the Dulwich Centre website

 ... a gateway to narrative therapy, community work and psychosocial support                                       Dulwich Centre Publications Pty Ltd

www.dulwichcentre.com.au

Dulwich Centre is an independent centre in Adelaide, Australia involved in narrative approaches to therapy, community work & psycho-social support, training, publishing, supporting practitioners in different parts of the world, and co-hosting international conferences. So much has occurred since Dulwich Centre first opened her doors in 1983! First of all, a way of working, 'narrative approaches to counselling and community work' has evolved, particularly inspired by the work of Michael White and David Epston. This way of working has not only been developed, but has moved from being a marginal approach to one that is now considered a mainstream modality in many contexts. Secondly, a 'community of ideas' and a 'community of practitioners' has grown in many different parts of the world. This 'community' is linked in many ways - through the ideas and practices, through the written word (journals and books), through narrative connections and other websites, e-lists, and through workshops and conferences. So many people have contributed to these developments, in so many different ways. Throughout these developments Dulwich Centre has been, and continues to be, a place of therapy, community work, training, publishing, conferences and conversation! 

Community Meetings/Discussions: We are pleased that free 'Friday Afternoon discussions' started again here last year, for the first time in many years. These open community discussions have a long history and have been influential in developing a 'community of ideas'.

Dulwich Centre Publications produce resources (including books, journals and DvDs) with a particular focus on making narrative approaches accessible and relevant to a wide-range of practitioners and contexts. Dulwich Centre Publications (DCP) is a small, independent, feminist-owned publishing house that was founded by Cheryl White in 1984. Over the last twenty years we have developed relationships with a community of readers in a wide-range of countries who are interested in new conversations about therapeutic practice and community work, in the politics and power relations of this work, and in ways of writing and publishing that seek to be ethical, respectful and accessible. DCP has always been committed to publishing the work of first-time authors. Considerable efforts are made to support those who may not have an easy relationship to writing to enable their work to be published and circulated. We also deliberately seek to publish writings that represent a diversity of cultures, sexual and gender orientations and which stretch and challenge dominant cultural understandings of the worlds in which we live and work. At the same time as producing publications for those involved in therapeutic and community practice, DCP has been involved in publishing informal news-sheets (Comment) in response to current social issues occurring in Australia and elsewhere.

Narrative therapy sessions are available at Dulwich Centre with Carolyn Markey and Chris Dolman in practice here.

The International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work is produced by Dulwich Centre Publications in conjunction with colleagues in different parts of the world. The International Advisory Group for the journal consists of members from Mexico, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Norway, Ireland, Denmark, Austria, Israel, UK and USA. They include: Norma Akamatsu, Makungu Akinyela, Elsa Almaas, Chris Beels, Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad, America Bracho, Maggie Carey, Susanna Chamberlain, Gene Combs, Saviona Cramer, Vicki Dickerson, David Epston, Jill Freedman, Yael Gershoni, Kenneth V. Hardy, Rachel Hare-Mustin, Ann Hartman, Mark Hayward, Allan Holmgren, Alan Jenkins, Maxine Joy, Zoy Kazan, Dirk Kotzé, Rudi Kronbichler, Joan Laird, Tracey Laszloffy, Bill Lax, Dean Lobovits, Geir Lundby, Stephen Madigan, Elspeth McAdam, Vanessa McAdams-Mahmoud, Imelda McCarthy, Jonathan Morgan, Margaret Newmark, Marilyn O’Neill, Amaryll Perlesz, Loretta Perry, Amanda Redstone, Colin Riess, Sallyann Roth, Shona Russell, Olga Silverstein, Yvonne Sliep, Jane Speedy, Gaye Stockell, Taimalie Kiwi Tamasese, Angela Tsun, Charles Waldegrave, Kaethe Weingarten, Michael White, Barbara Wingard, John Winslade & Jeff Zimmerman.

The Dulwich Centre Foundation supports workers and communities in different parts of the world who are responding to significant trauma. Work that recently took place in Rwanda will soon be available to readers.

The Dulwich Centre Institute of Community Practice continues to develop, put into practice and teach collective narrative practices - ways of responding to groups and communities who have been subject to trauma, and exploring ways in which narrative practices can contribute to and support local social action.

At the same time, this Dulwich Centre Website and the Narrative Therapy Library and Bookshop act as gateways to narrative practice. Narrative Connections: An international network of narrative practitioners seeks to provide a forum of connectedness for practitioners in different parts of the world.

Since 1999, Dulwich Centre has hosted International Narrative Therapy and Community Work Conferences in:  Adelaide (Australia),  Atlanta (USA), Liverpool (UK), Oaxaca (Mexico), Hong Kong (China) & Kristiansand (Norway) . The next such conference is to be held in Adelaide in November 2008.

Dulwich Centre also co-ordinates an International Training Program: Narrative approaches to therapy and community work. The current program will run until the end of 2008. The faculty for this program is Michael White, Carolyn Markey, David Newman, Jodi Aman, Cheryl White, Sekneh Beckett, David Denborough, Shona Russell & Chris Dolman.

Dulwich Centre has always been run according to an ethic of sustainability. We seek to bring in enough income in order to sustain the core business and profits have then been used to reach out to and support practitioners in developing countries (we now hope to expand this aspect of work through the newly formed Dulwich Centre Foundation).  

