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Frequently-Asked Questions on Narrative Mediation
1. In a nutshell, what is narrative mediation?
Narrative mediation emerged and developed from Narrative Therapy developed
by Michael White and David Epston. It is based upon the premise that we live
our lives according to stories that we and others tell about ourselves.
These stories however, are not produced by the individual, but are produced
within our socio-cultural context and community.
2. How does a narrative mediator view conflict?
Conflict occurs through the clash of storied accounts of the people in
disagreement. The conflict story is viewed as the problem rather than the
person or parties being viewed as the problem.
3. How does the narrative mediator focus on the conflict as
the problem rather than the people?
The mediator speaks about the conflict as if it were an external object. For
example, the mediator would not ask questions about how David and Bridget
were the cause of the dispute, but rather about how the dispute caused
difficulties between them. The mediator may externalize the problem
descriptions. The conflict might be named and its history, and point of
origin traced.
4. How does the narrative approach deal with strong
emotion?
Aspects of conflict -- resentment, anger, hurt -- are spoken of in the same way
as the conflict, as things that have entered the relationship, that have
come between the parties and affected them. David might say, "I felt
resentful," and the mediator would rephrase with, "So resentment entered the
picture." Emotions are constructed as characters in the story, as opposed
to an essential aspect of the person.
5. What would you say is the most powerful technique or
approach in narrative work?
Parties who have been in long term conflict undoubtedly have some positive
history that is not completely dominated by stress and animosity. The
mediator's role is to help the participants focus upon the moments of
cooperation and collaborative effort and to use these moments to construct
an alternative preferred story. These moments of cooperation that lie
outside of the conflict story are used to co-author a narrative of shared
meaning and mutual respect. Not until the relationship is re-established can
the problems be addressed in a positive manner.
6. What's so special about a narrative approach?
The approach helps the parties move beyond blame very quickly. Blame is
usually the strongest hindrance to moving forward in a cooperative manner.
Another advantage of the approach is that it recognizes the power of
dominant cultural discourses and how these discourses produce and shape the
conflict.
7. Where is the narrative mediation approach most effective?
Narrative practices are widely used in family mediation and divorce
mediation. The approach is currently being applied to innovative practices
in a collaborative divorce project where practitioners from law, mental
health and finance team up together to assist a divorcing couple to
transition to the post-divorce stage without being caught up in painful
litigation. Narrative mediation is being used in restorative justice models
and restorative practices in schools and can be used in multi-party disputes
in public & private sectors. Narrative mediation has been used in resolving
disputes in environmental contexts, corporate and small business contexts
and in disputes with indigenous peoples and representatives of dominant
cultures.
8. Where would I go to find a narrative mediator?
There are small groups of people in the mediation community who identify as
narrative mediators. People practicing from a social constructionist
framework or identify themselves as postmodern practitioners are most likely
to work with a similar philosophy or approach to narrative mediators. People
working as narrative therapists share a very similar orientation to
narrative mediators. Type in on Google: narrative mediators, postmodern
practitioners, social constructionist practitioners, narrative therapists.
(Some of these questions and responses came from an interview with Dr.
Gerald Monk published in the Institute of Conflict Analysis and Management
Newsletter, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada)
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