Confronting collective traumas: an exploration of therapeutic planning

This paper details an exploration in therapeutic planning that took place in a small Indigenous community in Canada. The researcher engaged in exploratory action research that intentionally prioritized healing of collective traumas. With this intention, a series of community planning meetings were conducted, using a facilitation method known as Deep Democracy. Modest but promising therapeutic effects are documented in this paper, using various measures of success. Findings suggest that planning forums are suitable for healing because they offer an indirect but tangible path into collective traumas. The author offers an expanded definition for therapeutic planning and argues that an emotionally engaged therapeutic orientation to planning is increasingly important to face and transform the challenges of today’s communities. Implications for planning theory, practice and education are explored.