International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work

Dulwich Centre

International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work is a peer-reviewed journal for practitioners wanting to stay in touch with the latest ideas and developments in narrative practice. Practitioners from a range of different countries and contexts discuss the ideas and practices that are inspiring them, dilemmas they are grappling with, and the issues most dear to their hearts. Since 2023, the journal has included a range of multimedia content, which you can access through this podcast.

Episodes

  1. MAR 18

    Resisting erasure: How Muslim women in India are responding to hate and hostility by Sara Asfiya Ali

    Sara Asfiya Ali shares a practice note about the creation of a collective narrative document called “Resisting erasure: How Muslim women in India are responding to hate and hostility”. The document brings together the voices of Muslim women living across urban India. It centres the voices of Muslim women responding to everyday Islamophobia. Through shared stories of childhood, education, family life, work, motherhood, faith and public life, the document highlights the skills, values, knowledges and commitments that Muslim women draw on as they navigate hostility, othering and hate. Grounded in collective narrative practice, this document weaves individual testimonies into a shared voice, illuminating both the impact of social violence and the everyday acts of resistance, refusal, care and dignity that often go unseen. Alongside written narratives, the document includes illustrations that offer a visual language for memory, presence and response. Readers are invited not as analysts but as witnesses and are encouraged to reflect on what these stories make visible about Muslim women’s lives, agency and ongoing struggles for belonging and justice. The document Sara discusses can be downloaded here: https://dulwichcentre.com.au/resisting-erasure-how-muslim-women-in-india-are-responding-to-hate-and-hostility-sara-asfiya-ali/  Sara Asfiya Ali is a social designer and researcher from Kerala, India. Her work is grounded in listening closely to the needs and lived experiences of diverse communities across the globe and in building ethical, community-centred digital platforms addressing their needs. She is interested in collective narrative practice as a way of documenting and foregrounding the agency of Muslim communities in contexts of marginalisation, and in creating spaces where people can reclaim the right to tell their own stories in their own ways. The collective narrative document described in this practice note emerged from her Diploma in Narrative Therapy and Community Work and from her ongoing engagement with Muslim women in India. Asfiya Ali, S. (2026). Resisting erasure: How Muslim women in India are responding to hate and hostility [Audio recording]. International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, (1). https://doi.org/10.4320/QDOO9358 *** International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work is published by Dulwich Centre Foundation. More about this recording and a treasure trove of articles, videos, and multimedia works are available from https://narrativetherapyjournal.org  It’s all free to access and share with no log-in required. Dulwich Centre is located on the land of the Kaurna people. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country and pay respect to Elders past and present. https://narrativetherapyjournal.org

    11 min

  2. MAR 18

    The Tree of Life Project: Using narrative ideas in work with vulnerable children in Southern Africa by Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo

    In honour of the 20th anniversary of the Tree of Life narrative metaphor, we are sharing this reading of a significant paper by Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo from the archives of International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work. It is read by Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo. The paper describes the use of narrative ideas in work with vulnerable children in Southern Africa. How can the lives of children who have experienced significant losses be responded to in ways that are not retraumatising and that bring to light children’s own skills and knowledge? What sorts of exercises can be used in camps for vulnerable children? How can children be provided with significant experiences that do not separate them from their families, values and cultural norms? This paper describes a creative adaptation of the “Tree of Life” exercise informed by narrative therapy principles and practices. Original paper: Ncube, N. (2006). The Tree of Life Project: Using narrative ideas in work with vulnerable children in Southern Africa. International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, (1), 3–16. This recording: Ncube-Mlilo, N. (2026). The Tree of Life Project: Using narrative ideas in work with vulnerable children in Southern Africa (N. Ncube-Mlilo, Narr.) [Audio recording]. International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, (1). https://doi.org/10.4320/FGIA3542 (Original work published 2006) Further information and downloads available at https://dulwichcentre.com.au/the-tree-of-life-project-using-narrative-ideas-in-work-with-vulnerable-children-in-southern-africa-audio-from-the-archive-nczelo-ncube-read-by-nczelo-ncube/  *** International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work is published by Dulwich Centre Foundation. More about this recording, and a treasure trove of articles, videos, and multimedia works, is available from https://narrativetherapyjournal.org  It’s all free to access and share with no log-in required. Dulwich Centre is located on the land of the Kaurna people. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country and pay respect to Elders past and present. https://narrativetherapyjournal.org  Chapters (00:00:12) - The Tree of Life Project Using Narrative Ideas in Work with V(00:07:15) - Masiye Camp(00:15:55) - The Tree of Life at Masiye Camp(00:24:21) - Tree of Life Exercise(00:30:39) - The revised Tree of Life Exercise(00:34:55) - Tree of Life and Forest of Life(00:39:34) - Children share their hopes and dreams for their life(00:45:04) - trees in a forest(00:47:24) - When the Storms Come(00:49:55) - The hazards faced by children(00:52:27) - How Children Respond to Storms of Life(00:56:02) - Tree of Life Certificate Giving(00:57:29) - Tree of Life Writing a letter to caregivers(01:02:28) - The Revised Tree of Life Exercise

    1h 6m
  • 2 Episodes

About

International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work is a peer-reviewed journal for practitioners wanting to stay in touch with the latest ideas and developments in narrative practice. Practitioners from a range of different countries and contexts discuss the ideas and practices that are inspiring them, dilemmas they are grappling with, and the issues most dear to their hearts. Since 2023, the journal has included a range of multimedia content, which you can access through this podcast.

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