Michael White as Teacher,Mentor Friend: Considering Claims of Guru‐ism

A reflection written on the 20th anniversary of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy and around the first anniversary of the death of its first editor and respected Narrative therapist, author and theorist Michael White. This article reviews the influence of Michael White on the work and life of the author. In this reflection, it reviews some of the significant features of Michael White's teaching, which allows a consideration of claims of ‘guru‐ism’ occasionally related to Michael White's work.     

A Collective Response to Michael White's Passing

The following reflection was written at the Cairns Narrative Therapy Interest Group shortly after Michael White's passing. As a group activity, each individual was interviewed about the effects of Michael White's work on their therapeutic work. Each of the responses were manually recorded and then a member of the group developed the collective document to share back with the whole group. The document was a way to capture the atmosphere that was shared at the interest group that day upon reflection of Michael. The document also enables a way to remember the influence that a collective document can produce for a group of people.     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this article: Alvesson, Mats and Billing, Yvonne D. Under-standing Gender and Organizations Becker, H. S. Tricks of the Trade: How to Think About Your Research While You're Doing It Crompton, Rosemary Women and Work in Modern Britain Czarniawska, Barbara A Narrative Approach to Organization Studies Ericson, Richard V. and Haggerty, Kevin D. Policing the Risk Society Good, James and Velody, I.(eds) The Politics of Postmodernity Jones, Helen (ed.) Towards a Classless Society? Joppke, Christian (ed.) Challenge to the Nation-State:Immigration in Western Europe and the United States Lemert, Charles Postmodernism Is Not What You Think Livingstone, Sonia Making Sense of Television: The Psychology of Audience Interpretation Maher, Lisa Sexed Work: Gender, Race and Resistance in a Brooklyn Drug Market Turner, Lowell (ed.) Negotiating the New Germany. Can Social Partnership Survive? van Dijk, Teun A. Ideology: A Multidisciplinary Approach     

Some Reflections on the Legacies of Michael White: An Australian Perspective

This article, which appears in a special 30‐year anniversary edition of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, reflects on the legacies of the work of Michael White. It begins by looking back on Michael's time as editor of the Australian Journal of Family Therapy. Of the many themes that were discussed in the Editorials and Letters to the Editor section of this journal in the early 1980s, this article focuses on three in particular to explore the legacies of the work of Michael White. The author describes how Michael has bequeathed not only a profound body of work, but also a distinctive spirit of originating, and ways of working that consider the effects of social issues and that examine the politics of experience. It is the author's hope that this approach to considering Michael White's legacies honours his work and also honours the contributions of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy in its 30th year.     

The Multiple Relationships Between the Discipline of Social Work and the Contributions of Michael White

Abstract

Michael White, the Australian narrative practitioner, died in April this year. Given White trained in social work and has had a large impact on many social workers, it is timely to investigate the opaque relationships linking White and his work with his discipline-of-origin. The present examination proceeds in three steps. First, a schematic outline of White's intellectual influences and achievements is set out; second, the alignments, as well as tensions, between White's work and his discipline-of-origin are considered; and, third, it is argued that White was informed by, and went on to produce a body of work that further informed, the contesting spirit that is the wellspring of the discipline of social work. This conclusion is reached mindful of the fact that White remained antagonistic to the role played by the professions in general and that he did not identify with the title ‘social worker’ in particular.     

Independent comment on Audio‐visual and Print Materials

Book reviewed in this article: A Different Story: The Rise of Narrative in Psychotherapy C. C. Beels Angels with Attitude; 48 full colour cards. $49.50 (incl. GST). Shadows: Seeing the Darkness, Looking for Light The Therapist's Notebook for Families. Solution‐Oriented Exercises for Working with Parents, Children and Adolescents; Bob Bertolino and Gary Schultheis     

