Talk-Listen: Centering Youth Wisdom in Group Work at Peak House

Authors Bhupie Dulay, Stefanie Krasnow, Vikki Reynolds and Graeme Sampson

Drugs, the media, and others have written our story for us. Here, we challenge that, we rewrite our stories. We become the authors of our story.
​ — Byron 

​The Talk-Listen group is a therapeutic group at Peak House that exemplifies a set of ethics, values, and practices, which aim to center and uphold youth wisdom. In this article, transcripts of Talk-Listen groups are utilised to illustrate therapeutic practices
that aim to co-construct relational safety, address the contexts in which struggles exist, illuminate resistance, and weave a sense of belonging, connection and hope amongst youth. These practices create the foundation on which youth wisdom can be
recognised and witnessed. Through the demonstration of youth wisdom in practice, this writing also explores the importance of recognising the following in therapeutic work with youth: resistance to oppression as wisdom, the ways that youth laterally
mentor and uphold one another, true collaboration and client-centered practice, transformation and change, and the ethical requirement of amplifying hope. ​

“I’ve never had a space like this before …”
​​ — Perry

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