Outsider-witness practices: some answers to commonly asked questions
compiled by Maggie Carey & Shona Russell
This paper was originallypublishedin the2003 No.1 issue ofTheInternational Journal of
NarrativeTherapyand CommunityWork.DCP. Adelaide
1.What ismeant bythetermoutsiderwitness?
Within narrativepractice, an outsiderwitness is an invited audienceto a therapyconversation
– athird partywho is invited to listen to and acknowledgethe preferred stories andidentity claims of thepersonconsultingthe therapist. Outsider witnesses maybepart of aperson’s existingcommunity–family,friends etc; or theymaybeinvitedfrom outsidethesenetworks, in which casetheymaybeprofessionals (and mayconstitute what manypeople know as a reflectingteam). Alternatively, theymaybeinvited from listsor registers of people who have previouslysought consultation forsimilar difficulties and who haveagreedto help out therapeuticallywith others whenever this mayberelevant. Outsiderwitnesses maybe recruitedforaparticularone-off meetingor, iftheyareagroup ofprofessionals who work together, mayberegularlypresent at therapeuticsessions.
When thereis morethanoneoutsider witness, particularlywhen thereis a team workingtogether, members ofthe team helpeachotherin makingtheir reflections. For instance, after oneoutsider witness has spoken,anothermight ask some questions about what s/he justsaid, in order to makethe whole processmoremeaningful.Whilethe outsider witnesses arespeakingamongst themselves, the person who is consultingthetherapistis listening.
Havingsomeonewitnesstherapyconversations can beverysignificant,especiallyif the outsider witness listens and responds in certain ways. (case study of Georgie).
Enablingaperson who iscomingto therapyto invite friends or familymembers into theirsessions as witnesses means it is much morelikelythat steps that a person makes in the therapyroom can betranslated into action in their dailylives. Outsider-witness practices enable alink to be madebetween what happens inthe therapyroomand the rest of aperson’s life.
It’srelevant to note that outsiderwitnesses need to take carein what theylisten for and what theysay.In examples likethis one, wherethe outsider witness does not haveprior experiencein thesesorts of conversations, thetherapisttakes a special responsibility(through askingcertain questions) to keep the reflections from theoutsider witness on track. These sorts of questions areexplored in moredetail laterin this paper.
2. Whyisit importantfor there tobewitnessestopreferredstories?
Inasense,what is being ‘defined’in narrativetherapysessions is a person’s preferred identity. Ifour preferred storyofwho weareremains onlya conversation in our own head, itwillnothavethesense of being‘real’. This senseof ‘realness’ or‘authenticity’ only comes when ourpreferred stories arewitnessed and responded to byasignificant audience.
Formanypeople, thepredicaments and concerns theyhaveabout their lives contributeto a sense of isolation and disconnection from other peoplewhomayotherwise hold special significancein their lives. Outsider-witness practiceschallengethe isolatingand individualisingeffects ofproblems, as Hugh Foxdescribes:
Narrativepracticeis founded on the ideathat the stories that wetell about ourselves arenot private and individual but areasocial achievement. Weprobablyallknow that it is difficult to maintain an identityclaimin isolation– welook forsomeonewhowillreflect back to us what it is wewish to claim forourselves. An important part ofour identityclaims willbethe values that wewish to liveour lives by.In maintainingourconnection withour valueswe probablyhaveallexperienced the power ofsharingthose values with like-minded people. Outsider witnesses help to meet thesetwo purposes– acknowledgingour identityclaims as
valid, and sharingstoriesabout what is important to us in life.In this waythepeople wework with cometo experiencethemselves and theirpreferred identityclaims as part ofa
communityof acknowledgement.
3.What isthehistoryof theseideasandwaysofworking?
Theideaof involvingothers to listen in to therapyconversations is not new.Within the tradition of familytherapy, teams of professionals often listen to families from behinda one-wayscreen and thenmakevarious interventions dependingupon the model of therapy. Thework of Tom Andersen (1987) challenged theanonymityof theseteams of professionals and begana rangeof explorations into theuse of reflectingteam work.
