Narrative Certificate Program, 2019–20
Dates: September 2019 through May 2020
Location:
In-Person (Salem, MA): Sept. 28/29, Nov. 22/23, Jan. 24/25, March 27/28, and May 1/2
Online: Tuesday night weekly meetings (90 minutes); Sunday night monthly meetings (90 minutes)
Maximum Participants: 12
Instructors: Stephen Gaddis, PhD, Suzanne Gazzolo, PhD, and Matt Mooney, LICSW

This year-long Narrative Certificate Program is for people interested in developing a rigorous personal understanding of the Narrative Worldview and its social justice ethics and practices. The goal of this course is to help participants establish a solid foundation for their professional identity and preferred ways of helping. Drawing from participants' personal and professional lived experiences, the course emphasizes an experiential-learning philosophy and community-building orientation. There is an expectation that participants will have had some formal introduction to the Narrative Worldview prior to the course.

The 2019–20 Certificate Program includes the following in-person meetings in Salem, MA:

• Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 28–29: Orientation: Externalizing & Modern Power
  
• Friday & Saturday, Nov. 22–23: Deconstructing (Practice Intensive)
  
• Friday & Saturday, Jan. 24–25: Re-Authoring (Practice Intensive)
  
• Friday & Saturday, Mar. 27–28: Thickening (Practice Intensive)
  
• Friday & Saturday, May 1–2: Closing Ceremony

The Saturday/Sunday Orientation meeting allows us to meet one another in meaningful ways and begin this learning journey together. If the previous two cohorts are any indication, we are likely to form very important connections that have a good chance of continuing after the course ends. The three Friday/Saturday Practice Intensives focus on foundational narrative practices that have emerged out of a Narrative Worldview orientation. These include Deconstructing, Re-Authoring, and Thickening Practice Intensives. The Closing Ceremony is a chance for us to come together and celebrate your year-long commitment to learning and skill development. During this ceremony, you will have an opportunity to present stories about what learnings have been most meaningful for you.

In addition to the in-person meetings, there is a weekly online Tuesday night meeting. These 90-minute meetings are facilitated by NTI faculty members Suzanne Gazzolo and Matt Mooney, who are experienced narrative practitioners. The meetings are designed for you to share and reflect on your efforts to put what you are learning into practice. They also are a chance for you to get support for your dilemmas and questions, and a time to share success stories!  Alongside the weekly Tuesday meetings, there is a monthly Sunday night online meeting facilitated by NTI Director Stephen Gaddis. During these meetings, Steve will present examples from practice for discussion and reflection.

We find that reading and writing helps participants' learning. We are aware, however, that participants have demanding lives outside the course. Therefore, we set up the course so that a minimum of two papers are required to be read each month. For those who can read more, we offer numerous supplemental readings. We also require one written reflection paper each month; these are designed to help participants uniquely story their professional identity and relationship with narrative ideas/practices.

It is important for participants to identify a personal and/or professional context where you can practice what you are learning. In addition, this course draws significantly from participants’ own lived experiences, personally and professionally. We think learning from our own lives is one of the most powerful ways to know what narrative practices help make possible. This means personal stories are frequently shared in the course. If you are not comfortable sharing stories from your personal and professional life, this course is likely not a good fit for you. 

To ensure potential participants are informed of the various expectations and hopes associated with this course, we require anyone interested to complete a short application beforehand. An NTI faculty member will follow up with a phone conversation to discuss your application and answer any questions you may have. A decision will then be made about whether the course expectations and your hopes seems like a good fit. To request an application, email Stephen Gaddis.

If you join us, you will be a member of the third NTI Certificate cohort. I count my time with the previous two cohorts as among the highlights of my personal and professional life. In addition to learning about narrative ideas and practices, we develop a precious community and powerfully meaningful relationships around shared values. I am deeply heartened by relationships with people like you who recognize the responsibility that comes with the privilege of offering someone help. 

Narrative therapy and community work supports my commitment to respectful, accountable, and effective helping practices, and my hopes to link healing and justice. Making the narrative tradition a legitimate alternative to the normative one is not an easy endeavor, however. Your commitment to narrative ideas and practices helps me keep pushing for a narrative revolution.

I developed this training as one possible path for the next generation of narrative leaders, trainers, teachers, researchers, and authors. After completing the Certificate Program, you are eligible for the NTI Diploma Program. The Diploma curriculum is more project-centered. Each participant develops a professional project that interests them personally. The purpose of the course is to help participants generate either a professional paper to submit for publication or a professional workshop, or both. Graduates of the Certificate and Diploma programs are well positioned to help grow a more socially just Narrative World.

I can’t wait to support your relationship with the Narrative Worldview and preferred stories!

Hope-fully,

Steve

Tuition: $3,600; a 10% discount is available if paid in full upon registration

• A non-refundable $600 deposit is required at registration.
• Payment plans are available.
• To discuss the deposit and payment plans, please email Darcey Surette.

Register Now!