Presentation: Narrative Therapy in the Age of Neuroscience: Change Your Story, Change Your Brain

Workshop: Narrative Therapy Update: Exercises for Transformation

Lewis Mehl-Madrona, M.D., Ph.D. is a board-certified family physician, a psychiatrist, and a geriatrician. Dr. Mehl-Madrona is a Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. He received his M.D. from Stanford University and holds a Ph.D. in neuropsychology.

Barbara Mainguy, MA, MSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and creative arts therapist. She works with Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, serving the five Indigenous Nations of Maine. Barbara is working on a graduate certificate in Art and Medicine at the University of Maine, where she obtained her MSW.

Presentation Preview

Advances in scientific research powerfully impact both the fields of psychotherapy and neuroscience. By understanding current neuroscience research, psychotherapists can better integrate scientific findings and apply this information to their practices to help their clients. Comprehending how the brain works and how stories change brain structure and function gives psychotherapists more tools to use with their patients. A robust approach to applying this work in psychotherapy and motivational interviewing is through metaphors and stories. Neuroscience and psychotherapy aim to enhance people’s lives and reduce suffering. This presentation addresses current research, the theory of narrative psychology, and the impact of the brain on mental health. This presentation addresses narrative therapy, tools for therapists to use in clinical practice, and provides information for people to understand the power of their words.

Workshop Preview

When psychotherapists and other health and human service professionals

understand the power of personal stories and how they impact motivational interviewing; participants will be better able to encourage and support people to make positive changes.

This presentation addresses narrative theory, current neuroscience, and techniques and tools for motivational interviewing and psychotherapy.

This workshop provides opportunities for participants to improve their persuasion skills and better understand the use of stories. The goal of this presentation is for people to be more effective in their work and have a more significant impact on their clients.