What is Narrative Therapy? A Definition
Narrative therapy is a form of therapy that aims to separate the individual from the problem, allowing the individual to externalize their issues rather than internalize them. It relies on the individual’s own skills and sense of purpose to guide them through difficult times (“Narrative Therapy,” 2017).
This form of therapy was developed in the 1980s by Michael White and David Epston, two therapists from New Zealand (“About Narrative Therapy”). They believed that separating a person from their problematic or destructive behavior was a vital part of treatment (“Michael White,” 2015). For example, when treating someone who had run afoul of the law, they would encourage the individual to see themselves as a person who made mistakes, rather than as an inherently “bad” felon. White and Epston grounded this new therapeutic model in three main ideas.
1. Narrative therapy is respectful.
2. Narrative therapy is non-blaming.
3. Narrative therapy views the client as the expert.
Techniques of a Narrative Therapist
-Diagnosis or Etiology is not the focus
-Seek to understand the narrative
-Look for alternative was to understand the narrative and tell it in a different way
-Naming the Problem
-Externalizing the problem
-Questions
-Influence
-Future
-Alternative Stories
-Positive Stories
-Unique Outcomes
-Letters
-Inclusion of Family Member
VIDEO Theories of Counseling - Narrative Therapy
TOOLS/REFERENCES
WEBSITE - Narrative Therapy Initiative
WEBSITE- Narrative Therapy Centre
JOURNAL - Situating Knowledge and Power in the Therapeutic Alliance
JOURNAL Case Study 1: An Evidence-Based Practice Review Report
TOOLS - Narrative Therapy Techniques, Interventions + Worksheets
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