As a small, independent centre we rely on your support for our continuing existence. We appreciate your support, ideas and contributions!  

Cheryl White is the Director of Dulwich Centre and the founder of Dulwich Centre Publications where she works as publisher, editor, training co-ordinator, conference host and  initiator of projects. Cheryl is the co-editor of various books, including: Conversations about Gender, Culture, Violence & Narrative Practice: Stories of hope and complexity from women of many cultures. More information about the work of Dulwich Centre Publications can be found in the book: A Community of Ideas: Behind the scenes by Cheryl White & David Denborough. Cheryl is particularly interested in finding ways to support the work of practitioners in difficult and challenging contexts. She has recently launched the Dulwich Centre Institute of Community Practice which is dedicated to the development of community approaches and narrative forms of psychosocial support.

Virginia Leake is the Dulwich Centre Events & Training Manager which involves overseeing the administration of our conferences and training events both locally and overseas. She is also the administrator for the Dulwich Centre Institute of Community Practice and Dulwich Centre Foundation. In 2007 she published her first interviews: 'Breaking the silences: Acknowledging our own stories, talking with our families and the nation' An interview with Yehuda Shaul. And 'Lighting a candle...finding a way forward: The work of ‘The Way’:The Palestinian Organisation forDevelopment and Democracy' An interview with Younes Musa & Khaled Abu Awwad (International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work 2007 #1)

David Denborough works as a writer/editor for Dulwich Centre Publications and community practitioner and singer-song writer for the Dulwich Centre Institute of Community Practice. He is the editor of five books: Beyond the Prison: Gathering dreams of freedom, Family therapy: exploring the field's past, present and possible futures, Queer Counselling and Narrative Practice, A Community of Ideas: Behind the scenes, and Trauma: Narrative responses to traumatic experience. His writing about work with young men in relation to issues of violence has been published here in Australia and in the USA and he has offered keynote addresses at a range of conferences. David’s songs in response to current social issues have received airplay throughout Australia and Canada. David is currently particularly interested in assisting workers in challenging contexts to develop their own forms of narrative psychosocial support and community work.

Jane Hales started work in reception at Dulwich Centre on 30th April 1984, and has very much enjoyed her time here being involved with the office work; typesetting and layout of the journals and books: general accounting; workshop and conference organising including travelling to Atlanta and Liverpool for the conferences; database management; managing bookstalls; etc. etc. etc. Currently Jane is working as an assistant to Cheryl White.

Brigette Westley started working at Dulwich Centre in September, 2006, after many years of traveling, working as a nanny, and recently returning home from Kings Canyon. Brigette works full-time at Dulwich Centre as the star of Reception and an assistant to Carolyn Markey.

Karen Beck-Treloar works part-time at the Dulwich Centre as Michael White's assistant and also carries out administration and book-keeping duties. She started working here in September 2006. Karen has experience in Administration, Reception and as a trainer in the IT industry. She enjoys working for an organisation committed to helping individuals, families and communities.

Carolyn Markey has considerable experience and great interest in counselling children, young people and their families or caregivers in relation to a broad range of problems that are affecting their lives. Carolyn has particular experience in the areas of family separation, effects of violence and abuse, school-related difficulties and working with people affected by concerns about anxiety or depression. Carolyn also enjoys using narrative ideas in group settings where people come together to talk about about similar issues they are facing. These have included groups in which people wish to talk about sole parenting, living with the effects of violence and abuse, or groups of men wanting to take responsibility for abusive actions. Carolyn also has considerable experience supervising other practitioners in narrative therapy. Alongside of her counselling practice, Carolyn currently works within the Teaching  Partnership at Dulwich Centre which has involved teaching narrative therapy workshops in Adelaide, throughout Australia and in Hong Kong.

Chris Dolman values and enjoys working with individuals, couples, children and families who are responding to a broad range of problems and concerns in their lives and relationships. Chris works both in private practice and for a non-government organisation. In addition to having considerable experience in working with people facing issues of violence and abuse, he has worked with people around family separation, parenting, grief, addictions, mental health concerns and relationship matters.

Sekneh Beckett  lives in Sydney, where she is part of the teaching team at Macquarie University’s Social Health course. Sekneh enjoys working with people from diverse backgrounds and holds a position of curiosity from which to explore and honour people’s creative acts of resistance.

David Newman David Newman currently lives and works in Sydney where he has an independent counselling practice through Charing Cross Narrative Therapy Centre. In 2008 he will be living and working in Canberra. David joined the Dulwich Centre Teaching Faculty in 2006 to become a tutor on the Dulwich Centre International Training Program: Narrative Approaches to Therapy and Community Work. David can be contacted c/o Charing Cross Narrative Therapy Centre: Email: dwnewman@optusnet.com.au
 

Sue Mann is a counsellor with experience in working with women around the significant effects of child sexual abuse in their lives. Sue is also interested in supporting others who are working in this area by describing some of the complexities of this work within her writing. She enjoys supervision conversations with those working with women and men around the effects of abuse and has also been active in teaching around these concerns. Through her ongoing connections with the Dulwich Centre Teaching Faculty and Narrative Teaching Partnership, Sue has taught narrative practices in a range of contexts within Australia and overseas. She brings to this work many years of experience as a social worker in diverse settings and is currently working in a specialist service for adult women and men who have experienced sexual abuse as children. Examples of Sue’s writings can be found on this website.