Saturday 6 july 2019
Poh Lin Lee
This workshop seeks to explore the use of the migration of identity map in the context of people seeking asylum. Through describing the use of the migration of identity in therapeutic conversations and contrasting the differences and adaptations shaped by the context of seeking asylum and mandatory detention the workshop hopes to outline a number of narrative practice ideas for attending to the indefinite periods where by people are held by systems in the liminal phase. The intention of this workshop is to both highlight the operations of power that impact on people’s experience and ability to choose for themselves and the active participation of countries, governments, systems and communities on the migration of identity endeavours. Alongside this the workshop seeks to open up conversations about how our practice is shaped by the uncertainty of the liminal phase and how we can adapt our ideas to offer practices that are more resonant with the moment-by-moment unfolding of people’s lives highly influenced by the imposition of power and politics.
Poh Lin Lee is an Australian social worker who has worked from a narrative perspective for the past 12 years. Poh Lin Lee started out her work responding to families experiencing violence. Continuing the journey in responding to trauma Poh Lin had the opportunity to start working with people affected by state violence, persecution, war and displacement. On Christmas Island, Australia, Poh Lin was responding to newly arrived asylum seekers who had experienced torture and trauma. Learning side by side with people seeking asylum Poh Lin has been actively emphasising the social justice/human rights narratives in responding to multiple, ongoing injustices. Poh Lin is passionate in advocating a move away from individualistic, pathologising descriptions and practices in relation to trauma and instead linking individual experience to the wider socio‐political context.