1. Creative Collaboration for Emotional, Social, Spiritual Care Post-Disaster Nadine M. Bean, Ph.D., LSW Associate Professor West Chester University of Pennsylvania MSW Program Founding Board Member, lowernine.org nbean@wcupa.edu

2. The Importance of Narrative in Healing The concept, “narrative”, was developed to describe the complex set of meanings that emerge from the interaction of beliefs and experiences people use to make sense of or derive meaning from their experiences throughout life. Storytelling is undoubtedly the earliest method people used to create meaning in their lives.

3. History of the Narrative Approach in Healing Narrative therapy was developed in the late ’80’s by Epston and White. Their seminal work, Narrative Approaches to Therapeutic Ends, is just beginning to find a voice among social work practitioners and educators. Narrative therapists believe that when some of the collection of stories or some “sub-plots” become too threatening to life’s meaning, when they become too constraining – the foundation is set for meaningful change to occur – a “re-storying”, if you will. Changes can happen with self-directed “help” or action – such as starting an exercise regimen, keeping a journal, changing jobs or careers or moving. BUT – changes can also occur within a therapeutic, helping alliance and can also involve theatre, such as Boal’s theatre of the oppressed.

4. History of the Narrative Approach in Healing – cont. Narrative practice is rooted in the philosophy of postmodern, social he constructivist theories: Aim is to help clients maintain the direction of their lives. Minimizes the use of authority by the worker. A very affirming approach. A very empowering approach.

5. History of the Narrative Approach in Healing -cont. The narrative approach – i.e. fully understanding a person’s or group of persons’ experiences and assignment of meanings – is also used in the qualitative research technique known as ethnography. A.k.a. “folk social science” (Bruner, as cited in Goldstein, 1991, p. 106)

6. Using Narrative in Social Research, particularly for Oppressed Groups Howard Goldstein wrote: “In effect, this mode of research may enable us to do, to engage in practice, more knowledgeably. But its special character also enables us to know in a more profound way. The talent of social work is not solely technical: it is, as well, artistic and philosophic. Entry into the complexity of the human situation may be eased a bit by what we do know, at the same time, we quickly learn that the peculiar dilemmas and moral questions we encounter call for fresh and creative ways of understanding.” (Goldstein, 1991, p. 104)

7. The Narrative Approach in Healing from Disaster/Trauma Narrative practitioners assume that a person’s stories about themselves undeniably shape their self-views and behaviors. They believe that through the process of deconstructing a story and re-authoring, one can distance one’s self from past destructive stories and develop a new narrative about a preferred way of life. Attending to what is said or not said or realizing that there are myths embedded in an individual’s, family’s or group’s stories is crucial to understanding the transformative power of telling stories – freeing people to imagine new stories and move on to more fulfilling lives. There is precedence in medicine, mental health services, pastoral care, and disaster/trauma services for using the narrative approach, even the interactive performance approach (Calder & Badeo, 2008, Rejaie, Van Ommeren, & Saraceno, 2006, Rosenfeld, Caye, Ayalon, & Lahad, 2005, Tully, 1999, Williams, Zinner, & Ellis, 1999)

8. The Narrative/Theatrical Performance Approach in Healing from Disaster/Trauma -cont. Combining critical support services to folks after disaster/trauma with interactive performance, “creates a learning community that empowers participants, which generates critical understanding, and which promotes transformation…” (Howard, L.A., 2004, p. 217) The use of narrative and interactive performance has its origins in Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed (1979). Augusto Boal and his son Julian Boal continue to train social workers, pastoral care counselors and theatre professionals in techniques to help oppressed groups break free of constricting life narratives and take meaningful social action (http://www.theatreoftheoppressed.org)

9. My Experiences – Post 9/11 Work Learning from those I served (those that left Wall Street madness and became artists or those that coped through artistic endeavors) Encouraging journaling or poetry writing by those I have served and my own use of these tools. Telling one’s “stories” – some controversy surrounding CISD/CISM American Red Cross - now using exit interviews instead

10. Post-Katrina New Orleans Over 1.2 million households were displaced in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August and September 2005 respectively (http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=41700). Particularly hard hit by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 was theLower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, a community rich in African American, Creole, French and Spanish history, a community of people who have lived there for generations in homes they and their families have owned for a very long time, and a community deeply scarred – physically and emotionally (Brinkley, 2007). There was and is discrimination in who gets what post-disaster relief services and in what order (Bean, 2004).

11. My experiences in post-Katrina New Orleans What I learned from those I served Gathering narratives of women survivors of Katrina Why women? Resilience/inspiration Healing through narrative Healing through sharing narrative via theatrical performance (in keeping with Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed approach)

12. Women of NOLA: Voices of Resilience Before, During and After Katrina Sharing some of the women’s words Sharing a portion of video

13. lowernine.org: rebuilding homes, rebuilding mind & spirit of community Not enough to simply rebuild homes Drop-in center for emotional, social, spiritual support services – All Souls Episcopal Church on St. Claude in the Lower Ninth Ward Training key, lay women leaders in the Lower Ninth Ward in Psychological First Aid (via the American Red Cross model now being used with military families coping with deployment). Partnering with All Congregations Together – similar to the emotional care teams that are sent out to local disasters from the ARC, Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter – pairing a licensed mental health professional with a person from the clergy.

14. References Bean, N. (2004). Observations of an American Red Cross, Disaster Mental Health Services volunteer – The social injustice of disasters. NASW Poverty & Social Justice Section Connection,Spring 2004, 8-11. Brinkley, D. (2007). The great deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. New York: Harper Collins. Calder, A., & Badeo, A. (2008). Broken bodies, healing spirits: Road trauma survivors’ experiences of pastoral care during inpatient orthopaedic rehabilitation. Australian Journal of Pastoral Care and Health, 1(2), 1-14. Howard, L.A. (2004). Speaking theatre/doing pedagogy: Revisiting theatre of the oppressed. Communication Education, 53(3), 217-233.

15. References –cont. Rajaie, B., Van Ommeren, M., & Saraeno, B. (2006). Mental and social health in disasters: Relating qualitative social science research and the Sphere standard. Social Science and Medicine, 62, 1853-1864. Rosenfeld, L.B., Caye, J.S., Ayalon, O., & Lahad, M. (2005). When their world falls apart: Helping families and children manage the effects of disasters. Washington D.C.: NASW Press. Tully, M.A. (1999). Lifting our voices: African American cultural responses to trauma and loss. In K. Nader (Ed.). Honoring differences: Cultural issues in the treatment of trauma and loss (pp. 25-48). Philadelphia: Bruner-Mazel. Williams, M.B., Zinner, E.S., & Ellis, R.R. (1999). The connection between grief and trauma: An overview. In E.S. Zinner, & M.B. Williams (Eds.). When a community weeps: Case studies in group survivorship (pp. 3-17). Philadelphia: Bruner-Mazel.