Reviews

Barbara S. Held, Back To Reality: A Critique Of Postmodern Theory In Psychotherapy Michael R. Butz, Linda L. Chamberlain And William G. Mccown, Strange Attractors; Chaos, Complexity, And The Art Of Family Therapy Michael J. Mahoney, Human Change Processes: The Scientific Foundations Of Psychotherapy James Hillman And Michael Ventura, We've Had A Hundred Years Of Psychotherapy—And The World's Getting Worse Renos K. Papadopoulos And John Byng-Hall (Eds), Multiple Voices; Narrative In Systemic Family Psychotherapy Haim Omer, Critical Interventions In Psychotherapy: From Impasse To Turning Point Donald R. Bardill, The Relational Systems Model For Family Therapy: Living In The Four Realities     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: The Family Farm, and Adoption and Diffusion : Garkovich , Lorraine , Janet L. Bokemeier, and Barbara Foote . Harvest of Hope: Family Farming/Farming Families. The Family Farm, and Adoption and Diffusion : Neth , Mary . Preserving the Family Farm: Women, Community, and the Foundations of Agribusiness in the Midwest, 1900–1940. The Family Farm, and Adoption and Diffusion : Rikoon , J. Sanford . Rachel Calofs Story: Jewish Homesteader on the Northern Plains. The Family Farm, and Adoption and Diffusion : Rogers , Everett M. Diffusion of Innovations. Community Issues : Bryden , John M. (ed.). Towards Sustainable Rural Communities: The Guelph Seminar Series. Community Issues : Urry , John . Consuming Places. Community Issues : Burdge , Rabel J. A Conceptual Approach to Social Impact Assessment: Collection of Writings. International Issues : Barry , Tom . Zapata's Revenge: Free Trade and the Farm Crisis in Mexico. International Issues : Hyndman , David . Ancestral Rain Forests and the Mountain of Gold: Indigenous Peoples and Mining in New Guinea. International Issues : Santiago -Valles , Kelvin A. “Subject People” and Colonial Discourses: Economic Transformation and Social Disorder in Puerto Rico, 1898–1947. International Issues : Barker , J. I. Hans (ed.). Sustainability and International Rural Development. Environment and Natural Resources : Leff , Enríque . Green Production: Toward an Environmental Rationality. Environment and Natural Resources : Hazelrigg , Lawrence . Cultures of Nature: An Essay on the Production of Nature. Other Issues : Lindstrom , Fred B., Ronald A. Hardert and Laura L. Johnson (eds.). Kimball Young on Sociology in Transition, 1912–1968: An Oral Account by the 35th President of the ASA. Other Issues : Roe , Emery . Narrative Policy Analysis: Theory and Practice.     

If the PRS Experience in Latin America is a Disappointment,What is the Alternative?

This is a reflection inspired by Geske Dijkstra's article ‘The PRSP Approach and the Illusion of Improved Aid Effectiveness: Lessons from Bolivia, Honduras and Nicaragua’ (Development Policy Review 23 (4), July 2005) which questions the usefulness of the PRS approach in Latin America, building to a considerable degree on studies carried out in the three countries by the Institute of Social Studies (ISS), which Sida financed. ¹ 1 The reports are produced annually and available at http://www.iss.nl/prsp .
     

Food for Thought: Malnutrition and Obesity

The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2003: Monitoring Progress towards the World Food Summit and Millennium Goals. By FAO Ending Hunger in Our Lifetime: Food Security and Globalization. By C. Ford Runge, Benjamin Senauer, Philip G. Pardey and Mark W. Rosegrant Combating Malnutrition: Time to Act. Edited by Stuart Gillespie, Milla McLachlan and Roger Shrimpton The Economist's Tale: A Consultant Encounters Hunger and the World Bank. By Peter Griffiths Disease‐Related Malnutrition: An Evidence‐based Approach to Treatment. By R. J. Stratton, C. J. Green and M. Elia Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All‐American Meal. By Eric Schlosser Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. By Marion Nestle Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America's Obesity Crisis, and What We Can Do About It. By Kelly D. Brownell and Katherine Battle Horgen     

