Embodied Narratives in Becoming a Counselling Trainer: An Autoethnographic Study

This autoethnographic study addresses the newly appointed counselling trainer’s question “How did I get here?” The procedure is described, and findings presented as partial narratives of the Wounded Dancer; poems and prose written from different voices. Themes are revealed of love, healing, risk taking, unconventionality, physicality and overcoming physical limitations. “Wounded healer” stories are inscribed alongside “powerful body” / “subversive body” stories. The role of the father is considered in facilitating these stories, including the tomboy throwing off “definitions of what it means to be a girl”. The study is evaluated in terms of Richardson’s (2000) criteria. One contribution to knowledge lies in the methodology’s potential application to research-led learning and teaching with counsellor education.