may be an illusion.
All this in an attempt to get a better understanding of the new language/sociality/performance/power operations/narratives these new worlds are bringing about.
What does this all mean for my practice? I'm not sure yet, but I do know that I am finding myself in conversation about Facebook more and more..
Attached is a Ted Talk by Amber Case on our Cyborgness. A Foucauldian critique of Amber's talk can be found HERE.
Please take a look and feel free to send me some feedback. The blog section will be up and running soon and Anne's bio is coming or she just might go sans bio because who she is speaks so loudly, text is not necessary.
And as always, any referrals for either counseling or consulting is deeply appreciated.
Today was day two of the Relational Turn conference and it was quite an active day. There was a lot to take in and the stand-outs for me were the conversations around power and justice, and Gergen and Dian Marie Hosking on Relational Constructionism. I'm still digesting the days events, but feel that I learned much. Many thanks to the organizers for doing the heavy lifting of getting some diverse people/ideas together for a great learning experience. Here's some pics..
Today was the first day of the Relational Turn conference which will be held at USC over the next three days. This conference was exciting to me because it was going to offer an opportunity to see a few people I have read or heard about in person for the first time. This morning the festivities started with a pre-conference workshop by Johnella Bird who made a rare trip to California from New Zealand. I really enjoyed Johnella's approach and the ideas she was sharing. I resonated with her position that most people coming to therapy, or otherwise, would describe their world with an absence, and that in our culture we are invaded to focus on absence, I'm not happy/fulfilled/good enough for example. As a therapist it's easy to get caught in that trap as well, so I appreciated the reminder, and the questions that could give us space from that position and provide room for an imagination of something different. Here's some pics from today, looking forward to tomorrow.
Johnella Bird (notice the barefeet, I'm going to do all my speaking gigs like that now)
I met Ellie in my first class of graduate school. At the time I didn't think she liked me too much. Now, some two plus years later, Ellie holds a prominent position in my community of care.
Ellie and I trained in narrative together, wrestled with the ideas together, and came to multiple understandings together. She was/is that closed mouth friend I could go to when I was struggling with life in general, but she was also the friend that would pull me aside and let me know when she thought I had cut-off or spoken over one of the women in supervision. There's a saying in my circle that "real friends stab you in the front." Ellie is a real friend.
So please go over to Ellie's new private practice site and tell all your friends! Those you care about could not be in more capable hands. Plus she has an awesome Australian accent. Bonus!
I am very excited as both Ellie and I venture off into this new part of our journey. I am also very grateful that I don't have to do it alone. Thanks Ellie!
My new article, Intervention to Innovation is up over at the OC Metro.
Last week I attended a webinar put on by David Cooperrider who is the co-creator of Appreciative Inquiry and faculty at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. One of the pieces that really caught my attention was his particular take on the 80/20 data set. He pointed out that most organizations will put 80% of their focus on weaknesses. This wide view on what is wrong with organizations, inevitably leads to a problem solving culture that can begin a cycle of: Read More
Tonight I had the great experience of getting to lecture on Narrative Therapy at Pepperdine University in MFTII. It wasn't that long ago that I was in that class myself. This wonderful opportunity was brought about by my favorite teacher/mentor Dr. Amy Tuttle, who I'm sure regular readers and friends of mine are familiar. It was great to see her again, and it was awesome of her to give me the opportunity to get such valuable experience. But then again, that's how she rolls. Possibilities.
And what of solidarity? I am thinking of a solidarity that is constructed by therapists who refuse to draw a sharp distinction between their lives and the lives of others, who refuse to marginalize those persons who seek help, by therapists who are constantly confronting the fact that if faced with the circumstances such that provide the context of troubles of others, they just might not be doing nearly as well themselves. -Michael White
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