Walk-in clinics and other forms of quick access to services have become a key part of the landscape of service delivery in Ontario as outlined in the policy paper, “No More, No Less: Brief Mental Health Services for Children and Youth" (Duvall, J., Young, K.,Kays-Burden, A.,2012). Narrative therapy ideas and practices provide therapists with ways of quickly engaging people in deeply meaningful and useful conversations. These practices are a perfect fit for settings in which just a brief encounter with people is possible, such as walk-in clinics or other short-term services where we need to make the most of the session.

Karen will share discoveries made during her 17 years working at a walk-in clinic and providing brief therapy services, about what aspects of narrative practice are particularly useful in these settings. Remarkable conversations that are “enough” can take place in one meeting when the therapist has skills that allow for respectful engagement in meaningful conversation quickly.

The therapist’s effective use of self and the therapeutic relationship are prerequisites to successful therapeutic outcomes whether in single sessions, brief, or long-term therapies. Research shows the therapeutic relationship to be the top factor in creating change, more than the specific therapy approach or model. It is the client’s perception of the therapeutic alliance that is responsible for most of the gains from therapy. For good reason then, the therapist’s use of self is one of the core competencies identified by many professional Colleges and regulating bodies for the student, beginner, and experienced therapist alike.

In this workshop, Shari will help you to understand what is meant by use of self from a strength-based, postmodern perspective and how an effective use of self involves therapist self-awareness, self-knowledge, and patterns of interacting with clients in the therapeutic process. Therapists need to be aware of and intentional in creating a posture that invites safety and is authentic and ethical. Shari will share ideas, concepts, personal experiences and examples from her 30 years of practicing therapy and engage participants in thoughtful discussion. Bringing her years of commitment and passion to explorations of the relationship between therapist and client, Shari will assist participants to understand how to bring their whole self appropriately, and with vulnerability and transparency, into the therapy room.