Evanston Family Therapy Center
Michael White, the original developer of narrative therapy, died April 4, 2008. We will miss him tremendously. Michael was once very fond of a quotation about ripples rippling. We know that his ripples will ripple all across the world for a very long time.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Michael has significantly changed our lives. He has articulated a worldview that has guided us in being more the people we want to be and working more the way we want to work. And we are not alone in this. He often talked about linking lives through shared purposes. And the narrative community, in which so many of us are linked through shared purposes, has been an incredible gift and source of sustenance.
We have always enjoyed the intensity of Michael's approach to work and play. Among the many memories we are re-membering now is this one: The first time Michael came to our home, he jumped on our new high-tech exercise bike and started pedaling so hard we were sure he would break it. We marveled at how fast he was going, grinning and pedaling harder and harder. Then he abruptly stopped and, not even breathing hard, said, "Is that as much resistance as this thing will give?"
It is almost impossible to imagine him dying so young. He was only 59.
We love him. We are heartbroken by his death. He taught us how to keep those we love present after their deaths and we are committed to keeping him with us. It helps us to know that we are linked with others who care about his ideas and about the worldview that he has modeled and articulated.
On Friday, April 18, 2008 from 7:00pm - 9:00pm Evanston Family Therapy Center will host an open house to remember Michael's work and life. Please join us and spread the word.
For more complete news concerning Michael's death, and for information about what others are doing to connect and remember him, go to the Dulwich Centre Website (http://www.dulwichcentre.com.au/) and the Adelaide Narrative Therapy Centre Website (www.adelaidenarrativetherapycentre.com.au/).