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Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 642 – Narrative Therapy (Fall B 2020)

Credits - 3

Description

This advanced practice course provides students with the opportunity to learn the theory and practice of Narrative Therapy. The UNE School of Social Work Mission and Values state; “the School embraces a comprehensive definition of health as a state of complete physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being… teaching empowering theories for practice and developing collaborative relationships based on mutuality and respect”. Narrative Therapy is one such empowering theory. Students will have the opportunity to explore the historical development of this contemporary theory and to observe and practice Narrative Therapy through interactive role-plays and video-taped sessions with classmates and the instructor.

Materials

Textbooks:

Denborough, D. (2014). Retelling the stories of our lives; Everyday narrative therapy to draw inspiration and transform experience. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Burack-Weiss, A., Lawrence, L.S., and Mijangos, L.B. (2017). Narrative in social work practice; The power and possibility of story. New York: Columbia University Press.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:

  1. Practice social inclusion to enable people, populations, and communities to fully participate in society, enhance human bonds in the context of cultural diversity and ensure improved quality of life and equitable resource distribution. EPAS Competencies 2 & 3
  2. Engage in culturally-informed relationship building, being respectful of the complexity and diversity of contexts and circumstances. EPAS Competencies 3 & 6
  3. Utilize theories of human behavior, social systems and social inclusion when offering interventions with people and their environments. EPAS Competency 8
  4. Promote ethical reflection, critical consciousness and shared decision-making based in social work values and with consideration of the broader contexts of the world in which we live. EPAS Competency 1
  5. Balance the roles of helpers, activists, and advocates through collaboration with communities to build healthy and sustainable resources. EPAS Competencies 2, 5, & 6
  6. Engage as critical consumers and producers of research as it relates to assessment, intervention and evaluation of clinical and community practices. EPAS Competencies 4, 7, 8 & 9
  7. Practice person-centered and collaborative community partnerships across diverse settings. EPAS Competency 6

Course Objectives

Through the completion of their assignments, students will demonstrate their ability to:

  1. Apply and communicate understanding of the importance of diversity and difference in shaping life experiences in practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels (EPAS 2a) (Measured in summative essay)

  2. Present themselves as learners and engage clients and constituencies as experts of their own experiences (EPAS 2b) (Measured in reflective journals)

  3. Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage diverse clients and constituencies (EPAS 6b) (Measured in discussions/videos)

  4. Critically choose and implement interventions to achieve practice goals and enhance capacities of clients and constituencies (EPAS 8a) (Measured in summative essay)

Assignments

A variety of learning activities are designed to support the course objectives, facilitate different learning styles, and build a community of learners. Learning activities for each module include the following:

Readings and Multimedia:

Description: This course will use an array of readings and multimedia to present the important concepts in the various modules. The readings and media resources provide the foundation and background for student discussion threads, the portfolio assignment, and written assignments.

Weekly Discussions:

Discussions are an important part of the learning process in this course. Students are expected to post an initial response to the weekly discussion questions by Saturday, adhering to the requirements outlined in the Discussion Rubric, and to return on at least one additional day of the class week to respond to a minimum of 3 classmates in meaningful and substantive ways. This equates to a minimum of 4 total posts spread over at least two different days. Students are welcome and encouraged to begin posting earlier than Saturday, but Saturday is the latest acceptable day for initial posts

Writing Assignments, Projects, and Assessments:

Reflective Book Journals: You will have a reflective book journal due in weeks 2, 3, 5, and 6. Please refer to these specific learning modules for more information on the reflective journal entries.

Video Role-Plays: Students will participate in two role-plays, one in week 4 and one in week 7. Students will be placed in pairs by their instructor. In the first role-play one student in each pair will play the role of the therapist and the other student will play the role of the client. In the second role-play students will reverse roles providing an opportunity for students to experience the perspective of both client and therapist. Students will share a video of their role-play in a small group.

Summative Essay: The summative written assignment provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding and mastery of narrative therapy strategies by writing a self-reflective essay that applies a narrative therapy perspective to their own lives. Please see the learning modules for more information on this assignment.