Theuse of outsiderwitnesses within narrativetherapyis influenced bythese developments in reflectingteam work(2).It is also stronglyinfluencedbythe work of BarbaraMyerhoff(1982,1986)who introduced theterm ‘definitional ceremony’ to describethe process bywhich communities ofpeople activelyconstruct their identities. Michael White (1995)brought theseideas of definitional ceremonyand outsiderwitnesses into the therapyrealm. As wewilldiscuss below, within narrativetherapy, outsider-witness practices and definitional ceremonyprocesses havenow been developed incareful and particular ways. Different practitioners are creatingtheir own forms ofdefinitional ceremonyand outsider witness work.
4.What aredefinitionalceremonies?
Sometimes, outsider-witness work occurs within what arereferred to as ‘definitional ceremonies’. Theterm ‘definitional ceremony’comes from BarbaraMyerhoff’s (1982) anthropological work with an elderlyJewish Communityin Venice, California, whosesocial lifewas enacted in aparticular daycentre.Itwas in this daycentrethatBarbaraMyerhoff noticed the everydaywaysin which themembersof this community‘madethemselves up’. As immigrants, this group had no natural witnesses to their past lives andculture. Theylived surrounded byaworld of‘strangers’ who ‘had to be told everything’. Through her close observations of this community,BarbaraMyerhoffwasable to draw out some ofthe processesand practices bywhich thesepeople’s selves and identities areconstructed in an ongoingway:
When cultures arefragmented and in serious disarray, proper audiences maybehard to find. Natural occasionsmaynot be offeredand then theymustbeartificiallyinvented.Ihave called such performances‘Definitional Ceremonies’, understandingthem tobe collective self-definitions specificallyintended to proclaim an interpretation to an audiencenot otherwise available. (Myerhoff 1982, p.105)
InBarbaraMyerhoff’swords, Definitional ceremonies … provide opportunities for beingseen and in one’s own terms, garneringwitnesses to one’s own worth, vitality,and being(Myerhoff 1986, p.267).
Following BarbaraMyerhoff’s observations, Michael Whitebrought theterm
‘definitional ceremony’ to his work in therapyandbegan to focus on theroleof outsider
witnesses in authenticatingpeople’s identityclaims (1995).
Through speciallyconvened definitional ceremonies(3), peoplewho consultwith narrativetherapists areinvited to telland re-tell thepreferred storiesoftheir lives, andto do this with an audiencepresent. The audiencemembers actas ‘outsider witnesses’ and their roleis to activelyacknowledgethe person’s preferred storyin particularways.
Definitional ceremonies within narrative practicegenerally consist offourparts:
Part one: Thetherapistinterviews theperson whohas come forconsultation, whilethe outsider witnesses listen. Often the outsider witnesses sit behind aone-wayscreen,although that is not a requirement(thesession can beimaginary).
Part two: Theoutsider witnesses comeout from behind thescreenand swapplaces with the therapistand the personwho has come for consultation. Theoutsider witnesses nowtalk with each other about what itmeant to hear theinitial conversation in part one.
Part three: People swap places again and thetherapistasks theperson whohas come for consultation about their experienceof listeningto theoutsider-witnessgroup.
Part four: Everyone comes together to talk about the experienceand cantakethe opportunity to ask thetherapistwhytheyaskedcertain questions.
Whilethesedefinitional ceremoniesareoften used in therapy, theycan also beusedto structuretherapeuticcommunitygatherings(4).
5. Whatsort ofresponsesdooutsiderwitnessesmake?
This is an important question and herewe’ll focuson two different metaphors that are currentlyinformingideas about outsiderwitness responses. The first involves ‘curiosityand mystery’and the secondinvolves ‘acknowledging resonanceand transport’.
Curiosity about uniqueoutcomes– extending the therapeutic enquiry
When outsiderwitnesses respond with curiosityand enquire as to thedevelopment of the alternativestories of theperson’s life, and when theyask questions about what these developments might mean in terms ofthe person’sidentity, this can contribute to the further rich description of thesealternativestories. Theperson whoselifeis being discussedcan be left with manyfurtherquestions and avenues to explore.
