Faculty

Angel Yuen (she/her)

Angel works as a narrative therapist in private practice in Durham region using narrative approaches with individuals, families, children and young people. She also offers narrative supervision and consultation. Part of her previous work for over 20 years was at the Toronto District School Board as a school social worker. 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 has facilitated several narrative workshops locally and in different countries and within these spaces she continually is honoured to share hopeful stories, skills and wisdom of the people who consult with her. 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.

Ruth Pluznick (she/her)

Ruth is the director of the clinical services at a public Children’s Mental Health Centre in Toronto, Canada. She is a member of the international faculty of the Dulwich Centre and a teacher for the Narrative Therapy Centre of Toronto. Ruth has been practicing and teaching narrative therapy for over 20 years, and is particularly committed to the application of these ideas in marginalized communities. Ruth is the 2014/2015 recipient of the Elizabeth Manson Award for Clinical Excellence (awarded by the Department of Psychiatry at the Hospital for Sick Children. Ruth can be contacted at ruthpluznick@rogers.com.

Amy Druker (she/her)

Amy first met Narrative ideas a decade ago when she was working as a harm reduction outreach worker with pregnant people in downtown Toronto. For over 7 years Amy worked as an individual and family therapist at a youth mental health agency, where Narrative Therapy was the first language of all of the practitioners. She now runs her own independent practice, where she offers therapy and non-hierarchical clinical supervision, and clinical consultation at a downtown harm reduction agency. Amy is on Faculty at the Narrative Therapy Initiative (NTI) in Salem, MA. Amy’s practice is guided by a commitment to social justice, anti-oppressive practice, to the questioning of taken-for-granted ways of thinking about things (including the ‘doing’ of therapy and clinical ‘supervision’) and the imposition of expert knowledge. Amy sees Narrative Therapy not as a technique, but as a worldview which helps her to live out her social justice values. To be in touch with Amy please reach out to her at therapy@amydruker.com.

Dale Andersen-Giberson (he/him)

Dale Andersen-Giberson MSW, RSW has 15 years of experience as a social worker. Dale started his work at Pinewood Centre of Lakeridge Health working with people who use substances and gaming. Dale then found a love and passion for narrative therapy and joined the team at Oolagen in children’s mental health. Hoping to build on his psychotherapy practice, Dale served as the social worker at West Durham Family Health Team and then explored career counselling and accommodation work with Ontario Tech University.

Currently, Dale is the manager of counselling and therapy services at Strides Toronto. Dale has a small private practice at www.therapywithdale.ca

Over the past 10 years Dale has served as faculty with Angel Yuen and the Narrative Therapy Centre of Toronto. He has facilitated workshops exploring parent/child conflict, narrative therapy work with those who use video games, narrative therapy work with those who use substances and narrative summer intensives. Dale was published in 2016 with the International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work. His article focuses on working with young people involved in video gaming.

Natasha Kis-Sines (she/her)

Natasha is a member of the Toronto District School Board social work team. She works with young people and families from diverse communities and is deeply committed to social justice. Natasha has also produced a public education video with young men in her school about their experience of depression. The video offers a first-person account of their experiences of depression, its effects on their lives and relationships and their strategies to move forward in life, despite the challenges. Natasha can be contacted at natasha.kissines@gmail.com

Maisa Said (she/her)

Maisa has a private practice downtown Toronto where she offers individual, couple and family therapy, as well as consultation, supervision and training in Narrative Therapy. Prior to that, Maisa worked with families affected by sexual abuse, and in community and residential settings supporting young people. Maisa joined the NTC faculty in 2008 as a facilitator for our Toronto narrative supervisiongroup. Maisa can be contaced at 416-471-9609 or maisa.said@bell.net

Jia Yao (she/her)

Jia is a narrative therapist whose practice is guided by critical social work theory — particularly post-structural thinking. She obtained her Master of Social Work education from York University and currently works in both public and private practice settings. She strives to engage with people in ways that honour and respect their knowledge, abilities and values. In addition to her front line practice, she is actively involved in the teaching of Narrative Therapy through workshops and classes in community and academic spaces. She can be reached at jiayaotherapy@gmail.com.

Click here to see the list of several guest presenters we have been honoured to host since 2004