The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on Stacey and Edwards' article on a narrative therapy approach to working with men with learning disabilities who are lonely.
The article reflects on the issues raised by Stacey and Edwards, in the light of other theoretical and empirical literature on loneliness and friendship.
It is important to consider problems of loneliness in the context of a social model of disability. People with learning disabilities are often excluded from the networks of relationships that are so important to the maintenance of emotional well‐being.
Overcoming loneliness is likely to require a range of strategies including group action by people with learning disabilities, the development of non‐disabled people's ability and willingness to establish relationships with disabled people and developments in our understanding of how social systems can be designed to be more inclusive.
