The Tales That Bind: A Narrative Model for Living and Helping in Rural Communities

Every year, thousands of new practitioners in professions such as social work, education, medicine, and the church leave the large urban centres where they received their training and go to work in small towns, remote hamlets, and other rural settings. Often they find themselves unprepared for professional life in these communities.

Drawing on in-depth interviews conducted with more than forty practitioners working in a range of professions and communities throughout rural New Brunswick, The Tales that Bind presents a narrative approach to facing these challenges. Using fictionalized vignettes and autobiographical sketches, William Lowell Randall, Rosemary Clews, and Dolores Furlong argue that success as rural practitioners requires “knowing the story” – whether that is personal, communal, or regional.

An accessible, practical guide to using narrative techniques in practice, The Tales that Bind is a unique resource for students, teachers, and professionals working in rural settings.

William L. Randall is a retired professor of gerontology at St. Thomas University.
Rosemary Clews was a professor in the Department of Social Work and Assistant Vice President (Research) at St. Thomas University. Dolores Furlong is a professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of New Brunswick.