On September 18th, the Narrative Practices Lab hosted a stakeholder workshop to co-design a new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme focused on Narrative Practices in health and community contexts. The event brought together professionals from public health, voluntary organisations, and creative sectors to explore how storytelling and lived experience can be ethically and effectively used in research, advocacy, and service design.
The workshop was facilitated by Teti Dragas and Mary Robson, and structured around three key provocations: What stories are already present in your work? What methods and skills do you need to work with them? What would a meaningful CPD course look like?
Stories Already Held, But Underused
Participants shared that while stories are abundant in their work—whether in mental health, disability advocacy, youth services, or community arts—there is often a lack of confidence and clarity around how to use them. Ethical concerns, institutional constraints, and uncertainty about impact measurement were recurring themes. One participant noted, “We hear powerful stories every day, but we don’t always know what to do with them.”
This insight reflects a broader tension in narrative work: stories are rich in meaning but often undervalued in systems that prioritise quantitative data. The CPD programme aims to address this gap by offering tools that validate lived experience as evidence and support its integration into strategic decision-making.
Creative Methods and Critical Reflection
The workshop surfaced a strong interest in creative and arts-based methods—digital storytelling, theatre, reflective writing, and visual mapping. These approaches were seen not only as expressive tools but as ways to foster deeper engagement, especially with marginalised communities.
However, participants also raised critical questions. How do we avoid aestheticising trauma? How do we ensure that storytelling doesn’t become extractive or tokenistic? These reflections echoed key concepts from the medical humanities presentations, including the idea that narrative is not inherently good or innocent (Woods, 2011), and that ethical storytelling requires relational accountability.
Designing a CPD That Works
When asked what a CPD course should look like, participants emphasised flexibility, accessibility, and relevance. Many participants work in overstretched environments and need training that fits around their realities. Suggestions included modular formats, hybrid delivery, and peer-led learning.
There was also a call for the CPD to go beyond skill-building and foster a community of practice—a space where practitioners can reflect, share, and evolve together. As one attendee put it, “We need something that doesn’t just teach us how to collect stories, but helps us think about why we’re doing it and who it’s for.”
Moving Forward
This workshop was the first step in co-creating a CPD programme that is ethically grounded, creatively rich, and practically useful. The Narrative Practices Lab will now synthesise the insights from the day to shape a pilot course that supports practitioners in using stories for meaningful change.
As we continue to develop the Narrative Practices CPD programme, we’re committed to co-creating research, training, and resources in partnership with colleagues across the voluntary, community, and health sectors. That means working alongside practitioners, creatives, and lived experience experts to design inclusive, ethical, and imaginative approaches—whether through collaborative workshops, pilot programmes, or shared storytelling practices that challenge dominant narratives and centre relational ways of knowing.
If you’re interested in piloting the CPD programme, please email narrativepractices.lab@durham.ac.uk.