Acknowledging resonanceandtransport
Over theyears that outsider witnessinghas beenpracticed, thepeople who havebeen at the centreof theseconversations haveconsistentlyreported that what has been most powerful for them havebeen the comments that outsider witnesses havemade about how theyhavebeen touched or moved byhearingtheirstory, andespeciallywhen this is explained in terms of events in the witnesses’ownlives or work.
When outsiderwitnesses acknowledgehow theyhavebeen moved bywhattheyhave witnessed, when theyexplain whythis isso, andwhen theyexplain how their lives willbe differentas a consequence, this isoften powerfullytherapeutic.In responseto thesesort of outsider-witness comments, theperson who is at the centreof theconversation might say things like: ‘I’mglad thatwhatI’vebeen through is not fornothing, that mystorycan be useful to otherpeople’, or ‘I’d never thought thatothers might benefit from thetellingof my story’.
Whereoncethe primaryorientation in outsider-witness practicewas oneofcuriosity, now metaphors of resonance and transport arebeingprioritised. Rather than extendingthe therapeuticenquiry, outsider-witness work is now seenas achance for thelinkingof lives aroundshared themes and values.
Wehaveincluded here Michael White’s (2002)‘map’of outsider-witness practicein relation to thesemetaphors of resonanceand transport. This ‘map’describesfour categories ofoutsider-witness response:
1. Identifying the expression
Asyou listen to thestories of thelives of thepeople who are at thecentreofthe definitional ceremony, which expressions caughtyour attention or capturedyour imagination?Which ones struck achordforyou?
2. Describing theimage
What images of people’slives, of their identities, andof theworld moregenerally, did these expressions evoke? Whatdid these expressions suggest toyou about thesepeople’s purposes, values, beliefs, hopes, dreams and commitments?
3. Embodying responses
What is itaboutyour own life/workthat accounts forwhytheseexpressions caughtyour attention orstruck a chord foryou?Doyou haveasenseof whichaspects ofyour own experiences of life resonated with these expressions, and with theimages evoked bythese expressions?
4. Acknowledging transport
Howhaveyou been moved on account of beingpresent to witness these expressions of life? Wherehas this experiencetakenyou to, thatyouwould not otherwise have arrived at, ifyou hadn’t been present asanaudienceto this conversation?In what wayhaveyou become other than whoyouwereon account of witnessingtheseexpressions, and on account of responding to thesestories in thewaythatyou have?
egs of questions:
Mandy: What was itin particularabout whatyouheard (name) sayordo that connected with the imagethat came toyou?
Mandy: Andwhat was itinyour own lifethat connectedyou so stronglyto this aspect of
(name) story?
Mandy: What doyou think it’s takingon (name)s part to do this?
Mandy: Andwhat differencedoyou think itwillmaketoyouhavingheard and witnessed thesethingsin (name)?
When outsiderwitnesses aregivingtheirresponses, a central consideration is that what theyaresayingis forthe benefit of theperson who is consultingthetherapist. While outsider witnesses oftenspeak about aspects of their own lives as explanations forwherea particular statement hasmoved them and why, itis the responsibilityof theoutsider witnesses as agrouptoensurethat the conversation continues to come back to theperson who is consultingthe therapist.
When outsiderwitnesses respond in thesesorts ofways, theyareineffectmaking links between theirlivesand the lifeof thepersonwho is consultingthe therapist. Theseare not just anylinks, but deliberate links aroundshared values andcommitments. Buildingtheselinks aroundshared themes powerfullycontributes to richlydescribingalternativestories and identityconclusions.
In summary, when thinkingabout outsider-witness responses in terms ofresonance and transport, herearethesorts of considerations to keep in mind:
• What touched or movedme?
• What is itabout myownlifeor experiencethat meant thatIwas touched in this way?
• WherehaveIbeen moved to in mythinkingor experienceof life?
• Howis mylifedifferent forhavingbeen movedto this newplace?
When atherapisthas invited people to beoutsiderwitnesses to a certain conversation, these are also thesorts ofquestions that s/hewillask theoutsider witnessesto consider in order to keep theirreflections on track.
6. Whataresome of the common hazardsof outsider-witnesspractice and howcan these be avoided?Doyou have anyhelpfulhintsabout these?