Independent comment on Audio‐visual and Print Materials

Book reviewed in this article: Narrative Therapy: An Introduction for Counsellors Martin Payne Family Therapy: The Field's Past, Present and Possible Futures Volume 1 Case Studies in Couple and Family Therapy: Systemic and Cognitive Perspectives Dattilio, F. M. (Ed.) Child‐Focused Practice: A Collaborative Systemic Approach Jim Wilson BabyTalk: The Pioneering Book that will Change Childcare Forever Sally Ward 201 Questions to Ask Your Kids Pepper Schwartz Teen Pregnancy and Parenting — Social and Ethical Issues James Wong and David Checkland (Eds) The Fundamentals of Family Mediation J. M. Haynes and S. Charlesworth Family Group Conferences in Child Welfare Peter Marsh and Gill Crow Single Session Family Staging: Breaking Family Spells E. Zawidowski     

Interview With Michael Kerr

The following article was written by Dr Michael Kerr in response to questions put to him by Barbara Fraser; Linda Mackay and Lu Pease when he visited Australia two years ago. These three family therapists took it upon themselves to prepare this interview in recognition of Dr Kerr's unique vantage point on Bowen Theory and family therapy. Michael Kerr was trained by Murray Bowen in the 1970s and subsequently went on to work as faculty at the Georgetown Family centre. He succeeded Bowen as director of the centre where he has devoted his professional life to the understanding, application and extension of theory. He is the co‐author with Dr Bowen of Family Evaluation: An Approach Based on Bowen Theory (Kerr & Bowen, 1988), which remains the most esteemed text on this theory. He is also the editor of Family Systems: A Journal of Natural Systems Thinking in Psychiatry and The Sciences. Bowen's Family Systems Theory grew out of years of research from the 1950s‐1970s, which included observations of inpatient families with a schizophrenic member and using data from Bowen's own interactions with his family of origin (Bowen, 1978). The theory continues to be influential in family therapy with its most well‐known contributions being the process of triangling, the intergenerational transmission of family patterns and the concept of differentiation of self. (Brown, 1999). The following discussion from Dr Kerr brings a fresh perspective on the current applications and developments of this systems theory     

Narrating Adoption: Resisting Adoption as “Second Best” in Online Stories of Domestic Adoption Told by Adoptive Parents

Framed in narrative theory and relational dialectics theory, one hundred online stories of domestic adoption told by adoptive parents were qualitatively analyzed, revealing four primary discourses of adoption that challenge the idea that adoption is a second-best way to parent. Narrative beginnings were dominated by a discourse of adoption as a valuable alternative to pregnancy. Narrative middles-and-ends featured two discourses of how the adoption process unfolds: adoption as a worthwhile struggle guided by destiny and adoption as a smooth and predictable process. Intertwined with these process-oriented constructions of adoption was a discourse of adoption as communal kinning, which emphasized a hybrid family form comprised of both biological and nonbiological ties.     

Encyclopaedic Desire: A Response to Gates

“We Spend Our Years as a Tale That Is Told”: Oral Historical Narrative in a South African Chiefdom by Isabel Hofmeyr. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann; Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press; London: James Currey, 1994.

Liquor and Labour in Southern Africa, edited by Jonathan Crush and Charles Ambler. Athens: Ohio University Press; and Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press, 1992.

Politics and performance: Theatre, Poetry, and Song on Southern Africa, edited by Liz Gunner, Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press, 1994.

In the Wake of the Affluent Society: An Exploration of Post‐Development by Serge Latouche; translated and introduced by Martin O'Connor &; Rosemary Arnoux; London: Zed, 1993.     

Pilot Testing a Cognitive-Behavioral Protocol on Psychosocial Predictors of Exercise,Nutrition, Weight,and Body Satisfaction Changes in a College-Level Health-Related Fitness Course

