Reclaiming Voice in Therapy and Education

Abstract

In this paper, we engage Simon (2024) and Abraham (2024) to consider how therapeutic and educational practices are shaped by assumptions about knowledge, authority, and meaning-making. Their work led us to question not only dominant professional language, but also our own desire for certainty as trainees. We describe the Heartstory Collective, a creative, student-led initiative using story, music, movement, art, and theatre to foster relational and embodied learning. Through this experience, we explore both the possibilities and limitations of decentralising expertise within a university. We conclude with concrete commitments for carrying shared, local, and lived knowledge into our future practice.