23/10/2025
As I approach the final stages of my third-year narrative therapy training—completed over two years—I find myself reflecting on a journey that has not only deepened my understanding but ignited a profound commitment to helping others reclaim and reauthor their preferred identities and stories.
From the very first topic, Easing into the Journey, I sensed that this was more than an academic pursuit—it was an invitation into a community of meaning-makers, a family of practitioners of hope. Each module, from Explorations of Pastoral Texts to Conflict Narratives and Illness Narratives, offered scaffolding that allowed me to climb into richer understandings of human experience. The Narrative Basics in Practice Series became a foundational rhythm, echoing through transcripts, peer reflections, and practical assignments like the Funky Door—each one a portal into deeper inquiry.
Through online classes, I witnessed conversations that shimmered with sparkling moments—those instances where a client’s story shifted, thickened, and became more richly described. The practice of double listening, the exploration of the absent but implicit, and the use of reauthoring questions taught me how to hold space in ways that are non-judgmental, non-blaming, and infused with curiosity. I learned to ask not just “what happened?” but “what else is possible?” and “who else might be invited into this story?”
The Life Coaching for Narrative Therapists series expanded my lens even further, helping me integrate narrative principles into forward-looking, strength-based conversations. I found myself incorporating these insights into my individual sessions, where clients began to see themselves not as problems to be solved, but as authors of stories waiting to be told in richer, more empowering ways.
I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Coram Deo, and to Elmo, Dr. Jo, and Hanlie—whose supervision, wisdom, and seasoned reasoning have been a steady source of inspiration and growth. Your guidance has not only shaped my understanding of narrative practice but has also nurtured the kind of reflective depth that now lives in my work. I am profoundly thankful for the way you’ve showered insight, encouragement, and challenge over me, helping me become a more attuned and intentional practitioner.
Now, when I look at anything—whether a conversation, a moment of tension, or a story waiting to be told—I instinctively ask: how can I make this narrative? How can I approach this in a way that honors dignity, invites curiosity, and thickens the plot? Narrative therapy has transformed not only my clients’ perceptions but my own. It has taught me that when stories are unpacked with care, when identities are scaffolded with intention, and when language is used to honor rather than label, transformation is not only possible—it’s inevitable. And in that transformation, stories become published in richness.
As I prepare to submit my supervision file this November, I feel the bittersweet tug of transition. I want to remain on this train forever, yet I know it’s time to step off and begin a new journey of wonderfulness. The train doesn’t disappear—it remains connected to the community, the values, and the practices that have become part of me. What began as a learning journey has become a calling. I now see every conversation as an opportunity to uncover the richness within, to help others reauthor their lives with courage and creativity. Though this chapter is closing, the flame it lit continues to burn brightly. I step into the next season with a heart full of stories, a mind shaped by narrative wisdom, and a deep desire to keep walking alongside others as they find their voice.
May the plot always thicken,
Leonie Prinsloo
