Therapeutic Letter Writing
Counselling in Victoria, BC
Therapeutic Letters
The use of documentation by way of letters, poems or other creative means is a key component of narrative practice. The purpose of documenting a session and sharing it with the person consulting the therapist is best described by David Epston (1994) in the following quote:
““Conversation is, by its very nature, ephemeral. After a particularly meaningful session, a client walks away aglow with provocative new thought, but a few blocks away, the exact words that had struck home as so profound may already be hard to recall…But the words in a letter don’t fade and disappear the way conversation does; they endure through time and space, bearing witness to the work of therapy and immortalizing it.” ”
The founders of Narrative therapy, Michael White and David Epston, conducted informal clinical research on the use of therapeutic documentation in counselling and discovered that people believed one letter was the equivalent of 4.5 sessions of therapy (Freeman, Epston & Lobovits, 1997).
In a small scale study performed at Kaiser Permanente HMO in Stockton, California, it was found that the worth of one letter represented 3.2 in- person interviews (Nylund & Thomas, 1994). These two studies reveal the effect documentation can have on a person engaged in narrative counselling.
Counselling in Victoria
In Karen’s narrative therapy practice, she writes letters or other creative documents after each counselling session. The context for these documents comes from the notes Karen takes during therapy. These letters highlight a person’s stories, skills, understandings, hopes, and preferred outcomes. They also ask questions that Karen may not have thought about during the conversation, creating space for what might be possible. These documents tell a story and engage the reader in their life narratives without being diagnostic. Most importantly, letters extend the therapeutic process beyond the therapy room, are tangible and can be revisited at any time.
Your Stories Matter
As a narrative therapist, Karen honours each and every person who comes to her for counselling. It takes courage to seek help and Karen does not take this step lightly. No problem is too great or too small to share in narrative therapy counselling.
Karen is dedicated to listening with empathy and compassion. She is committed to helping people reimagine their lives in a way that aligns with their preferred ways of being. Karen’s approach is warm and inviting and she creates an environment of calm and safety.
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Victoria BC Counselling Services
Narrative therapy helps people to feel safe enough to tell their stories. People can share as much or as little as they feel comfortable. It is important that they tell their story in their own way, on their own terms, using words that are relevant to their experience.
Narrative therapy is a therapy of appreciation for the times people have stood up to the problems in their lives. Narrative therapy is a recognition of a person resisting the problem’s voice and refusing to go along with it.
Modern, western culture, closely influenced by capitalist thought and productivity, has centered the conversation around death, grief and loss as an individual endeavour that requires a desired outcome - closure.
The narrative practice of externalization assists people to explore the history and context of the arrival of the problem, investigating when and where it started to gain control.
Communication
Sessions can be over Zoom, the telephone or in person in my home office.
Insurance
Insurance coverage is not available.
Fees
Sliding Scale $50 - $100 per hour.
Ask about student rates or hardship circumstances.
It is important to me that everyone has access to the help that they need for as long as they need it, so please contact me to discuss a sliding scale. Counselling should be available to all individuals seeking it and not only to those who can afford it.