Abstract

Objective: Small-scale pilot testing of supplementing a required college health-related fitness course with a cognitive-behavioral exercise-support protocol (The Coach Approach). Participants: Three classes were randomly assigned to Usual processes (n = 32), Coach Approach–supplemented: Mid-size Groups (n = 32), and Coach Approach–supplemented: Small Groups (n = 34) conditions. Methods: Repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) assessed overall and between-class changes in the behavioral/physiological factors of exercise, fruit/vegetable intake, and body mass index (BMI); and the psychosocial factors of self-regulation, exercise self-efficacy, mood, and body satisfaction. Dependent t tests evaluated within-class changes. Multiple regression analyses tested prediction of exercise by changes in self-regulation, self-efficacy, and mood. Results: Significant improvements in self-regulation and fruit/vegetable intake were found in all classes. The Coach Approach–supplemented classes demonstrated significant increases in exercise. Significant improvements in BMI, self-efficacy, and body satisfaction were found in only The Coach Approach–supplemented: Small Groups class. Psychosocial changes predicted increased exercise. Self-regulation was the strongest contributor. Conclusions: Overall, results were positive and warrant more comprehensive testing.     

AUD medications and postsurgery opioids: The latest

Topiramate's use as a treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) is not a new idea, Bankole Johnson, M.D. (now of ondansetron fame; see ADAW, March 25, April 1), reviewed it many times (see ADAW, Oct. 15, 2007; Feb. 11, 2008; June 16, 2008; Nov. 3, 2008; June 7, 2010; Jan. 31, 2011; Feb. 24, 2014). But a comprehensive review published recently in the Journal of Addiction Medicine is concise. While not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for AUD, topiramate can be prescribed off‐label, and should be considered as a treatment for the condition, according to Ajay Manhapra, M.D., and colleagues in the article, “Topiramate Pharmacotherapy for Alcohol Use Disorder and Other Addictions: A Narrative Review.” Like ondansetron and other possible AUD medications, including those that are approved (like acamprosate and naltrexone), topiramate doesn't work for everyone. But pharmacogenetic testing may help identify those who are likely to respond, according to the review. In addition, there are early studies indicating it could be used to treat cocaine and nicotine use disorder, as well as behavioral addictions.     

‘Throwing pearls before swine’: the strange publication history of Vie de Frédéric Douglass,esclave américain (1848)

ABSTRACT

This essay reconstructs the publication history of the first French translation of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, which came out in Paris in 1848, three years after the book’s initial publication in Boston. It emphasizes the key role of British abolitionists Kate Parkes and John B. Estlin in translating Douglass’s Narrative and making it available to a French audience. It also documents the ‘non-reception’ of the book. Published in the politically volatile context of the February Revolution of 1848, Vie de Frédéric Douglass, esclave américain went largely unnoticed. The year that saw the abolition of slavery in the French colonial empire also saw the failure of Douglass’s Narrative in France.     

Out in the Open: Elected Female Leadership in Canada's First Nations Community

Au Canada, la Loi sur les Indiens interdisait aux femmes d'occuper des postes de leadership élus dans la gouvernance des réserves indiennes jusqu'en 1951. Cet article examine la situation des femmes dans la gouvernance des réserves et présente une analyse des femmes autochtones qui ont occupé des postes de chefs et de conseiller de bande à travers le Canada. L'auteur utilise l'approche «interactionist» basée sur le genre d'Amy Wharton pour explorer la situation sociale et politique exceptionnelle des dirigeantes. Est‐ce que le genre sexuel joue un rôle dans leur expérience de dirigeantes? The Indian Act banned women from elected leadership positions in reserve politics in Canada until 1951. This paper locates women in reserve politics and provides an analysis of the First Nations women who served as chiefs and councilors across Canada. Amy Wharton's gender‐based Interactionist Approach is used to explore the leaders' unique social and political situation. Does gender make a difference in their experiences as leader?     

In Praise of Sneaky Poo: A Case,Four Whites,and a Missing Narrative

Sneaky Poo (1984) announced Michael White, the second order cyberneticist, to the world. But there were several versions of both Sneaky Poo and White. This paper pays homage to Sneaky and critiques White's contribution to family therapy. A recent case is reported.     

Narrative Structures and the Catholic Church Closings in Detroit

We distinguish narrative structures as master frames from stories as actual telling of events, and show how they operated in the case of the Catholic church closings in Detroit in the late 1980s. Narrative structures drawn from Detroit industrial history and from reform in the Catholic church were imposed on the actual events constituting the closing process, and powerfully defined the terms of public discussion and debate about the meaning of the closings.