Faculty of Humanities
School of Languages
Unit for Creative Writing
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
The aim of this research project, entitled The pen and the couch: narrative therapy and creative writing within the South African context, was to examine alternative therapeutic methods, specifically within the South African context. The researchers studied post-modern, discourse-based therapy, which focuses on re-storying life experiences and the therapeutic benefits of creative writing. They linked these qualities to the narrative therapy process, as well as to the use of narrative therapy in the South African context, specifically with regard to HIV/AIDS, as well as the correctional system. The researchers found that although narrative therapy is a relatively new therapeutic method, it provides possible alternatives to the more traditional forms of therapy. The process of re-storying negative experiences into more positive, if not triumphant ones, as well as the concept of separating the problem from the client, serves to aid individuals going through the therapy process. Rather than being inextricably involved in the problem, the person can step away from it in order to negotiate new meanings for him/herself. Creative writing is essentially a process of structuring ideas into a recognisable narrative format, and has inherent therapeutic benefits of its own. When adopting a narrative therapy/creative writing partnership, new possibilities for therapy arise. A person can write down their problems into a recognisable narrative structure, facilitated by the therapist, with the clear aim of re-storying their negative experiences. A record is formed, be it through diary entries, autobiographical essays or poems, which can be referred to for the duration of the therapy in order to note the emergence of positive stories. In terms of illiteracy in South Africa, the researchers found that narrative theatre, together with a creative writing/narrative therapy partnership, can be of great therapeutic benefit for individuals who cannot read or write. Instead, they would tell their story to a facilitator who would rework it into a performable structure, which the individual could view. HIV/AIDS in South Africa is a crisis, which needs to be addressed as widely and as creatively as possible to provide alternative methods that may assist the medical field. This project underlined the importance of a mind shift to include collaborative therapies, which may encourage persons with HIV/AIDS to view their lives not solely in terms of the illness. Furthermore, the value of a narrative creative writing partnership in work with incarcerated people is illustrated. Findings also indicated that the convergence between the two disciplines is a viable collaboration and it is hoped that this type of alternative partnership will spark more varied collaborative projects in South Africa
Contact person: Prof HJ Pieterse.
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