Grading and Feedback Method: Grading and feedback methods are provided for each assignment. Please refer to the Learning Modules for more information.

Due Dates: Due dates for all learning activities are provided in the Course Schedule.

Grading Policy

The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

AssignmentsPointsPercent of Grade
Discussions: Weeks 1-840 points X 8 weeks=320 points32%
Video Practice Sessions: Weeks 4 and 7100 Points X 2=200 points20%
Reflective Reading Journals: Weeks 2, 3, 5, and 660 points X 4=240 points24%
Summative Essay: Week 8240 points24%
TOTAL1,000 points100%

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 94 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 93% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89% 3.50
B 84 – 86% 3.00
B- 80 – 83% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79% 2.50
C 74 – 76% 2.00
C- 70 – 73% 1.75
D 64 – 69% 1.00
F 00 – 63% 0.00

Schedule

Course Dates: Wednesday, October 21 – Sunday, December 13

All assignments are to be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on the dates listed below.

Unless otherwise specified below, all module discussions and assignments are due the last day of the module or unit week. Initial discussion posts are due by 11:59 PM Saturday ET, and responses to classmates are due by the end of the week, except for the early discussion due dates noted in Week 8.

Week 1 | A Life of Stories| Dates: Wednesday, October 21 – Tuesday, October 27

Readings and Video:

  • Week 1 Course Lecture
  • Denborough, Chapter 1
  • Burack-Weiss, Introduction and Chapter 1
  • Collective Paper. (2018). Commonly-asked questions about narrative approaches to therapy, community work, and psychosocial support. 
  • Ibrahim, J., & Tchanturia, K. (2018) Patients’ experience of a narrative group therapy approach informed by the “tree of life” model for individuals with anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 68(1), 80-91. 
  • Excerpt from Morgan, A. (2000, Dec. 1). What is narrative therapy? 
  • Swan, J. (2016). Creating Preferred Family Trees: Adjusting the Recipe of Collective Narrative Practices. 

Discussions:

  • Video Introductions (Ungraded)
  • Alternate Storylines and Tree of Life

Week 2 | We Are Not Our Problems – Externalization | Dates: Wednesday, October 28 – Tuesday, November 3

Readings and Video:

  • Week 2 Course Lecture
  • Denborough, Chapter 2
  • Burack-Weiss, Chapter 2
  • Case Study – Kris Canton
  • Carey, M., & Russell, S. (2018). Externalising – commonly-asked questions. 
  • Morgan, A.  (2002). Beginning to Use a Narrative Approach in Therapy. 
  • Carpenter, R. (2017). How Talking about What “Matters” Rather Than “What is the Matter” Can Reposition a Person and Take an Advantage Over Problems. 
  • Ostrander, C. (2017). Running with Narrative Ideas. 

Discussion:

  • Kris Canton Case Study

Assignment: 

  • Reflective Reading Journal, Burack-Weiss, Chapters 1 & 2

Week 3 | Finding Our Audience and “Re-membering” Who Is Important to Us | Dates: Wednesday, November 4 – Tuesday, November 10

Readings and Video:

  • Week 3 Course Lecture
  • Denborough, Chapters 3 and 4
  • Burack-Weiss, Chapters 3 and 10
  • Man-kwong, H. (2004). Overcoming craving: The use of narrative practices in breaking drug habits.
  • Dowse, K. (2017). Thwarting Shame: Feminist engagement in Narrative Group-Work with Men Recruited to Patriarchal Dominance in Relationship. 
  • Winslade, J., & Monk, G. (2008). Narrative Therapy: A Process for the Postmodern World.

