Co-authoring New Relationships at School through Narrative Mediation.

Abstract

The practice of narrative mediation is illustrated through a case study for its applicability to the resolution of conflict in a high school. Two boys who had been fighting are brought together by a New Zealand high school counsellor to address their differences. Fighting is externalised and the boys are invited into a relationship story based on their own knowledge of ways to resist fighting. The mediation disrupts the conflict narrative and develops a counter-story of harmonious relationship. This article illustrates narrative mediation in action and provides a commentary to make it understandable and replicable for school counsellors. As a straightforward case study, the article does not make substantial claims for this practice but seeks to inspire further applications of narrative mediation by school counsellors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)