Abstracts
Abstract
This paper elaborates on the use of film-based clients in teaching narrative therapy in social work. In this paper, I provide my rationale for the use of film-based clients and then highlight the life story of Lars, taken from the film Lars and the Real Girl (2007), as an example of how film clients can be a helpful way of learning how to practice narrative therapy. The theory and epistemology of narrative therapy—and specifically a postmodern approach to the central organizing concepts of story, experience, self, knowledge, and power—are discussed. I then illustrate key elements of narrative practice with Lars as a film-based client. The attention to creating counternarratives challenges dominant social discourses in Lars’ story about mental health and coping with difficult life events, and the internalization of these ideas as part of the story of his identity. A positioned approach against the medicalization and pathologization of Lars’ struggles reflects the social justice commitment of narrative practice.
Keywords:
- Narrative Therapy Practice,
- Film-Based Clients,
- Teaching
Résumé
Cet article traite de l’utilisation de personnages issus de films en guise de clients fictifs pour enseigner la thérapie narrative en travail social. Dans cet article, je justifie l’utilisation de personnages de films et présente ensuite l’histoire de vie de Lars, tirée du film Lars and the Real Girl (2007), comme exemple de la façon dont les personnages issus de films peuvent être un moyen utile d’apprendre comment intervenir en utilisant la thérapie narrative. La théorie et l’épistémologie de la thérapie narrative et plus particulièrement d’une approche postmoderne des concepts centraux d’organisation du récit, de l’expérience, du moi, du savoir et du pouvoir, sont présentées. Les éléments clés de la pratique narrative sont illustrés par Lars en tant que client fictif. L’attention portée à la création de contre-récits remet en question les discours sociaux dominants dans l’histoire de Lars sur la santé mentale et la gestion des événements difficiles de la vie et l’intériorisation de ces idées dans le cadre de son récit identitaire. Une approche positionnée contre la médicalisation et la pathologisation des luttes de Lars reflète l’engagement de justice sociale de la pratique narrative.
Mots-clés :
- Thérapie narrative comme intervention,
- client fictif,
- enseignement
Appendices
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