"Narrative therapy seeks to help patients identify their values and the skills associated with them."
A type of therapy that helps individuals change their perspective on past experiences by looking at them in a new way.
Narrative Therapy: This is the overarching topic for the field of therapy, and the perspective that frames all aspects of Narrative Therapy. Narrative Therapy is an approach to family counseling and therapy that aims to reframe the individual’s problems by looking at them through the lens of their own story.
Narrative Therapy Techniques: Narrative Therapy relies on a variety of techniques to help individuals reframe their stories. Some of the most common techniques used in Narrative Therapy include externalizing, re-authoring, and deconstruction.
Systemic Theory: Narrative Therapy is a systems-oriented approach to family counseling and therapy. This means that it is important to understand how individual problems are interconnected with the larger system to which the individual belongs.
Postmodernism: Narrative Therapy draws heavily on postmodernism, which is a philosophy that rejects the notion that there is a fixed truth. Instead, the focus is on the individual’s own perspective and experience.
Social Constructivism: Narrative Therapy is also based on the idea of social constructivism, which proposes that our reality is constructed by the language and symbols we use to describe it.
Deconstruction: Deconstruction is a Narrative Therapy technique that involves examining the way language and discourse shape the way we see the world.
Embodiment: Embodiment is the idea that our bodies are our primary tool for experiencing the world. This is an important concept in Narrative Therapy, as it emphasizes the importance of the physical experience of the individual.
Externalizing: Externalizing is a Narrative Therapy technique that involves separating the problem from the individual. This can help individuals see their problems as something separate from themselves, which can be a powerful tool for reframing their perspective.
Re-Authoring: Re-Authoring is a Narrative Therapy technique that involves re-writing the individual’s story. This can help individuals see themselves in a new light and reframe their problems in a more positive way.
Narrative Medicine: Narrative Medicine is a related field that focuses on the use of storytelling and narrative to improve patient health outcomes. This can include the use of Narrative Therapy techniques in a medical context.
Narrative Ethics: Narrative Ethics involves the ethical considerations that arise in the use of Narrative Therapy. This includes issues of consent, confidentiality, and power dynamics.
Family Systems Theory: Family Systems Theory is a larger framework in which Narrative Therapy fits. It is a theory that focuses on how individual problems are shaped by the larger family system.
Multiculturalism: Multiculturalism is an important consideration in Narrative Therapy, as it emphasizes the importance of understanding the cultural context in which the individual is living. This includes issues of race, ethnicity, and religion.
Social Justice: Social Justice is an important consideration in Narrative Therapy, as it emphasizes the importance of addressing issues of power and oppression in the therapeutic context. This can include issues of gender, race, and class.
Positive Psychology: Positive Psychology is a related field that focuses on the positive aspects of human experience. This can include the use of positive affirmations and positive psychology interventions in Narrative Therapy.
Mindfulness: Mindfulness is an important concept in Narrative Therapy, as it emphasizes the importance of being present in the moment and experiencing the present reality in a non-judgmental way. This can be a powerful tool for individuals who are struggling with anxiety or depression.
Resilience: Resilience is the ability to bounce back from difficult situations. This is an important concept in Narrative Therapy, as it emphasizes the importance of building resilience in the individual.
Trauma-Informed Care: Trauma-Informed Care is an approach to therapy that emphasizes the importance of understanding the impact of trauma on individuals. This is an important consideration in Narrative Therapy, as trauma can shape the individual’s story in significant ways.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is a related field that focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This can be a useful tool in Narrative Therapy, as it can help individuals identify the negative thought patterns that are contributing to their problems.
Expressive Arts Therapy: Expressive Arts Therapy is a related field that focuses on using art as a therapeutic tool. This can include the use of music, dance, and visual art in Narrative Therapy.
Externalizing Conversations: Externalizing conversations in Narrative Therapy helps the therapist to view their problems as distinct from themselves. This helps clients to understand that their problem is not them; they are not defined by their problems.
Re-Authoring Conversations: This type of Narrative Therapy focuses on the client's preferred future by creating an alternate story. The therapist works with the client to create a new story that fits the client's desired future.
Listening Conversations: Listening conversations are those in which the therapist listens to the client's story in a non-judgmental manner. These conversations offer a space where feelings can be expressed and recognized.
Definitional Ceremony: This is an essential step in Narrative Therapy where the focus is on finding a new definition or meaning for the client's problem. The goal is to challenge the traditional concepts of problems.
Unique Outcomes: Unique outcomes refer to positive moments or changes in a person's life. In this type of Narrative Therapy, the therapist and client work together to identify any desirable outcome or changes for the problem addressed.
Therapeutic Letters: Therapeutic letters are means for the therapist and client to communicate in writing. These letters can be helpful as clients can re-read them and reflect upon them at their own pace.
Re-Membering Conversations: Re-membering conversations are those in which the therapist and client explore the client's past experiences to identify the strengths and resources used to overcome the problems. The focus is on the client's accomplishments rather than the problems.
Absent but Implicit: Absent but Implicit conversations are those in which the client is absent but still present in the therapist's mind. The therapist uses the client's forgotten moments or absences to help the client understand their story better.
Counter-Storytelling: Counter-storytelling is a technique in which the therapist challenges the dominant negative narrative that the client holds about themselves. It helps in promoting an alternate view (a positive one) about the client's life.
"It provides the patient with knowledge of their ability to live these values."
"It helps patients effectively confront current and future problems."
"The therapist seeks to help the patient co-author a new narrative about themselves."
"The therapist investigates the history of those values."
"Narrative therapy is a social justice approach to therapeutic conversations, seeking to challenge dominant discourses that shape people's lives in destructive ways."
"Narrative work is typically located within the field of family therapy."
"Many authors and practitioners report using these ideas and practices in community work, schools, and higher education."
"Narrative therapy has come to be associated with collaborative as well as person-centered therapy."
"The values and skills associated with the patient's life."
"Narrative therapy views personal problems as influenced by dominant discourses."
"To help the patient understand how their values have shaped their life."
"Narrative therapy aims to challenge destructive dominant discourses."
"Yes, narrative therapy is used in community work, schools, and higher education."
"That patients have the ability to live according to their values."
"Knowledge of their ability to live these values."
"The co-authoring of a new narrative about oneself."
"Narrative therapy defines therapeutic conversations as a social justice approach."
"To help patients effectively confront current and future problems."
"Narrative therapy approaches therapy sessions collaboratively and person-centered."