Discussion:

  • Canton Case and Dowse Video

Assignment:

  • Reflective Reading Journal: Burack-Weiss, Chapters 3 and 10

Week 4 | Life As a Journey: Migrations of Identity | Dates: Wednesday, November 11 – Tuesday, November 17

Readings and Video

  • Week 4 Course Lecture
  • Denborough, Chapter 5
  • Burack-Weiss, Chapters 7 and 11
  • Case Study – Eve
  • Suddeath, E. G., Kerwin, A. K., & Dugger, S. M. (2017). Narrative family therapy: Practical techniques for more effective work with couples and families. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 39(2), 116-131. 
  • McPhie, L., & Chaffey, Chris. The journey of a lifetime: Group work with young women who have experienced sexual assault’.
  • Smee, N. Out of the Shadows of Domestic Violence. 

 Discussion:

  • Migration of Identity

Assignment:

  • Video Practice Assignment 1

Week 5 | Questioning Normality and Escaping from Failure | Dates: Wednesday, November 18 – Tuesday, November 24

Readings and Video

  • Week 5 Course Lecture
  • Denborough, Chapter 6
  • Burack-Weiss, Chapters 4 and 6
  • Lainson, K. (2016). From disorder to political action: Conversations that invite collective consideration to individual experiences of women who express concerns about eating and their bodies. 
  • Wong, R. (2016). The alliance against “Anxiety” – Acknowledging skills and knowledge for those who are suffering from anxiety using art in narrative practice. 
  • Worall, A. (2013). Inviting paranoia to the table: A narrative perspective.

Discussion

  • Responding to Critics

Assignment

  • Reflective Reading Journal: Burack-Weiss, Chapters 4, 6, 7, and 11

Week 6 | Reclaiming Our Lives from Trauma | Dates: Wednesday, November 25 – Tuesday, December 1

Readings and Video

  • Week 6 Course Lecture
  • Denborough, Chapter 7
  • Burack-Weiss, Chapter 9
  • Countryman-Roswurm, K. & DiLollo, A. (2017). Survivor A Narrative Therapy Approach for Use with Sex Trafficked Women and Girls.. 40(1-2), 55-72.  
  • Lee, J. (2017). Responding to children in situations of family violence. The International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, (1), 57-69
  • Portnoy, S. (2017). Beads of life — A narrative therapy group for children who have been diagnosed with a medical condition.
  • Barclay, N. Letters to friends: Co-researching preferred stories of identity, from individual therapy to collective therapy. 

Discussion:

  • Informed Choices

Assignment:

  • Reflective Reading Journal: Burack-Weiss, Chapter 9

Week 7 | Saying Hello Again When We Have Lost Someone We Love | Dates: Wednesday, December 2 – Tuesday, December 8

Reading and Videos:

  • Week 7 Course Lecture
  • Denborough, Chapter 8
  • Burack-Weiss, Chapter 5
  • Hedtke, L. (2000). Dancing with death. Gecko: A Journal of Deconstruction and Narrative Ideas in Therapeutic Practice. (2).
  • Fareez, M. (2016). The Life Certificate: A Narrative Framework in Working with Grief and Loss. [Digital File]. 
  • Freedman, J. (2013). Working with Loss: Beyond Re-membering. [Digital File].

Discussion: 

  • Hello Again!

Assignment

  • Video Practice Assignment

Week 8 | Legacy and Memory: When We Are Facing Our Final Chapter | Dates: Wednesday, December 9 – Sunday, December 13

Reading and Video:

  • Week 8 Course Lecture
  • Denborough, Chapter 9
  • Burack-Weiss, Chapter 8 and 12
  • Goodcase, E.T. & Love, H.A. (Dec. 2017). From despair to integrity: Using narrative therapy for older individuals in Erikson’s last stage of identity development. Clinical Social Work Journal, 45(4), 354–363.
  • Turnbull, N. (2017). How narrative therapy changed us. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 23(4), 41-47. 
  • Jackson, V. (2013). In Our Own Voice, African American Psychiatric History.
  • Recommended: Winslade, J. & Hedtke, L. (2011). A Totalizing Description of Race.

Discussion:

  • Applications and Wrap-Up (Initial Post Due Friday; Discussion Closes on Sunday)

Assignment

  • Summative Essay – Due Sunday

Student Resources

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Policies

Attendance Policy

Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.

Late Policy

Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations.  Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final.  Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.