There are a rangeof skills involved in outsider-witness practice.Dependingon the experience and trainingof theoutsider-witnessgroup, either thetherapistmaytake responsibilityforpreparingthe outsider-witnessgroup and then interviewingthem to scaffold helpful responses, orif thegroup is more experienced, members takeresponsibilityforeach other and for theprocessbyredirectingless helpful responses and askingquestions that lead to morehelpful responses.
Here aresomehelpful hints in relation to the issues that people engagingin outsider- witness practices often initiallystrugglewith. Thesehavebeen compiledfrom different therapist’s responses.
• Avoiding applause
SometimesIhavetorememberthat while outsider-witness practices have everythingto do with acknowledgingtheknowledges, skills, values and commitments of thosewho consult therapists, theyarenot about applaudingthese.Ifind it easyto slip into pointingout positives or congratulatingpeopleabout steps theyhavetaken. Whilemyintention in doingthis is good,Ihavecome to seethat sometimes applausecan beexperiencedas condescendingor even patronising.
WhenIam offering congratulations or applause, it’s likeIam still deciding what is a positivestep, as ifIam somehowin a position to decide what is the rightway. WhenI applaud someone’s behaviour it is a form of judgement.Iam judging aperson’s performance as good.Butthis implies some standard against whichIam judgingthe behaviour.It also implies the possibilitythat theperson mayfailto reach this standard. Maybe anothertimeI willeither besayingthattheyhavedonebadly, orbymysilenceimplyingit. This mayhave the person strivingto pleaseme and to reach mystandards orvalues. This can even inadvertentlyinvite people into practices of self-judgement and self-monitoringin relation to mystandards and values.
Applause also carrieswith it a message about myposition in relation to them, thatI am in aposition to judgetheir actions and thereforeIam in somewayplaced abovethem; applausemaythereforebe readas patronisingandas an expression ofsuperiority. This is whatIhavefoundhardest about being an outsiderwitness, rememberingnot just to be congratulatorybut instead to talk about what it has meant to me to hear someone’s story, to talk about why,and to describehow it has moved,touched, encouraged or inspired some aspect of mylifeor work.
Obviouslyapplausehas its places: a pianist endingarecital would besomewhat disheartened if there wereno applause.However,in the context of therapy,and in most other
contexts,Iam now tryingto avoid applause and to seek to enact differentpractices of acknowledgement – acknowledgingthe positive effects others’lives haveupon myown and why.In turn,I’ve found that thepeople aroundmearemore acceptingof acknowledgement (often praisetends to bequicklydismissed) and this acceptancefits betterwith howIliketo bein relation to others.Butit is stilla challengesometimes.It is something I continueto work on. WheneverI’mon a reflectingteamIjust ask other team members to ask me some questions if ever it sounds as ifIam slippingbackinto applause.
• Stepping out ofgiving advice
IfIam not careful,Ifind myself wantingtogiveadviceto theperson whohas just spoken, or tryingto ‘solve’theproblem at hand. SometimesIcan even phrasemyadvice as a question, such as ‘Iwonder ifJanehas thought about doingthis …?’ but thisis notreallyaquestion, moreastatement of ‘Ithink Janeshould do this ...!’I’ve worked out thatIam morelikelyto do this when someonehas told astorythatIreallyrelateto. That’swhenI’m most likelyto offeradvice.It’sas if, becauseImight havebeen through somethingsimilar, thatI’ve suddenlythought thatIknow what would be bestforthe person! ButIdon’t want to set myself upas an expert on the lifeof thestoryteller. Now, wheneverIwitness a storythatis particularlypowerful,Iremind myself not togiveadvicebut simplyto talkabout why I
founditmoving.IknowI can also relyon otherteam members to ask me furtherquestions about this too.
• Attending to alternativestories
It is the role of outsiderwitnesses to orientate especiallyto thepreferred stories, the alternativestories ofsomeone’s life.If aperson has described somedifficult times, and also some uniqueoutcomes, then it’s our responsibilityto focus our energies on the emerging alternativestory. Whilethis doesn’t mean that weignorethedifficulties, itis important that we find ways to significantlyacknowledgethese, itmeans that weneed to be conscious not to get bogged down in onlyreflectingback about theproblems.I’vebeen known to do this sometimes, butI’mgettingmoreattuned to this lately!
