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Reflections on Therapeutic Storymaking: The Use of Stories in Groups

Reflections on Therapeutic Storymaking: The Use of Stories in Groups

by Alida Gersie (Author)

  • New

    Paperback 1997

    $51.09
Synopsis

With a strong emphasis on working in group settings, Reflections on Therapeutic Storymaking develops both the theory and practice of storymaking, enlivened by many examples from various cultures in which Alida Gersie has worked. The author reflects on the dynamics of the storytelling process and explores the common experiences and attitudes which emerge in story work. The book discusses a broad range of topics, including:

- the various types of narrative and their uses

- the impact of race, class and other factors on the group and group leader

- the need to encourage tolerance for the expression of emotional range

- the potential benefits of the group storytelling process.

Extending the author's earlier work on the use of stories to bring about healing change, this book will enrich the practice of anyone engaged in therapeutic work in either a group or individual setting.

$51.09

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 260
 Publisher: Jessica Kingsley
Published: 01 May 1997
ISBN 10: 1853022721
ISBN 13: 9781853022722

Media Reviews
... a compelling read for anyone who is interested in what makes human beings tick... an easy and inspiring read. Alida Gersie writes with authority, humility and enthusiasm and has helped me to appreciate the importance of hearing a person's own story in its place. -- Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
... a lot of thought on the basics that are needed for any therapeutic group... She has ideas for dealing with the dynamics and the conflicts of a diverse group of people. -- Rostrum
... a fascinating read... written with warmth and humanity, which has much to offer all those who work with people in distress. -- Mental Health Care
Reflections On Therapeutic Storymaking is a full, wise and profoundly humane book which will be of interest to practioners who employ and/or seek to understand narrative. It will be of particular interest to art therapists, educators and storytellers. My advice to readers is not to be put off by any difficulty in following the arguement of Therapeutic Storytellimng. This is an important book which repays the reader hugely. Gersie has written heartbreakingly illuminating commentaries about storytelling. For storytellers, moreover, the traditional stories and quotiations about storytelling she has gathered from around the world, alone would be worth the price of the book. Finally, however, readers will be repaid by having the companionship of Gersie's humane, compassionate view of the human spirit as it is revealed when people tell and re-tell their own life stories and facilitate this work in others. Early in her book Gersie quotes an ancient tradition which says that one who makes a story must sit where the sky meets the underworld. The strength of Alida Gersie's Reflections On Therapeutic Storymaking; The Use of Stories In Groups is that she proffers this profound positioning as the rightful place, both of therapeutic groups and the therapists who facilitate them. To paraphrase Chaucer, when you find such a book, sell even your bed to buy it. -- The Arts In Psychotherapy
Style, format and language suggests neither a textbookguide nor an easy bedtime read but reflection in a book which incongruously searches for academic credibility, whilst so naturally conveying the therapy's healing properties. It initiates and encourages a more through and reflective examination of our own practices. Be ready with pen in hand to note down the wisdom of her experience. -- British Journal of Occupational Therapy
a thorough and inspiring exploration of the practice of storymaking in groups... which keeps the reader informed, engaged, delighted and often touched. Theoretical aspects of human development, need and mental health, [and] observations from her own practice [are] interspersed with many traditional stories, as well as clients' own memory and fantasy stories and vignettes from TSM groups... I enjoyed the storied telling of the theory and practice of her work, the enlightening and humane use of case material and the intense caring and respect for the life stories of her clients. -- Dramatherapy
This book bridges three different worlds of the storyteller, the dramatherapist, and the psychotherapist... and [is] relevant and interesting to practitioners in all three areas... being suitable for brief therapy in groups, it is economically possible to use it with mental health patients in the public sector... With her huge repertoire of traditional material, Gersie is able to produce a story to fit most occasions. -- International Journal of Psychotherapy
...a well-written book illustrating a novel method of group psychotherapy and the author has complete control over her subject area... would be a valuable addition to the shelves of any good psychiatric library. -- Journal of Psychiatric Case Reports
...will enrich the practice of anyone engaged in therapeutic work, in both group and individual settings... The format and layout of this book are exemplary... a book full of wisdom and compassion, of ways in which anyone may find new and different methods of contacting a troubled soul... it is hard to do justice to this book in a review; it is so clear, so unaffected and yet so humane... that it must open up new possibilities for all of us, and is a valuable resource for any therapist. -- Oxford Psychotherapy Society
Author Bio
Alida Gersie is Director of Studies of the Graduate Arts Therapies Programmes at the University of Hertfordshire. She has written several acclaimed books on the uses of stories to bring about healing change. Her teaching takes her to different countries, whilst her clinical research continues to explore how therapeutic storymaking may help people to integrate and surmount the troubling effect of painful life events. She has published several books with Jessica Kingsley.