A Feild Guide to Narrative Therapy

 

This Book Is For…

The Long Time Therapist who has hit a wall and is seeking to learn a new way of doing therapy.

The Student of Therapy who wants to learn the art of being therapist.

The Burned Out Practitioner who is feeling like they have to leave the field of therapy because their practice is personally unsustainable.

The Narrative Therapist who is wanting their practices to become clearer and commit more to exploring the path of what it means to practice narrative therapy.

Anyone Who is Dissatisfied with the modern mental health system in North America and is seeking another way forward.

Buy A Field Guide to Narrative Therapy

You can see these Reviews on Amazon Right Now.

Gerilyn Hubbe
5.0 out of 5 stars Click. CLick. cliCk. mmHmmm… **EXACTLY**
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2024
(The sound of existential breakthroughs in succession via Eric’s highly relatable vivid humorous heartfelt writing). I’ve been mesmerized by Narrative Therapy since I was first introduced 5 years ago. Over that time I’ve taken several graduate-level courses and filled a large shelf of books dedicated to the Narrative Practices. If I could only recommend one book, for the curious beginner or the experienced practitioner wanting to deepen and ground their work in the relatable grit of ordinary human stories, it would be this one.

Herbnerd
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Stuff
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
Really great and practical review of Narrative Therapy. In some ways this style can be considered iconoclastic, but the author brings abstract ideas to life while exploring practical applications.

The Rev
5.0 out of 5 stars At Last!
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
This is the rare offering the field of counsel has been missing! Eric Wolf brings a tender, real element of priceless humanity in the perspective of an authentic being having a fully unique narrative that needs to be heard. Rather than the clinical rabbit hole we are numb with, it provides insight to opening a bright new horizon of possibility if we can just take measure of a souls journey with this clearly defined outline of practices that are full of compassion and light. If you are a professional counselor enhance your vocation with this useful guidebook!

Where the hell are the all the Dyslexic Advocacy Organizations?

I know that many of the readers and followers of this inactive blog - that's a mouthful -  are not particularly interested in following politics - but to quote Howard Zen - "You can't be neutral on a moving train."

Recently I have been following with great interest the recount in Alaska and I am disturb to see that are political system is so willing to dis-enfranchize an entire group of people.  Namely people like me dyslexic folks.   The question arises - is the percentage of rejected write in ballots in Alaska related to the number of people who are dyslexic or other wise can't fully participate in a literate society?

I am going to send this question to Nate Silver of the 538 blog - I am not sure if busy Nate will have time to answer - I hope he gets to it.

Before I go into the logistics of this - here is the situation in short

Lisa M's  whose name I will not even attempt to spell - father lost a governors race to Sarah Palin - Sarah endorsed Lisa M's tea party primary opponent - Guy in checkered shirt.  Guy in checkered shirt (Joe Miller) actually campaigned - Lisa M did not - resulting in a surprise - Lisa M lost primary and Joe Miller received the Republican endorsement - which in Alaska is basically the election.

But it's personal so Lisa M declares herself a write in candidate.  Now that would be hard any way - but she has an impossible name to spell here is it is pasted from else where - Lisa Murkowski

The last federal senate write in candidate who won an election was like decades ago...  Since that time lots has changed about how we view writing and reading - I hope we live in a society that honors those who struggle with literacy and dyslexia.  Unless of course you live in Alaska - as of last week Joe Miller's campaign has been challenging any ballot that is misspelled or even written in script - as opposed to being printed.

Gets us back to the question...  is the percentage of rejected write in ballots in Alaska related to the number of people who are dyslexic or other wise can't fully participate in a literate society?

Many people who have trouble reading choose not participate in voting because they don't want to self identify and feel foolish as non-readers or below par readers.  I found some academic  papers that demonstrate a direct effect between literacy and voting in the States.

The National Institutes of Health says that "About 15 percent to 20 percent of people in the United States have a language-based disability, and of those, most have dyslexia."

Let's assume that the percentage of dyslexic people in the general population is 2% the percentage voting in the election.  Let's say that many of those people have successfully compensated by bringing in one of those rubber bands or a piece of paper with Lisa's name on it.  But let's say that roughly half of those people who are dyslexic - forgot to bring something in writing to copy or other wise are in denial.  I am a big believer in denial. or they did not vote at all.  or had the paper and still miswrote it.

I think it's fair to say that the only natural answer to arrive at is that most of the people having there ballots overturned in Alaska are the literate challenged, the dyslexic and the illiterate.

Luckily for Lisa M - she has attracted enough votes that she does not need to worry about the 8% that are being challenged by Joe Miller - that guy with the checkered shirt.  But in the meantime I have another question - where the hell are the all the dyslexic advocacy organizations?  

Where are all these expensive nonprofits who claim to have my self interest are heart?  


At what point are they going to start actaully representing and protecting the interests of the people they claim to serve?

3) All populations are not uniform.

This post is part of series on 7 Principles every parent should know about dyslexic children.

I have outside of my door – in the hall a cartoon that I treasure. It shows a field with a tall tree to the left. There is a man in a suit n’ tie and he is sitting on the right looking at a line of creatures. A monkey, an elephant, a bird, a penguin, a seal, a dog and a fish in a bowl are sitting in a line on the left of the picture in front of the man. The man is smiling as he says – “For a fair exam everybody has to take the same tests – The first test will be to climb that tree.”

In all animal and human populations individuals are not uniform. They react individually to environmental stress and individuals grow at different rates due to genetic and environmental factors. If your child is one of the 10% of humans who learn to read at the age of ten when all of their peers learn a the age of 8 they may feel some pressure to confirm to what is considered “normal”. As parents every where know – normal can be set or changed very quickly by the environment we are in and by the friends we keep.

