David Denborough works as a community worker, teacher and writer/editor for Dulwich Centre. He is particularly interested in cross-cultural partnerships which limit the chances of psychological colonization and create possibilities for cross-cultural inventions, such as the Team of Life Narrative Approach and Tree of Life (with Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo). These collective narrative methodologies seek to assist people to address the effects of traumatic experiences without having to speak directly about them.
David is also vitally interested in how collective narrative practices can spark and/or sustain social movement and in projects that respond to racism and seek to strengthen social cohesion/inclusion. Recent teaching/community assignments have included Brazil, Palestine, Singapore, Austria, Brazil, Hong Kong, Kurdistan (Iraq), India, Canada, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Chile, South Africa and a number of Aboriginal Australian communities. David is also a coordinator of the Master of Narrative Therapy and Community Work with the University of Melbourne where he is also involved in supporting/supervising graduate researchers. His songs in response to current social issues have received airplay throughout Australia and Canada. His books/publications include:
Do you want to hear a story? Adventures in collective narrative practice
Retelling the stories of our lives: Everyday narrative therapy to draw inspiration and transform experience
Collective narrative practice: Responding to individuals, groups, and communities who have experienced trauma
Working with memory in the shadow of genocide: The narrative practices of Ibuka trauma counsellors
Beyond the prison: Gathering dreams of freedom
Team of Life: Offering young people a sporting chance (DVD)
Strengthening Resistance: the use of narrative practices in working with genocide survivors (with Jill Freedman and Cheryl White)
Queer counselling and narrative practice (editor)
Family therapy: Exploring the field's past, present and possible futures (editor)
Trauma: Narrative responses to traumatic experience (editor)