2021: Issue 2 Archives - The Dulwich Centre

Talking and walking through home-less-ness — Terence Connellan

admin@dulwichcentre.com.au — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 03:35:28 +0000

This article reflects on the meanings of home through lived experiences of being without one. It offers readers an opportunity to see a city in a new way: by accompanying four people as they journey back to places where they had slept rough or found temporary shelter, and reflect on significant places and events. Through double listening and careful questioning, the author highlights their preferred identities, building on their own rich descriptions. Each person was invited to choose their preferred way of documenting their story.

The post Talking and walking through home-less-ness — Terence Connellan appeared first on The Dulwich Centre.

Autism in corona times: Documenting mothers’ insider knowledges — Soumini Menon

admin@dulwichcentre.com.au — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 03:32:35 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a nationwide lockdown in India, reduced access to health services and caused many parents to redefine their family’s routines. I interviewed a group of mothers of children who had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder about what their typical days looked like during lockdown. I wanted to explore the steps had they taken to prevent the lockdown from creating more distress and chaos in their lives. Other mothers and therapists were engaged as outsider witnesses to their stories. I used the mothers’ insider knowledge to create a collective wisdom document, which I plan to take to other therapists and mental health professionals. Hopefully, having access to this knowledge will provide a richer understanding of the mothers’ journeys and a clearer perspective on what supports, if any, may be helpful.

The post Autism in corona times: Documenting mothers’ insider knowledges — Soumini Menon appeared first on The Dulwich Centre.

Narrative practices and autism: Part 3: Scaffolding of practice towards identity, advocacy and communities of support — Courtney Olinger

admin@dulwichcentre.com.au — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 03:27:13 +0000

This is the third article in a three-part series exploring narrative practices and autism. The concepts in these papers can be helpful for work with a wide presentation of neurodivergence. In this paper, identity constructions and ways to consider the role of diagnostic conceptualisations are a central focus. This is particularly relevant when considering advocacy and the development of communities of support. I hope to represent the re-authoring of autism that can occur with the deconstruction of limiting ideas around autism and the reconstruction of a preferred label.

The post Narrative practices and autism: Part 3: Scaffolding of practice towards identity, advocacy and communities of support — Courtney Olinger appeared first on The Dulwich Centre.

Narrative practices and autism: Part 2: Expanding on understandings of autism — Courtney Olinger

admin@dulwichcentre.com.au — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 03:17:34 +0000

Autism, like many psychological diagnoses, has suffered some narrow interpretations and representations, particularly in the media. Modern definitions of autism are often heavily focused on impairment and deficit. This can significantly skew individuals’ understanding of their own identities and how others come to understand the role of autism in their lives. This paper embarks on a deconstruction and expansion of understandings of autism, including voices of autistic individuals. This serves as an example of possible ways to thicken one’s own identity when developing an understanding of autism. This is the second article in a three-part series exploring different concepts associated with working with autism. It builds on the focus on theory and engagement in Part 1.

The post Narrative practices and autism: Part 2: Expanding on understandings of autism — Courtney Olinger appeared first on The Dulwich Centre.

Narrative practices and autism: Part 1: Theory and engagement: Shedding ableism from therapy — Courtney Olinger

admin@dulwichcentre.com.au — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 03:12:21 +0000

Narrative practices provide a theoretical basis for supporting neurodivergent individuals in many ways. However, many therapists are seeking ways to better engage clients that have communication and sensory challenges that might interfere with more traditional therapeutic conversations. This paper gives some possible frameworks for engaging neurodivergent individuals, such as those with autism spectrum disorder. Examples are shared to support other therapists to embark in creative ways to rethink engagement in the first of a three part series exploring different concepts associated with working with autism.

The post Narrative practices and autism: Part 1: Theory and engagement: Shedding ableism from therapy — Courtney Olinger appeared first on The Dulwich Centre.

Re•Storying Autism: An interview with Patty Douglas and Carla Rice

admin@dulwichcentre.com.au — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 03:03:45 +0000

The Re•Storying Autism project is a Canadian–British collaboration that seeks to interrupt dominant and limiting narratives of autism through an alternative storytelling process. Short films made by people who identify as autistic or who have attracted a label of autism tell preferred stories that shift understandings, expand representations and create space for practices of difference. Carla Rice and Patty Douglas, two of the project leaders, caught up with David Denborough to reflect on the principles and practices embraced by the Re•Storying Autism project, and to consider the project’s potential for contributing to a framework that may be useful to narrative practitioners.

The post Re•Storying Autism: An interview with Patty Douglas and Carla Rice appeared first on The Dulwich Centre.

Strands of strength: Reflecting on Black identity — Mandida Sakutukwa

admin@dulwichcentre.com.au — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 02:55:04 +0000

This paper explores Black identity. It considers how dominant narratives can shape identities and bolster problem stories. It describes a series of conversations that sought to disrupt dominant discourses by creating strong counter stories about Black identities. Second story development, deconstruction and re-authoring can lead to the reclaiming of space and the enactment of preferred identity stories. This paper presents prompts for conversations exploring experiences of Blackness, and describes a process of inviting people to become witnesses to their own stories.

The post Strands of strength: Reflecting on Black identity — Mandida Sakutukwa appeared first on The Dulwich Centre.

Responding to grief and loss in the context of COVID-19: A story from India — Maya Sen with Anwesha

admin@dulwichcentre.com.au — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 02:46:17 +0000

For many, COVID-19 disrupted practices of end-of-life care and made it impossible to carry out rituals of mourning and acknowledgement after the death of a loved one. This paper describes a series of conversations with a woman who was plagued by guilt after not being able to give her aunt ‘a proper send-off’. It offers questions that were useful in shifting our conversations from individual self-blame to the shared social context of the pandemic. It considers ideas about a ‘good death’ and suggests ways to invite exploration of alternative ways to honour loved ones who have died. This paper is accompanied by responses from narrative practitioners in Rwanda and India.

The post Responding to grief and loss in the context of COVID-19: A story from India — Maya Sen with Anwesha appeared first on The Dulwich Centre.

Stories of collective resistance in the context of hardship and crisis — An anonymous collective contribution from India during the pandemic crisis

admin@dulwichcentre.com.au — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 02:28:04 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdown have compounded existing inequalities in India. As a second wave of infections hit, there were shortages of medicines, vaccines, oxygen cylinders and hospital beds, and healthcare professionals were overworked and under-resourced. However, in the midst of these stories of systemic inadequacy, there are rich and powerful stories of collective care and resistance. People stepped in to create alternative forms of community care and mutual aid. This paper describes three stories of community response in the context of systemic collapse. There have been countless other such stories of action and resistance throughout the course of the crisis period as well as in the collective history of the country.

The post Stories of collective resistance in the context of hardship and crisis — An anonymous collective contribution from India during the pandemic crisis appeared first on The Dulwich Centre.