Andrea Wilson, M-NTCW

My work in narrative therapy has been a story of coming home. For almost twenty years, I worked in writing, literature, and creative strategy. During this time, I was always interested in the human experience and our ability to grow and evolve. I was also driven by deep philosophical and existential questions, searching for connections between our modern experience and the greater story of humanity. 

Driven by this deep curiosity and a desire to be of service, I helped people write their stories in many different ways, opened a nationally recognized writers’ house, and became an editor and publisher of a literary series on the immigrant experience in Iowa. During these years, I witnessed a number of miraculous moments. Moments in the writing circle, in private writing consultations, and even in the boardroom that I could not explain. These moments were sparks of possibility, of watching people evolve into deeper understandings of themselves and their own lives right in front of my eyes. I watched as relief replaced reaction, calm replaced chaos, and peace replaced fear in the eyes of the writer. These arrows led me to larger questions: Could writing help us psychologically heal? Could it be a form of therapy under the right conditions? In my search for answers, I discovered a field of study called narrative therapy. Developed by Australian social worker Michael White and New Zealand family therapist David Epston, this work became the foundations of my own as I entered the founding Mastes of Narrative Therapy program through White’s Dulwich Centre at the University of Melbourne, Australia. From there, I embarked on a path connecting the work of social psychologist James Pennebaker on the healing possibilities of expressive writing and the work of Nicole Sachs, LCSW, on the possibilities of writing for both physical and psychological healing. From these foundations and my own primary research with writers and clients, I created A Write Mind™ methodology.