Narrative Therapy​

Definition and origins

Narrative therapy is a collaborative and non-pathologizing approach to counseling and community work. This form of therapy centers patients as the experts of their own lives. Developed by Michael White and David Epston in the 1980s, this therapy views problems as separate from people. It encourages you to see yourself as making mistakes rather than being inherently flawed. The goal is to foster a respectful and non-judgmental attitude towards yourself.

Key principles

The core principles of narrative therapy focus on achieving externalization from the problem. Enabling you to become an “expert” in your own life. This approach assumes that you have many skills, abilities, values, commitments, beliefs, and competencies. Howveer, these approaches will assist you in changing your relationship with the problems influencing your life.

Key principles include:

1. 1. Separating the problem from the person

1. 1. Viewing reality as socially constructed

1. 1. Recognizing the influence of external factors on our lives

1. 1. Reducing self-blame

1. 1. Deconstructing thought and feeling patterns ^[3]

Narrative therapy works to help you gain insight into your problems by separating the issue from your personal identity and lived experiences ^[3]. It aims to help you utilize your lifetime of personal strengths, past victories, and sense of purpose to make decisions. As well as solve problems in ways that align with your values ^[3].

Postmodern foundations

Narrative therapy operates on postmodern philosophical premises. However, the most important is the assumption that language mediates our experience of social reality ^[4]. This approach rejects the concept of “substance” as a theoretical basis for understanding the self, instead anchoring its practice in the concept of narrative identity ^[4].

The principal objective of postmodern narrative counseling is to help you reconfigure problematic realities into contexts of newfound opportunity ^[4]. This is accomplished when you find a way to reconstrue the problematic meaning operating in the intentional content of your experience ^[4].

By creating alternative stories and thickening the plot of new narratives, narrative therapy opens up possibilities for alternative ways of behaving and potentially reshaping your entire identity ^[5]. This approach empowers you to become the primary author of your life story, moving towards healthier storylines and a future that reflects who you really are, what you’re capable of, and your true purpose ^[2].

Foundations of Narrative Therapy

Michael White and David Epston’s work

Narrative therapy was developed in the 1980s by therapists Michael White and David Epston ^[6]. Their collaborative work led to a novel approach that aims to empower individuals and offer therapy that is non-blaming and non-pathological in nature ^[6]. White and Epston’s innovative ideas have had a significant impact on the field of family therapy, introducing alternative approaches such as the use of leagues, archives, and co-research ^[7].

Influence of postmodernism

Narrative therapy operates on postmodern philosophical premises, which reject the concept of an objective reality that stands apart from the knowing subject ^[8]. This approach is indebted to Michel Foucault’s ideas about the inseparability of power and knowledge ^[8]. Postmodern narrative counseling views knowledge as multiple, partial, and socially and historically specific ^[8].

Core beliefs and values

The core principles of narrative therapy focus on achieving externalization from the problem and enabling you to become an “expert” in your own life ^[3]. This approach assumes that you have many skills, abilities, values, commitments, beliefs, and competencies that will assist you in changing your relationship with the problems influencing your life ^[1].

Key beliefs and values include:

1. 1. Separating the problem from the person

1. 1. Viewing reality as socially constructed

1. 1. Recognizing the influence of external factors on our lives

1. 1. Reducing self-blame

1. 1. Deconstructing thought and feeling patterns ^[3]

Narrative therapy helps you to objectify your problems, frame these problems within a larger sociocultural context, and teaches you how to make room for other stories ^[6]. By telling your story, you take action toward change ^[6]. This approach empowers you to rely on your own skills to minimize problems that exist in your life ^[6].

To put you more in touch with your own healing ways, narrative practitioners listen to your stories with curiosity and explore previously unrecognized possibilities ^[1]. This collaborative process allows you to co-discover hopeful, preferred, and hidden story-lines within yourself ^[1].

Core Techniques of Narrative Therapy

Externalization | Separating person from problem

Narrative therapy employs a powerful technique called externalization, which aims to separate you from the problem you’re facing. This approach encourages you to view your issues as external entities rather than inherent parts of yourself ^[9]. By doing so, you gain a fresh perspective on your challenges, allowing you to address them more effectively.

The core principle behind externalization is the belief that “the person is not the problem, the problem is the problem” ^[10]. This technique helps you to understand that your problems are not fixed aspects of your identity but rather products of culture and history ^[10]. By externalizing issues, you create space between yourself and the problem, enabling you to explore new ways of relating to and addressing it.

Deconstruction | Social construction of reality

Deconstruction is another key technique in narrative therapy, rooted in post-structuralist philosophies, particularly the work of Michel Foucault ^[11]. This process involves unpacking the meaning of dominant identity stories that may be influencing your life ^[11]. By deconstructing these narratives, you can release self-knowledge that was previously hidden by dominant storylines ^[11].

