The idea of story has long been one that has fascinated me. It is what originally drew me into this field to start with. Both my own personal story of pain and growth and having others share their stories with me. Recently I attended a conference led by Dan Allendar focused solely on StoryWork. He taught the tenants of this work and described what makes narrative therapy or storywork unique. It is the idea that what has happened to us or has occurred in our family members' lives that helps shape our lives and our personhood.

With the temperatures going up, we reach for the clothes in our closets that help us breathe, yet often this time of year can bring up thoughts like…

“I don’t have any needs.” That would have been my go-to reply twenty years ago if someone had asked me what my needs were. I was programmed to believe that I had all I needed, and if I didn’t have it, I could figure out a way to provide it for myself. It was a lonely place to live, and I knew that something was off, but I didn’t realize that my loneliness was directly related to my inability to acknowledge that I did, in fact, have needs.