Founded by Michael White & David Epston
People make sense of their worlds by creating adaptive or maladaptive stories using language and their interactions with others
Clients are able to examine their stories in a new light when they share them
Goal is to ‘re-author’ or create more adaptive stories about their experiences
The best way to promote change is to loosen and change peoples perceptions
Lives are created through the stories we hear, create, and tell others
Stories: all stories are accepted as legit and significant in narrative therapy
Dominant Story: shapes who we are and often the ones that censors and changes other stories to fit their life
Specifications of Personhood: information in stories that tells individuals how to behave. These often act as restaurants and keep people stuck in their dominant stories
Alternative Stories: untold or lost stories that might portray a life where their problems are gone, solved, or absent. They focus on strengths and good outcomes
Listening with an Open Mind: nonjudgmental, non-blaming, non-normalizing
A therapist would not say “well that is normal” in response to a feeling a client shares
What is normal for one person might not be normal to another. This includes societally normalized behaviors and reactions
Therapists listen in an effort to bring optimism, and shine a light on talents and competencies of their client
Stages of Narrative Therapy
Eliciting Stories: concentration of effects rather than causes of client problems
Stories that support the dominant theme are usually the first disclosed and closest to the surface
Therapists should use various strategies to encourage clients to tell a wider variety of stories
Deconstruction of Stories: taking apart and analysing stories to understand them
Goal is to identify themes that are prominent
Landscape of consciousness: backdrop of feelings, values, motive, belief, and attitudes that are recurring in a client stories
Landscape of action: sequences of behaviors related to events that are similar among stories
Revisioning & Reauthoring: modify and revise
The process is circular: as you revision a stories you can further deconstruct it which allows for more revisions
Offer exceptions to the dominant story, then find possibilities of new thoughts/actions to create new pictures of old stories
Therapeutic Goals
Transform the effects of clients perceived problems by altering stories
Clients develop new stories that better serve their interests and help them find meaning
They gain new insights into how dominant culture has impacted their lives
Therapist Function & Role
Therapists are experts on narrative therapy while clients are experts of their lives
Therapists adopt a stance of not knowing
Relationship Between Therapist & Client
Therapists focus on encouraging and facilitating rather than changing people
Active in suggestion exercises, offering new perspectives, and soliciting feedback
Very collaborative process between therapist and client
Self-disclosure of T is considered helpful in reducing power dynamics
Mapping: demonstrates how problems emerges and are linked to their presenting problem
Externalizing: process of separating clients from their issues
Problems are impacting clients, but do not exist within them
“Anger has power over you” instead of “you are angry”
This rescues feelings of failure and guilt and allows a way for clients to see themselves as separate from their problem.
Naming the Problem: asks clients to label their problem
Clients select a name that is appropriate and describes the problems influence. Having a client select it ensure it is meaningful and can provide valuable insight to a therapist on how their client views the issue
Letter Writing: physical way for problem to be externalized, named, and confronted
Assist clients in reauthoring aspects of their life that might feel restrained by their issue
It is empowering when clients write letter directly to their problem
Drawing the Problem:
Therapeutic Documents: prepared in collaboration with therapist & client
Personal letters, lists, reports, awards, letters of reference, etc.
These help reinforce successes and new stories that the client has created
Most support for Narrative Therapy is based on case study research
Counseling Applications
Particularly helpful for treating people who have been victimized due to a minority status
Helpful for transgender individuals for deconstructing and reconstructing their views on gender
Used with singles, couples, families experiencing a variety of issues
Applicable in situation of grief, trauma, and substance abuse
Multicultural Groups: incredibly relevant because of its core belief that a client's sociocultural context is significant
Recognizes how society has impact the story they tell themselves
Limitations
Will not be suitable for those who
Have poor contact with reality
Are looking for a quick solution
Are in crisis
Anticipate little benefit from counseling
Strengths
It is an optimistic approach that puts the client in the seat of expert
Great emphasis on therapeutic relationship