PYN016 Collaborative Practice 2 - Narrative Therapy

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

Building on the introduction to constructionist philosophy and therapeutic practices offered previously, this unit is designed to provide you with an in depth understanding of the history, philosophy, and practice of Narrative Therapy. You will be introduced to its application in individual, relational and collective contexts, examining its relationship with social justice, collective action, and its contemporary interdisciplinary integration with affective, body based and neuroscience informed practices.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Critically examine and articulate the history, central philosophical tenants, and principles of narrative practice.
2. Utilise and demonstrate key skills and maps for narrative practice in counselling contexts, including, externalising, reauthoring, re-membering, absent but implicit, outsider witnessing, collective narrative practices and therapeutic documentation.
3. Critically apply skills of interprofessional collaboration and communication including the use of digital technologies to examine the contemporary application of narrative practices with current social issues, and with diverse populations and therapeutic contexts.
4. Reflect upon and evaluate the role of power, privilege, and marginalisation in the context of contemporary counselling practice.

Content

Learning Approaches

• This unit uses an experiential learning framework to develop your understanding of narrative practice and its application with diverse populations and contexts. 
• PYN016 is offered as an in person four-day intensive followed by weekly online workshops, incorporating lectures, small group discussions, and practice demonstrations
• You will also participate in exercises and activities designed to clarify and deepen your understanding of course content and to provide an opportunity for skill development.  

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Formative feedback will occur via facilitator and peer evaluation through in class learning activities and submission of a reflective Journal. 

Summative feedback will take the form of a demonstration, critique, and reflective written tasks in addition to a student facilitated workshop.

Assessment

Overview

The Assessment items in this unit combine, theory, practice, and critical reflection. They will require you to demonstrate your understanding of the central philosophical tenants of narrative practice and your capacity to apply these in therapeutic conversation. Additionally, you will be required to critically apply your learning to contemporary social issues and practice contexts. 

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Reflective Journal

You will be required to write and upload a total of 4 reflective journal entries based on in class experiences during your teaching intensive and online workshops. Each of these entries will be a maximum of 500 words in length and will focus on a broad range of theories and practices relevant to narrative therapy, with a focus on how these relate to your emerging personal practice framework. On submission you will then select and 2 of these reflective journal entries for Marking and feedback.  

Verification of learning regarding this assessment will be provided by tutor assessment of student in class participation and understanding of relevant topic area.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.

Assessment: Demonstration & Critique

Part 1

Taking on the role of Counsellor you will be required to record and submit a 45-minute video, demonstrating the application of various narrative maps in the context of a counselling conversation.

Part 2

Additionally, as relevant to professional and supervisory practice, you will also provide a 2500-word paper offering a narrative formulation and analysis of the recorded conversation, highlighting the methods of inquiry utilised and its influence on the therapeutic conversation and session outcomes.  

You will also be required to provide evidence of authorship and academic integrity via submission of a draft to your unit coordinator a week prior to the due date. Additionally, you must also submit a log of all generative AI interactions relevant to the research and writing of this paper as an appendix.   

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.

Assessment: Workshop

In the final weeks of the unit, you will be required in a small group to facilitate a 1.5hr online, co-inquiry workshop with your peers, including outsider witness responses. This workshop will require you to examine a contemporary social issue, examining the related dominant discourses, how these might influence the experience of both client and therapist, and the narrative practices that have been utilised to respond to its impact on diverse individuals, families, or communities. 

In addition to the co-inquiry facilitation, you will be required, using digital and Generative AI tools to research and develop a resource sheet regarding the central themes and ideas relevant to this inquiry. 

The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

White M. (2007). Maps of narrative practice. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Recommended text(s)

Zimmerman, J., & Tomm, K. (2018). Neuro-narrative therapy: New possibilities for emotion-filled conversations. W W Norton & Co.

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.