Narrative Responses to Trauma and Other Unstories

Narrative therapy practices are uniquely suited to reauthor the gripping effects of trauma and difficult life experiences. A narrative approach to working with trauma provides a thoughtful and personalized counter to conservative and manualized heavy-handed traditions of trauma theory that often place people in a position of a victim or passive recipient of the difficult events of their lives. An important part of the narrative therapy’s counter to traditional approaches to trauma, is the repositioning of the person as an active agent who is always and already responding to difficult life events. This workshop will highlight key theoretical concepts, political considerations, and practice-based case examples that illustrate the potential for joy, robustness, and vicarious empowerment in our work amidst dangerous stories. As always, we will show our work by way of session transcripts, videos, and therapeutic poems. Join us at the historic Community Wise Building on November 29-30^th (seating is limited).

The workshop will be presented by Sanni Paljakka and Tom Carlson.

Sanni Paljakka, is a registered psychologist and co-Director of the Calgary Narrative Collective. Sanni is the co-editor of the Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy. Sanni has published many articles related to narrative therapy with a particular focus on writing therapeutic poems, addressing issues of gender, power, and accountability in couple relationships, and working with women who have suffered abuse and violence in their lives. She has presented her work throughout the US, Canada and internationally. Sanni is the primary author of the book, entitled "So you want to do narrative therapy? Letters to an aspiring narrative therapist" which will be released in November by Routledge Press. The book outlines a reimagined narrative therapy that seeks to return rich story development to its rightful place at the center of narrative therapy practice. 

Tom Carlson, Ph.D. is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and is a professor and branch director in the Couple and Family Therapy Program at Alliant International University- San Diego Campus. Tom is a co-editor of the Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy. He has published extensively in the area of narrative therapy. He has collaborated closely with narrative therapy co-founder David Epston in the development of several new and emerging developments in Contemporary Narrative Therapy including Insider Witnessing Practices and the development of a new pedagogy for teaching and learning narrative therapy through practice stories. Tom is the co-author, along with his colleagues David Epston and Travis Heath, of the recent book "Reimagining Narrative Therapy Through Practice Stories" as well as a new book with his colleague Sanni Paljakka called "So you want to do narrative therapy? Letters to an aspiring narrative therapist."