Authors: Daniel Angus, Paul Fung
Year: 2017
Event: 2017 TheMHS Conference
Subject: Service Systems, Delivery, Implementation,Change, Innovation, Reform,Lifespan – Children, Youth, Adults, Older People
Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers
Abstract: The teen years can be a time of great change. Physical appearance, cognitive development and social relationships add to the complexities and adventures of the young human. Young people seeking help from primary health services are at risk of having normal developmental behaviour pathologised. Also, for those who have a mental illness, the diagnosis can be given “centre stage” at the expense of their preferred experiences of self, their hopes, dreams, values and principles for living. Traditional clinical approaches to youth mental health may be in need of an overhaul. Narrative Therapy as described by Martin Payne (2006) draws our attention to the “untypical” as it is through the untypical that “people can escape from the dominant stories that influence their perceptions and therefore their lives”. White and Epston (1990) along with Payne (2006) argue that much of Narrative Therapy can be challenging for clinicians familiar with more traditional and often manualised treatment approaches. This paper will discuss the implementation of Narrative informed psychiatric practice via a multidisciplinary group of senior clinicians under the supervision of David Epston, the Co-originator of Narrative Therapy Practice. Uniting Recovery operates four headspace centres in Western Sydney covering a population of more than 2 million residents.
Learning Objectives
Learning Objective 1: Participants will be able to learn concrete ways in which Narrative Practice can inform, and be integrated with mental health service systems whilst affirming clinical precision in assessment and treatment.
Learning Objective 2: Youth mental health services informed by Narrative Practice have the potential for great innovation. Young people encountering mental health services for the first time who experience a recovery oriented service are our future advocates for ongoing mental health system reform.
References
Payne, Martin. (2006). Narrative Therapy. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
White, M., & Epston, D. (1990). Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends. New York: Norton.
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