Full Description
Every year, thousands of new practitioners in professions such as social work, education, medicine, and the church leave the large urban centres where they received their training and go to work in small towns, remote hamlets, and other rural settings. Often they find themselves unprepared for professional life in these communities.
Drawing on in-depth interviews conducted with more than forty practitioners working in a range of professions and communities throughout rural New Brunswick, The Tales that Bind presents a narrative approach to facing these challenges. Using fictionalized vignettes and autobiographical sketches, William Lowell Randall, Rosemary Clews, and Dolores Furlong argue that success as rural practitioners requires "knowing the story" - whether that is personal, communal, or regional.
An accessible, practical guide to using narrative techniques in practice, The Tales that Bind is a unique resource for students, teachers, and professionals working in rural settings.
Contents
Part I: The Context
The Story of the Project
The New Brunswick Story
The Researchers' Stories
Rosemary's Story
Bill's Story
Dolores' Story
Part II: The Stories
Tales from the Front: An Introduction
Rural Policing as Real Policing: An Officer's Tale
Born and Bred: A Teacher's Tale
Places, Programs, and People: A Nurse's Tale
Developing the Community: An Activist's Tale
The Passing of Reverend Bob: A Minister's Tale
Becoming a Helper: A Social Work Student's Tale
Working in an Another Language: A Doctor's Tale
Ready to Retire: A Social Work Director's Tale
Fish Out of Water: A Volunteer's Tale
Part III: The Lessons
A Narrative Curriculum for Rural Helping
Recurring Themes
The Need to Know the Story
Strategies and Exercises
Questions for Consideration
Curriculum and Conversation
Appendix: An Annotated Bibliography
