NIRI: Narrative Therapy Informed Relational Interviewing
new ideas in working with highly conflicted couple relationships
Stephen Madigan MSW, MSc, PhD
A Relational Training Event
February 1-2, 2025
"Stephen invites all of us to reconsider how we practice narrative therapy and more importantly shows us how to work with conflicted couples in a radically different relational way! Magnificent!" ~ Participant 2023 Oslo, Norway.
"Everything I've ever learned about couple therapy has gone out the window. It was f'ing crazy (and so beautiful!!) to experience this NIRI work. Big thanks and gratitude Stephen".
~ Participant 2024 NYC, USA
Contemporary couple therapy along with pop psychology treat couples as if they exist in a separate relational ecology from the rest of the world - dividing relationships off from the influence of contextual, cultural, socio-economic, and relational contexts - filled with ongoing pressures, expectations, obligations, norms, and responsibilities. How can this be?
This workshop demonstrates a series of step-by-step session videos of Stephen working with couples in Canada, Norway, and the USA to outline his unique, non-individualist narrative therapy informed Relational Interviewing (NIRI) relational couple therapy practice.
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Learn why narrative therapy informed Relational Interviewing (NIRI) sessions begin with remembering relational values and the origin story of the couple relationship (before the partial story of the conflict)
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Learn the use, structure, grammar, politic, and purpose of relational remembering questions
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Identify the influence of relational and cultural contexts shaping and influencing couple relationship practices
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Learn the process of re-authoring responses to expressions of couple conflict as loss and grief of the relationships pre-problem values
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Learn the NIRI process of asking questions and writing therapeutic letters directly to the Couple Relationship.
Online Teaching Faculty:
Stephen Madigan PhD (Canada)
Dates: February 1-2, 2025
Time: 8:15 am - 3:00 pm, Pacific Daylight Time (Vancouver, BC)
Location: Classes are taught live through Zoom video conferencing
Professional: $485.00 CAD (+ tax)
*Approximately $356.00 US dollars
Students/VSNT.live members: $385. CAD (+ tax)
*Approximately - $283. in US dollars
Proof of student status is required upon registration
**Throughout the course session video's with couples are demonstrated. Due to issues of confidentiality and participant consent, recordings of this training will not be made available.
Daily Training Schedule
Relationships are Relational
"I was in tears throughout this NIRI workshop. The relational understandings, written letters and questions directed to the relationship and compassion shown by these conflicted couples to one another was astounding. It also had me re-appreciating my own intimate relationship.
Absolutely amazing and life changing!"
- Participant, London, UK, 2023
Day 1
8:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Ecology of the Receiving Context NIRI Receives Conflicted Couple Relations Into:
1 a) New considerations about: memory, relational values, norms, suffering narratives, partial stories/partial history, double description and difference, relational grief, conflict, and loss.
1 b) How NIRI couple therapy involves a deliberate political and ideological practice shift towards an ecology of interlocking ideas and therapeutic practices supporting:
non-individualism/non-essentialism
relational-contextual inter-connectivity
me to we consciousness
cultural and contextual complexities
social rituals, governing norms, and dominant beliefs
structural inequalities, power relations
relational responsibilities, obligations, and expectations
12:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Session Video Demonstrations
Discussions on a NIRI couple therapy practice framework
Day 2
8:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Session Video Demonstrations
New Ideas about Relational Conflict, Grief and Loss
1 A relational response to relational distress
2 A relational protest in support of a preferred relational ethos and,
3 A relational desire to recover values of importance that have been lost
Couple Relationships Relationship to Other Relationships
Demonstrations of reconnecting the intimate relationships relationship to include all the many contextual and culturally inspired relationships their relationship is under the influence of and in relationship with - work, extended family, children, politics, religion etc.
12:00 PM – 3 PM
Session Video Demonstrations
Writing letters of consultation directly to the couple relationship