This technique helps you to understand how your identity is constructed in storied form and how these stories guide your thoughts, feelings, and actions ^[11]. Deconstruction allows you to examine the social, cultural, and political contexts that shape your understanding of reality ^[12]. By questioning these constructs, you open up possibilities for alternative interpretations and new ways of viewing your experiences.

Re-authoring | Emphasis on personal agency

Re-authoring conversations are at the heart of narrative therapy, emphasizing your role as the expert in your own life ^[13]. This technique involves identifying and co-creating alternative story-lines of identity ^[13]. The premise is that no single story can encapsulate the totality of your experience, and there are always other story-lines that can be created from the events of your life ^[13].

Through re-authoring, you explore “unique outcomes” or moments that contradict the dominant problem narrative ^[11]. This process involves both “landscape of action” questions, which focus on events and actions, and “landscape of identity” questions, which explore the implications of alternative story-lines on your understanding of your identity ^[13].

By engaging in re-authoring conversations, you can discover overlooked themes and form new storylines that align more closely with your values, hopes, and intentions ^[12]. This technique empowers you to become the author of your own life story, moving towards healthier narratives and a future that reflects your true self and purpose.

Narrative Therapy for Different Populations

Adults

Narrative therapy has shown promising results in addressing various psychological conditions in adults. For individuals living with chronic pain, a culturally adapted narrative therapy approach has proven to be applicable and effective ^[14]. This method helps you reframe your experience and develop new perspectives on managing pain. In the context of stroke recovery, narrative therapy has indicated positive effects on self-concepts and improved meaning in life, suggesting it may be a viable option to facilitate your recovery process ^[14].

Couples and families

Narrative therapy offers valuable tools for strengthening relationships and resolving conflicts within couples and families. The Couple’s Tree of Life (CTOL), a new collective narrative methodology, has shown potential in reinforcing couple identity while maintaining individual identities ^[14]. This approach can be particularly helpful in preventing conflicts and enhancing your relationship. For married women, narrative therapy has been associated with increased levels of marital satisfaction ^[15].

In family settings, narrative therapy has proven beneficial for family members of individuals living with schizophrenia. It helps elicit stories about existing knowledge, attends to the uniqueness of culture and context, and explores preferred identity stories for family members with caring responsibilities ^[14]. This approach empowers you to become an expert in your own life, fostering a sense of agency and resilience in facing family challenges.

Conclusion

Narrative therapy has a profound influence on mental health treatment, offering a unique approach that empowers individuals to become the authors of their own stories. By separating problems from people and emphasizing personal strengths, this method provides a powerful framework to address various psychological challenges. Its application across different populations, from adults dealing with chronic pain to couples seeking to strengthen their relationships, showcases its versatility and effectiveness.

Looking ahead, the future of narrative therapy appears promising, with its potential to revolutionize how we approach mental health care. The emphasis on collaboration and relationships in delivering patient-centered care aligns well with modern healthcare trends. As research continues to explore its benefits, narrative therapy is likely to gain further recognition as a valuable tool to help individuals and families navigate life’s complexities, fostering resilience and personal growth along the way.

FAQs

What is Narrative Therapy in the context of mental health?
Narrative Therapy is a counseling approach that positions individuals as experts of their own lives. It treats problems as separate from the individuals, leveraging their skills, experiences, and mindsets to diminish the impact of these problems over time.

What is the fundamental principle of narrative therapy?
The core principle of narrative therapy is to distinguish individuals from their problems, enabling them to externalize rather than internalize their issues. This method utilizes the individual’s personal abilities and motivations to navigate through challenges.

How would you describe narrative therapy to a client?
Narrative therapy can be explained to clients as a method of counseling that perceives individuals as distinct from their problems and negative behaviors. This perspective helps clients distance themselves from their troubles, allowing them to understand how these issues might be serving or protecting them more than harming them.

What are the key phases of narrative therapy?
Narrative therapy encompasses three main stages as described by Steve Madigan:

1. 1. Deconstructing problematic dominant stories, which involves identifying and breaking down the prevailing negative narratives.

1. 1. Re-authoring these stories to allow individuals to rewrite their narratives in a more empowering way.

1. 1. Engaging in remembering conversations that help individuals recall and sustain their new, positive stories.

References

[1] – Narrative therapy centre
[2] – Psychology today
[3] – Beginning-therapy
[4] – Postmodern narrative realism
[5] – Theoretical-principles-of-narrative-therapy
[6] – Simply psychology
[7] – What-is-narrative-practice-a-free-course
[8] – Narrative-collaborative-based-postmodern-therapies-a-commentary
[9] – Positive psychology
[10] – Articles-about-narrative-therapy
[11] – Ncbi
[12] – Tandfonline
[13] – Re-authoring_Some_answers_to_commonly_asked_questions_Maggie_Carey_Shona_Russell
[14] – Collection-evidence-for-the-effectiveness-of-narrative-therapy
[15] – Very well mind