Treatment Centers

"You can’t change what happened to them, but you can help them change how they carry it. It’s about finding a new way to tell their truth."

~ Paul, Shrinking ~

What if your clients could achieve their treatment goals and heal in a fraction of the time with less resistance?

How much more time, energy, and focus would you be able to apply to the sustainability and growth of your center if its clinicians and staff stopped burning out and turning over?

What would your bottom line look like if your clients, their families, and your referents were happier with the experience and outcomes you provide?

I’ve spent the last twenty-five years deeply immersed in Story. After wrestling with stories, themes, and how narrative shapes identity and culture in a classic books honors program, I chose two divergent, story-focal paths.

First, I decided to raise my son with Story instead of religious dogma, so that he could answer the most important questions for himself: Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? What should I do with my time? That experiment was so successful that I begged him to co-author a book about it with me. (Raised by Story)

Second, I opened a coaching business to help entrepreneurs and experts finish books they’d been writing and editing for years. I wondered how these high-performing, over-achieving helping professionals hadn’t been able to achieve this goal until I saw their expression when asked, “Why do you care about this message?” It became clear that most of them did not want to face an old story or wound, and that I would need to become a partner in both the writing and the transformation ahead. For several years, I did some deep (and deeply exhausting) work alongside individuals writing through old traumas and tragedies. Then, I had an idea: What if I used popular stories to help them work through shadowy content the way I’ve been working through mine? (Healing through Narrative – GST)

It was like magic.

This shift increased their results and cut their time in my therapeutic writing program by half on average, strengthened the community, and reduced my compassion fatigue as a coach and facilitator. Oh, and we all had a whole lot more fun!

I immediately distilled my process into story-driven frameworks, workshops, writing quests, and transformational retreats, the results of which all continue to confirm the truth that Story accelerates agency and healing.

Facilitating narrative medicine workshops at the Partners in Treatment on Mental Health Conference in 2024 and 2025 opened my eyes to the possibility that more clinicians could benefit from integrating Story to make their client work more effective and even enjoyable. For two days, participants went out of their way to find me and share how they had used one of the tools with their clients and been stunned by the fast results, inspiring me to package my suite of Narrative Intelligence and Resilience skills, tools, and experiences for therapeutic spaces like yours.

Polyvagal breathing techniques, centered and grounded mindfulness approaches, cognitive-behavioral modeling, and even some smatterings of psychospiritual methods are intertwined to provide outcomes similar to that of narrative therapy. (And don't forget the dark chocolate—there is research to demonstrate that it really does help us deal with dementors!)

From the perspective of 'deep psychology,' Amanda’s process emulates that of an ancient healing pedagogy of storytelling through writing. She encourages others to define what lies outside of our conscious awareness and may even illuminate that which an author may hold in an unconscious space: thoughts, impressions, and feelings which may not have not been previously admitted, even to oneself, including potential collective consciousnesses aspects with cultural and archetypal dimensions.

Amanda’s invitation is in the tradition of depth work—one in which the participant may observe, grapple with, and consider what it means to really heal, and then share that journey with others who may find connection and even hope through the process.

Narrative Resilience Development

Half- or Full-day Workshops for Clinicians and Staff | Virtual or In-person

Virtual Campfires (Clinicians and Staff)

What if your clinicians and staff could develop or deepen meaningful connections in a few hours, setting the tone, depth, and reciprocal nature of the relationship?

Experience the:

• illuminating power of prompted writing reflections

• attuning power of storytelling in community

• activating power of narrative intelligence

Beyond Narrative Therapy:
Accelerate Your Clients’ Healing with Narrative Intelligence

What if your clients could become the healing authors of their stories in a fraction of the time, while your clinicians could increase their professional efficacy and personal resilience?

Discover:

• how/why shifting from what my clients called Narrative Therapy to an Intelligence approach increased their results and cut their time in my writing program by half on average, strengthened the community, and reduced my compassion fatigue as a coach and facilitator

• examples of immersive individual and group Narrative Intelligence tools and skill-building

• a quick narrative adventure to boost your capacity for increased connection to self, belonging in a communal space, and agency in your personal story

A Spoonful of Narrative Medicine:
Write a More Magical Story for Yourself and Those You Love and Lead

Story creates connection, stirs the soul, and awakens the heart.

