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The Story & the Circle: Using Narrative Self-expression to Build Community and Understanding

Family Support
Date June 12, 2026
Time 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location Virtual
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Family Support Friday Session 13

In this Family Support Friday workshop, participants will create and share their own first-person narratives, then bear witness as other participants share theirs. Having had the experience of creating and sharing a first-person story, the group will then engage in a discussion about the ways organizations can foster authentic storytelling opportunities for individuals, families, and community members, and how the latest research supports the use of this form of self-expression as a means for building connection, resilience, and understanding. The group will also review best practices to ensure that storywork, first and foremost, protects storytellers from harm. The session will conclude with resources participants can apply to storywork within their families and programs.

Learning Objectives

  1. Describe three benefits of storywork to individuals and organizations.
  2. Apply knowledge learned in the workshop about how to witness, provide support and offer responsive feedback while utilizing a personal narrative process in a group setting.
  3. Describe the impact of authentic storytelling on the human brain.

Presented By

  • Sarah Kennedy McPhee

    Sarah Kennedy McPhee
    MPH

    Co-Principal , Storied Public Health Consulting, LLC

    Sarah Kennedy McPhee

    MPHÏ

    Sarah Kennedy McPhee, MPH, has worked in public health for the past 20 years in the fields of reproductive health and HIV, in both the private and public sectors. She is a skilled manager, teacher and community health educator. Sarah is also a passionate storyteller and voiceover artist. She is a trained digital storytelling facilitator and believes in the power of story to promote social change. Sarah began her voiceover journey in 2019, out of her home studio. Her voiceover projects include medical narration, telephony, and character work, among others. Sarah lives in Epping with her family and enjoys working on a variety of projects that draw upon her various areas of expertise!
  • Kirsten Durzy

    Kirsten Durzy
    MPH

    Co-Principal , Storied Public Health Consulting, LLC

    Kirsten Durzy

    MPHÏ

    Kirsten Durzy, MPH is a public health professional who has worked in multiple states, within higher education, tribal communities, nonprofits and in the public state government sector. Kirsten has provided expertise in strategy, governance, community engagement and facilitation in various public-private collaborations and coalitions across New Hampshire, most specifically in the areas of evaluation and building equitable and just organizations. Kirsten is passionate about health equity and has done extensive work in the areas of narrative first-person storytelling. Kirsten is a professional artist and photographer and is honored to have been selected as a a 2021 NH Women’s Foundation AmplifiHER Honoree, a 2021 co-recipient of the NH Public Health Association Raaga Devineni Equity and Justice Award and received the 2022 Keene State College President’s Outstanding Woman of New Hampshire Award.

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