Oct 3 & 4, 2023 – Narrative Therapy Approaches to Trauma with Children and Young People
Oct 3 & 4, 2023 – Narrative Therapy Approaches to Trauma with Children and Young People
Event Date:
October 3, 2023
Event Time:
10:30 am
Event Location:
This is an ONLINE EVENT
An online learning designed for service providers working with children and young people responding to trauma, and for those who have attended introductory narrative therapy training
Facilitated by Angel Yuen and guest presentation by Mathura Thiagarajah
Early rate $250 until September 1, 2023 ~ Regular rate $280 thereafter
No-one is a passive recipient to trauma. Even children respond in ways to lessen the effects of the trauma, to seek comfort, to try to preserve what is precious to them, and so on. >> The ways in which children respond to trauma are based on certain skills. These skills reflect what the child gives value to. And what the child gives value to is linked to the child’s history, to their family, to their community, and to their culture.
(White, 2006. p. 87)
Stories of abuse, injustice, violence and other forms of trauma can contribute considerably to establishing long-term negative identity conclusions. However, focusing on children and young people’s responses to trauma can aid in conversations that contribute to rich story development, without retraumatizing children or young people.
When responding to stories of trauma a narrative approach suggests that there is always another story waiting to be discovered. These are subordinated stories of connection, hope, cherished values, acts of resistance, skills in living and the many unacknowledged ways in which children and young people respond to hardship.
Over two days together we will:
- discuss the importance of centering children’s knowledges about their own lives and expeiences
- explore the taken-for-granted understandings of trauma and PTSD
- challenge the ‘no pain no gain’ trauma healing discourse
- learn to engage in conversations with children and young people about trauma that are not retraumatizing
- discover children and young people’s responses to violence and oppression
Multiple modes of learning will be used to facilitate this online event including practice-based narrative exercises, video, breakout rooms and wider discussion.
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About Angel Yuen
Angel works as a narrative therapist and clinical supervisor in alternative-private practice in Durham region of the Greater Toronto Area. She also offers tailored narrative trainings and consultation to many organizations. Angel’s previous work spanning three decades included experiences in school, community, and adult and children’s mental health settings.
Angel has facilitated several narrative workshops locally, internationally and more recently virtually. Within these spaces she continually is honoured to share hopeful stories, skills and wisdom of the people who consult with her. As a member of the Dulwich Centre international faculty in Adelaide, Australia Angel is part of their team for the Master of Narrative Therapy and Community Work program. Angel is the author of the 2019 book titled’ Pathways beyond despair: Re-authoring lives of young people through narrative therapy. She also is co-editor with Cheryl White of the 2007 book Conversations about gender, culture, violence and narrative practice: Stories of hope and complexity from women of many cultures. Angel has also published the following papers re: narrative ideas and responding to trauma: Discovering Children’s Responses to Trauma: a response-based narrative practice (2007) and Less Pain More Gain: Explorations of responses versus effects when working with the consequences of trauma (2009).
About Mathura Thiagarajah
Mathura has fifteen years of experience working with children, young people, adults and families in schools, community health settings and private practice. In these roles, she has been able to use narrative approaches with diverse communities. Mathura has a special interest in collective narrative practices, and has had the opportunity to co-create multiple collective documents in Toronto, Canada and Vavuniya, Sri Lanka
This program will be relevant for a diversity of service providers working with children and young people including: counsellors, therapists, community workers, child protection workers and mental health practitioners working in settings such as victim and crisis services, private practice, hospitals, women’s shelters, sexual assault centers, schools, Violence Against Women (VAW) organizations, and other community-based and social service agencies.
This workshop will also be relevant to those working with adults who experienced significant trauma during childhood.
- * Completion of introductory Narrative Therapy training
- FOR THOSE NEW TO NARRATIVE THERAPY AND WHO HAVE NOT ATTENDED ANY TRAINING ~ Please view the 2-hour on-demand webinar available at the Ontario Association Social Workers Online Learning Centre titled ‘What is Narrative Therapy?’ This Webinar is FREE for Ontario Registered Social Workers (RSW), Registered Social Service Workers (RSSW) and Students of Social Work and Social Service Work Programs. Please note: If you are not an RSW, RSSW or student of these programs in Ontario, you may still attend but will be charged a nominal fee of $20. For registration info and details visit OASW OLC
Certificates of Training can be requested at the end of the online workshop and will state 7.5 hours of narrative therapy training. Certificates can be used to qualify for eligibility for continuing education credits from professional colleges and licensing boards. Please contact your own college or association to confirm requirements.
STUDENTS – At checkout in ‘discount code’ enter STUDENT10. Also in the ‘additional info’ box please include your student info – i.e.: Name of institution and program of study
For groups of 3 or more, please register together in one transaction and at checkout in ‘discount code’ enter GROUP10. One main person can be registrant, and please type info (name, email, address) for other group members in additional info box
Cancellations will be accepted if requested at least 14 days prior to the event via email to contact@narrativetherapycentre.com. A 10% admin fee will be deducted from the amount to be refunded.
We regret that a refund cannot be offered after the cancellation date, but a colleague may be substituted for attendance.