On 12 January 2018, Department of Applied Social Sciences (SS) and the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council (NAAC) co-organised a professional seminar on a narrative therapy evidence-based practice project. The seminar, entitled “‘I have a story with chronic pain’: Narrative practice in application” (「我和疼痛有個故事」敘事治療小組實踐), demonstrated the power of narrative therapy (NT) groups developed for older adults with chronic pain. Officiating at the seminar were Mr TAI Keen Man, Acting Director-General of NAAC, and Professor Alice CHONG, Associate Head of SS.

Dr Esther CHOW, Associate Professor of SS, presented the achievements of the knowledge transfer project at the seminar. Five social workers from various NAAC service centres also discussed their experiences in developing the NT groups. Since joining the groups, the social workers mentioned, the participants have improved their coping skills to deal with pain and their interpersonal relationships.

Featuring at the seminar were the stories shared by the participants. Their methods of coping with the pain and their persistent belief have influenced the lives of other chronic pain survivors. The audience gained insight into and a deeper understanding of the storytellers’ life experiences, serving as outsider witnesses to the recovery stories.

The seminar was attended by more than 200 participants, including 50 older adults who were NAAC service users, representatives of 36 NGOs and social work students from three higher education institutions.