By allowing for your child’s individual response to pressure you are giving them permission to learn at there own pace. To state the obvious who cares if they can’t read yet – if they want to learn to read they will to the best of their ability. When you look at the next principal you will see why this is not as dangerous or risky as it appears to many parents and educational experts.

Your child is an individual so why are you placing him within systems that require he or she be one a face in the crowd. The schooling system of education was based on four widely divergent models combining together to create the American School system as we know it today. First the monks in the monasteries with in the idea of diligent and repetition to learn a task defined the highest of educational standards - for the 14th centaury anyway. Secondly the American government under the pressure of hundred of thousands of immigrants needed a way to quickly create a cultural common experience in a country that was filled with people who wanted to make it on there own. Third the American Factory system of the 19th century industrial age required workers who could fit into the mold and follow instructions. In the beginning and of this century the progressive social movement and the conservative social movement sought to support the development of American moral values by controlling the content of what is taught in schools today and for the last hundred years.

If you are unsatisfied as I am with my philosophical examination of modern schooling. There are Encyclopedias written on the history of the American Educational system – if you are new to those tomes – let me suggest for you a very quick and insightful read by John Gatto - Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling.

Just so you know - I keynote on this topic the philosophical and historical realities of the school system with a M.S. in Education.

How about this for map of the USA on Election day?

This is off topic but very interesting - there is a real possability that the Electoral colelge will tie on election day.

Now wouldn't that be interesting?

The Path not Taken

One of my kind readers asked me – so what is the other choice? If school causes so many problems and is so ineffective then what is the other option? That is a very valid question.

I am going to cover in the upcoming weeks a series of other choices besides traditional follower orders sit in a chair and do what your told public schooling.

So let’s start with the unschooling movement here are a list of unschooling conferences and seminars that you might find very interesting. IF your really into the idea that children must be seen and not heard you probably will be turned off by these folks – of course you probably didn’t read this far anyway – so there you go.

The unschooling movement is based on some simple ideas –
1) Learning is natural.
2) Parents are the best suited to raise their children.
3) Being curious and learning is in the human blueprint.

If you live near one of theses places – take the weekend to explore what is possible.

Thanks for reading and thanks for asking.

Till next week

Eric Wolf


The first place that comes to mind is the Rethinking education conference. One day I will get there – who knows when – but I will.
http://www.rethinkingeducation.com/

In Madison Wisconsin…
http://www.unschoolingconference.com/

In North Carolina…
http://www.liveandlearnconference.org/

LIFE is Good
NW Unschooling Conference
Red Lion Hotel ~ Vancouver, WA
Memorial Day Weekend, May 22 - 25, 2008
http://lifeisgoodconference.com/

Peabody, Massachusetts for the NORTHEAST UNSCHOOLING CONFERENCE
Memorial Day Weekend May 23-25, 2008
http://www.northeastunschoolingconference.com/presenters.html\

Toronto Unschooling conference
http://www.livingjoyfully.ca/conference/

Interesting site on all this - I found myself really enjoying some of the articles...
http://www.lifelearning.org

Can you assign Meaning as school work?

I was rereading my last post and thinking about how many people experience school as one long game of trivial pursuit. Before you start to get upset with my view of public or provide schooling let's think for a moment - what is the purpose of school? I mean really? Like I'm not going to tell you.

Yes - to learn and to study - what though? To teach the cultural norms of the day, to round the sharp corners of our minds and smooth the rough places of our souls of that we al have the same approach to life.. This is why really wealthy people understand that school is an institution of politics and culture no an institution of intellect of knowledge. School has less to do with what your studying and more to do with how your studying it and what you learn from that.

Which brings me back to the whole point of my rant today. Can you teach meaning? I think so - I think that's what storytelling is all about. Meaning, self fulfillment, purpose and vision. Big words that don't really seem to fit into classrooms during these days of tests and state mandated curriculum. How do you teach meaning? More on that next week…

Down with the Grammar Nazi’s

I have an arrangement with my local paper, the yellow springs news. I write letters to the editor and they kindly edit them, with my permission, so that the typos and other snafus are removed before publication. This allows me to participate in the body politics of my village. Though whether or not the local newspaper is relevant to what is going on in town is a whole different question worthy of discussion. I wish that more people were so kind and generous with there editing abilities.

I am sure that a large percentage of the population does not participate in community politics simply because they feel that they would make fools of them selves any time they sent something into the paper or even posted a comment on an online forum. Maybe it’s a side effect of high school English that many people see the potential risk (embarrassing omission of grammatical ability) far out weighs the potential gain (Getting a letter in the paper).

Perhaps it is the way those of us who are gifted at writing or spelling there way through life behave towards those who are not so gifted. Maybe it’s a few bad apples that spoil it for the rest of us. All I know is that if I didn’t have the kind support of the editorial staff of the paper at my back I wouldn’t be writing those letters to the editor cause I don’t need the five emails I would receive telling me that I need a comma after the second sentence and that I dropped the past tense there and by the way shouldn’t I have someone correct my letters? Like the government is going to give me a grant for that!

Many times if I have not hired or begged a proof writer for some piece of writing; I have had individuals who can edit assume that I have been lazy or that I have been worse yet ignorant of my misspellings. Maybe that is my secret desire of this blog to change the tone of our dialog about spelling and grammar. To a kinder more gentler one where people who can’t spell are given the reasonable expectation that they are trying there best to participate and that there best would look so much better if they had a helping hand from those who can see in the colors of the rainbow.

Of course the grammar Nazi’s won’t be reading this blog, because of all the typos, but what do want out of me anyway?