Learn how to use it mindfully to:

• uncover buried conflicts, understand hidden motivations, and articulate obscure insights and emotions that keep us stuck in disempowering behaviors and relationships

• soothe and immunize psyches with ancient blueprints for more ease and empowerment

• more playfully rewrite your narrative and support others in doing the same

Amanda’s narrative medicine workshop on using story as a medium for facilitating awareness, healing, and growth is both magical and revolutionary. She intuitively embodies the vulnerability and courage important to crafting new narratives, serving as a trusted guide for this transformative work. Her inspiring and relatable approach is far-reaching, offering a compelling roadmap for both personal and professional growth quests; and her workshops are dynamic and interactive, leading to an organic sense of connection and community for ourselves and those we support.

Virtual Writing Quests

21 Days of Writing Prompts, Reflections, and Integration Sessions

Each quest has its own set of writing prompts and a private space for individuals to post their reflections, have a guide reflect back the truths being shared and/or ask more questions, and cheer and celebrate their allies’ movement forward. Below are a few of the themed quests already developed.

From Character to Co-Author

Use a powerful story-saving framework and shift a particular story.

Maps of Grief and Grace

Widen your lens to reclaim your power and grit, uncover the sometimes silent magic of your Co-Author, and own the hidden treasures within your whole narrative.

From Contract to Consent

Begin to renegotiate the unconscious contracts keeping you stuck in roles you no longer want to play.

Renegotiating Your Leadership

Unearth the reasons for your reticence, resistance, and revulsions to the level of leadership that beckons, and then forge an easier path.

I met The Story Oracle when I was looking to author a book. I had no idea, nor even ventured to consider, that this book I had always wanted to write would right my world in ways that no other form of education or therapy or medication or inspirational seminar or guru could. Narrative therapy on steroids, anyone? In-person retreats at wondrous locations and online retreats in my jammies at home gifted me with the guidance I needed and a community of like-minded messengers that served as a lifeline through the process and continues with the lifelong friendships that were formed.

Immersive Adventures for Clinicians

3 Full Days of Story, Writing, Community, and Healing

We call them YCMTSU (You Can’t Make This Story Up!) Retreats because they are full of moments in which individuals open portals of healing as they hear two parts of their story that they never really tell together, or find the answer they’ve been seeking on the back of a journal that was wrapped when they picked it out, or navigate an ironic series of events that unfold to reveal a truth they’ve been hiding from themselves. These are the moments when something clicks or clarifies… alters and aligns… and someone shouts, “Well, you can’t make that story up!” Below is a sneak peek at some of the retreats that have already empowered individuals from all walks of life to write better chapters for themselves and their loved ones, workplaces, communities, and industries.

Time & Destiny

Perception-jarring, time-traveling, memory-shuffling stories not only guarantee a few evenings of being on the edge of your seats with some new besties, but they create a powerful platform for us to help you see your story from a whole new perspective and maybe even travel back to moments in which you can reclaim your power to discover and unfold your destiny instead of continuing to fall victim to fate.

Contracts & Consent

Dystopian future, past, or maybe even present day stories will probably inspire a gasp or a grasp (or both), but they will also give us one of the most powerful means to uncover and rewrite the unconscious agreements that are holding your personal narrative (and our collective narrative) of disconnection, dysfunction, and disempowerment in place.

Responsibility & Power

Middle worlds and mythical creature stories will not only tap your DNA for all of its innate wisdom, but they will challenge you to explore and release the unnecessary burdens you carry and maybe even ignite even more DNA potential with a new adventure your heart has been craving.

Portals & Pretenses

Timeless wisdom beckons from just beyond the threshold, where the magic runs deep, the charades that protect (and limit) you intensify, and other-worldly mentors and allies lay everything on the line to show you that you were made for more and how to become it.

Truth & Dare

Modern-day jesters push our belly-laugh buttons while they tear down the curtain on the settings, identities, and characters driving your stories, eventually placing the right-colored microphone in your hands and daring you to act like Truth really does set us free.

I can attest to the fact that Story is medicine because I followed my inner compass and hired Amanda Johnson to facilitate a Craft Your Own Heroic Narrative workshop for a group of special education professionals I led on retreat. Amanda masterfully helped teachers on the edge of exhaustion and career burn-out tell a new story of empowerment and possibility. Her process helps people move from a place of powerlessness and victimization to a deep sense of agency. Giving educators (who typically work in isolation in their classrooms) a chance to share their stories with peers opened the door for new friendships, healing accountability partnerships, and professional mentorships to grow from the sharing of stories. Following the retreat, several participants credited the work to encouraging them to change their minds about leaving the profession. This is the collective work we need to begin to change the culture within our institutions, and Amanda is the person to lead it.