• Building teamwork
As in anycontext, it can takeawhile to develop teamwork as outsider witnesses. Sometimes everyonewants to maketheir point ratherthancontributingbyaskingquestions of other team members ortryingto build a conversation amongthe team.
Ifyou havealargeteam,thereoften isn’ttime foreveryoneto havetheirsay.While initiallyIwas always burstingto makemypoint,I’ve found that recently I’mmoreinterested in ensuringthatcollectivelywegive agood outsider-witness response. This meansI’m more conscious about building on otherpeople’scomments, askingquestions, tryingtogeneratea bitof aconversation.I’malso more awarethatas longasIam attendingwith interest, then mypresenceis significant. Myindividual contribution is not as important as the collective one.
• Taking carewithhowmuchI talk
WhenI’mnervousIsometimes talk too much.Iget into monologues, andgoingon too long is never a good ideawhenyou’rean outsider witness.It’s so easyfor alongspeech to sound likeyou know it all and thatyouaretellingthe person what to do. To underminethis risk of talkingtoo much,Ialwaysset it up so that ifIamgoingon abit, oneof theotheroutsider witnesses can interrupt me, theycanask meaquestion and so the reflecting process is more likea conversation than aseries ofdifferent speeches.
• Getting carriedaway inmy ownstory
Iremember onetime when the person beinginterviewed spokeabout theirexperiences of loneliness as a child and,when itcame to ourresponses,Ilostmyway!Iwent on and on about myownexperiences of loneliness and what thesehad meant to me.ButIwasn’t relatingto theperson’salternativestory, andIwasn’t reallyeven sayinghowIhad been transported bywhat theperson had said.Iwas just tellingmystoryand somehow it had become central.In hindsightthis is prettyembarrassing, but it’s quite common.It’s something Inowalwaysspeak about to training groups.It’s theresponsibilityof thewhole
outsider-witnessgrouptoensurethis doesn’t happen.If someoneis getting abitcarried away in their own story,whichcan happen, then it’s upto theothermembers to ask somequestions to bringthe focus back tothe person whoselifewearetherefor.
• Remembering history
Some ofthe most powerful things about therapeutic conversations involve tracinghistories, the stories that explain whycertain things areimportant to usin our lives. Simplypraising someone fortheiractionsdoesn’texplain in terms ofhistorywhytheir statements havemeant somethingto me.Itrytoremain focused on the roleof historyin makinguswho weare.Itry to remember to link whatIam saying about myhistories oflifeto theimportant things that
the person who is consultingthe therapisthas said.
• Taking careinrelationto notimposing values
Oneof thethingsIfind thatIneed to reallyremain awareof, is to ensurethat myreflections arenot inadvertentlyreproducingthe‘norms’ ofoursociety, rather than respondingto what the person hasactuallysaid about theirown values. WhatImean bythis isthat sometimes it is easyto make anassumption that the person would be pleased aboutaparticular event, or that theywould behopingto achieveaparticulargoal, when actuallytheyhaven’t clearly said this.Ineed to always remember that we allhavedifferent ways of livingour lives.IfI assumethat someonewants whatIwould want,oris dreaming about whatI dream about,I can makeabigblunderin myoutsider-witness responses.It takes a lot ofpracticeto keep
deconstructingthe assumptions bywhichIlivemylife, but to do so reallyhelps myworkas awitness to other people’s lives.Ibecome moredetermined to onlybereferringback to the values and hopesand dreams that theperson has spoken about, or at least notto assume about anyvalues that theyhaven’t articulated.
• Avoiding comparing reflections
When the person atthe centreof theconsultation has a chanceto reflect on which outsider- witness responses were mostmeaningful to them,I’vefound itimportant to remember that this isn’t about avaluation or judgement ofthe worth orskills of theoutsider witnesses. As outsider witnesses, wesimplywon’t know whichimages or links will be most meaningful to the person whosestories we arewitnessing. This is part of theunpredictabilityof theprocess. Thetherapistwillask questions about whycertainoutsider-witness responses were