Jill Freedman, MSW and Gene Combs, MD are Co-Directors of Evanston Family Therapy Center, as well as founding members of the Chicago Center for Family Health, an independent affiliate of the University of Chicago. Internationally recognized for their advances in narrative theory and training, they received the 2009 Award for Innovative Contribution to Family Therapy from the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA). They have co-authored more than 30 journal articles and book chapters and 3 books -- Symbol, story, and ceremony: Using metaphor in individual and family therapy, Narrative therapy: The social construction of preferred realities, and Narrative therapy with couples.... and a whole lot more!
Jill practices therapy in the Chicago area and consults to organizations and schools. She is on the international faculty of the Dulwich Centre and teaches in the low-residency Master's program in narrative therapy and community work offered by Dulwich Centre and the University of Melbourne. Gene, recently retired from his position as clinical associate professor at University of Chicago, serves as a board member for the American Family Therapy Academy. Jill and Gene teach internationally and their workshops are valued by both new and experienced clinicians for the warm and down-to-earth manner in which they expand therapeutic vision and skills.
Books
Articles (2000 to Present)
Combs, G. & Freedman, J. (2020). Relationships, Not Boundaries. Journal of Systemic Therapies,39(4):58-71.
Freedman, J. & Combs, G. (2020). Individuals in Competition of Communities in Connection? Narrative Therapy in the Era of Neoliberalism. In McNamee, S., Gergen, M., Camargo Borges, C., & Rasera, E. F. (Eds.) (2020). The SAGE Handbook of Social Constructionist Practice. SAGE Publications. pp 193-202.
Combs, G. (2018). White Privilege: What's a Family Therapist To Do? Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, March. DOI: 10.1111/jmft.12330
Combs, G & Freedman, J. (2017). The Therapist as Second Author: Honoring Choices from Beyond the Pale. In C. Audet & D. Paré (eds.), Social Justice and Counseling: discourse in practice. New York: Routledge.
Combs, G & Freedman, J. (2016). Narrative Therapy’s Relational Understanding of Identity, Family Process, 55(2), 211-224.
Freedman, J. (2014). Witnessing and Positioning: Structuring Narrative Therapy with Families and Couples. The International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work 1, March 2014. pp. 1-4.
Freedman, J. (2014). Witnessing and Positioning: Structuring Narrative Therapy with Families and Couples. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 35: 20–30. doi: 10.1002/anzf.1043
Jeff Chang, Gene Combs, Yvonne Dolan, Jill Freedman, Tracy Mitchell, Terry S. Trepper, (2013). From Ericksonian Roots to Postmodern Futures. Part II: Shaping the Future, Journal of Systemic Therapies, 32, 2, 35-45.
Jeff Chang, Gene Combs, Yvonne Dolan, Jill Freedman, Tracy Mitchell, Terry S. Trepper, (2012). From Ericksonian Roots to Postmodern Futures. Part I: Finding Postmodernism, Journal of Systemic Therapies, 31, 4, 63–76
Freedman, J. (2012). Explorations of the Absent But Implicit. The International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, Issue #4 2012
Combs, G. & Freedman, J. (2012). Narrative, Postructuralism, and Social Justice: Current Practices in Narrative Therapy. The Counseling Psychologist, 40(7) 1033-1060, Sage. doi: 10.1177/0011000012460662
Freedman, J. (2011), My favourite questions. The International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work 4, pp. 3-8
Freedman, J. & Combs, G. (2009). Narrative Ideas for Consulting with Communities and Organizations: Ripples from the Gatherings. Family Process 48(3), September, pp. 347-362
Freedman, J. & Combs, G. (2009). Narrative Couple Therapy. In A. Gurman & N. Jacobson (eds.) Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy (Revised Edition). New York: Guilford.
Schwarzbaum, S. (2009). Interview with Jill Freedman: A conversation about having conversations. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 17(2), April, pp. 160-167.
Behan, C., Pare, D., Young, K., Freedman, J., & Augusta Scott, T. (2006). Unpacking the “Healing” Metaphor: A Panel Discussion. Journal of Systemic Therapies 25(1), Spring pp. 68-83
Combs, G. & Freedman, J. (2002) Relationships not boundaries. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 23(3), 2002, pp. 203-217
Freedman, J. & Combs, G. (2001). Facilitating a Narrative Culture in a School. Journal of Systemic Therapies 20(3), Fall, pp. 49-59
Freedman, J. & Combs, G. (2000). Therapy relationships that open up possibilities for us all. Dulwich Centre Journal (1 & 2), pp. 17-20
Contact us for a full list of articles by Jill Freedman and Gene Combs.
Interviews and podcasts
AFTA Podcast: Episode 6 - Gene Combs. Host Navid Zamani interviews guest Gene Combs on what's been drawing his attention in family therapy work. Combs shares some constructive criticisms of a post-professional family therapy world, as well as examines possibilities through reconsidering time, relationships, and eurocentric assumptions of our therapeutic practices.
The Real Work. An interview of Gene by Christopher Iwestel Kinman as part of his Communal Practice series. Gene and Chris talk about a variety of things that are dear to Gene’s conception of “the real work” of linking lives with intentions of bringing forth a better world.
Silence in Therapy: What's the Story? (with Dr. Gene Combs) - Caroline Wiita and Ben Fineman, on their Very Bad Therapy podcast, talking with Gene about one person—Ella’s—experience of silence in therapy as punitive. How narrative therapy approaches talking or not talking. We love this wide-ranging discussion of useful and not-s0-useful ways that therapists can relate to the people who consult with them.
The Story of Narrative Therapy (with Jill Freedman) - The story of Narrative Therapy in America through the eyes of one of its leading therapists, Jill Freedman. Jill shares how Narrative Therapy impacted her work and her understandings of identity.
Why "Why" Isn't Enough: Special Feature on Sandy Hook - PNS journalists Lark Corbeil and Mike Cliff discuss ways of responding to the school shootings with Jill Freedman. December 16, 2012.