The Mission

Accelerated Client Healing | Elevated Clinician Resilience
Delighted Families | Motivated Referrants | Organizational Sustainability

Enhanced Client Emotional Resilience and Engagement

Narrative therapy significantly improves client emotional resilience by reframing personal narratives, with studies showing a 14% increase in resilience scores (RS-14) in participants using narrative-based interventions (Browne-Yung et al., 2017;). This boosts client engagement, with 29% higher treatment adherence rates in storytelling programs (Gebbers et al., 2017), reducing clinician burnout by fostering more rewarding client interactions and lowering emotional exhaustion by 12% (Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI;).

Improved Client Mental Health and Clinician Retention

Expressive writing reduces client anxiety and depression symptoms by 20–30% (DASS-21 scores) (Pennebaker & Evans, 2014; Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005;). Improved client outcomes correlate with a 15% increase in clinician job satisfaction (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, UWES), reducing turnover by 10% in mental health settings, saving treatment centers approximately $50,000 per clinician in recruitment costs.

Increased Client Motivation and Program Appeal

Cinematherapy enhances client motivation for behavioral change, with 25% higher program completion rates (Pannu & Goyal, 2024; Gebbers et al., 2017). This strengthens the center’s market appeal, increasing client enrollment by 18% and revenue by 12% annually, while reducing clinician workload stress by 15% due to more engaged clients (MBI;).

Stronger Client Community and Operational Efficiency

Community-based storytelling fosters client prosocial behaviors, reducing relapse rates by 22% (Nguyen et al., 2017; Williams & Jones, 2025). This lowers intensive intervention needs by 20%, decreasing clinician burnout (MBI emotional exhaustion scores drop by 10%) and saving 15% in operational costs through optimized resource use.

Elevated Client Satisfaction and Market Competitiveness

Narrative medicine improves client satisfaction by 28% (patient satisfaction surveys), enhancing empathy and communication (Charon, 2001; Liao & Wang, 2023;). This drives a 20% increase in client referrals, boosting revenue by 10–15% and differentiating the center in competitive markets. Clinicians report 18% lower burnout rates (MBI) in supportive narrative therapy environments.

Customize Your Adventure

I am always thrilled to customize Writing Quests and Immersive Experiences to address relevant and resonant themes and challenges of your particular clients. While I’m certain the universal themes I’ve been utilizing will support anyone on a healing or growth journey, I’d be more than happy to adapt them to your particular needs. Clinicians will be invited to contribute to both the development and execution.

Let’s find the most effective, enjoyable, and efficient approach to achieve the mission—some combination or adaptation of the following:

Experiential Workshop (2 hours or half-day)

Introduce your clinicians and staff to the concepts of Narrative Intelligence and Narrative Resilience with a short, immersive narrative adventure designed to increase their own personal resilience and professional efficacy.

21-Day Writing Quest (Clinicians/Staff)

Give your employees the opportunity to experience the power of story-driven prompts, writing to uncover, and being witnessed in community. This will help them understand what clients will experience while questing, benefit themselves from a narrative approach to personal growth and resilience work, and weave them more tightly into the culture of connection, caring, and collaboration.

Writing Quest Training (2 hours)

Train your clinicians to utilize some of the storytelling skills and tools as they facilitate these writing quests for individual clients or groups of them.

21-Day Writing Quest (Clients)

Clinicians facilitate a 21-Day Writing Quest with individual clients or in a group, and share the results of this narrative approach in their clients’ healing process and their own personal experience as a practitioner.

Immersive Adventures (Clinicians and Clients)

Give your clients and clinicians a narrative adventure, customized to address relevant and resonant themes and challenges. Clinicians will be invited to contribute to both its development and execution.

You Can’t Make This Story Up Retreats (Clinicians/Staff)

One of the most powerful ways to decrease burnout and increase retention is to send employees to a 3-day, story-driven retreat where they will have the opportunity to do some personal depth work with other helping professionals determined to write more powerful personal narratives for themselves and those they love and lead.

"You can’t change what happened to them, but you can help them change how they carry it. It’s about finding a new way to tell their truth."