2018 Directors Orientation Pack

Our academic discipline
Pastoral narrative therapy sees the joining of two areas, pastoral
counseling and narrative therapy. Narrative therapy is formally
now in its fourth decade of international development and is
particularly known for a psycho-social approach that frees
people from dominant rampant problem saturated stories in
their lives and thin conclusions about who they are in this world.
As a helping modality a narrative approach goes much further
than being therapy and is applicable to a range of contexts from
organisational work, to coaching, to facilitation, to education, to
psychology and more. For us a narrative approach is enriched by
certain traditions in theology and in particular the sub discipline
of pastoral care and counseling.
This leaves room for people to bring into conversation those
areas of their lives that many professions do not, would not, or
cannot deal with. Here we find we are having conversations
about what people regard as the ultimate meaning and
relationship in their lives. It could include spirituality, faith,
making sense of suffering and more although themes like these
might not always be explicit and neither is it forced. Whatever
the individual counselors perspective, as a discipline pastoral
narrative therapy does not have an overt dogmatic affiliation.
While we incorporate a multidisciplinary approach that include
psychology, social work, mediation practitioners and others it is
wonderful that the centre as specifically a pastoral centre is a
leading organisation among peers.
Quality learning, passionate counselors
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