Narrative Therapy
What do we mean by narrative therapy?
The simplest definition of narrative therapy it is a type of psychotherapy that employs the use of narrative as a collaborative and respectable approach to counseling. Michael White, Australian family therapist and social worker and his New Zealand colleague and therapist David Epston developed narrative therapy during the 1970’s and 1980’s. So this is a fairly new form of psychotherapy even though it took until 1990 for it to become prevalent in North America.
The basic concept of narrative therapy is that our personal identities are formed by the accounts of our life experiences that are found in our personal narratives or stories that we tell about ourselves. The responsibility of the narrative therapist involves being interested in assisting the client to their lifestyles and stories about them as well as any possibilities that are associated with those experiences. At the same time, the therapist will investigate the client’s problems and how they have influenced their lives.
Additionally, narrative therapy approaches contend that a person’s identity is primarily shaped by these narratives or stories of their lives whether they are culturally genuine or uniquely personal in nature. Conclusions or performances of this identity which tend to be problematic for either individuals or groups signifies how dominant a narrative that is saturated with problems tends to be.
The common elements of narrative therapy
In addition to the concept and function discussed above, narrative therapy is comprised of 6 common elements including:
- an appreciation for documents that are created and used by the client which are applicable to their personal narratives
- the assumption that these narratives have helped to shape the client’s identity such as when a certain problematic event is a dominant part of the story based on how they have assessed that problem and its affect or influence that is has had on their lives
- the externalizing emphasis the client has chosen during the narrative such as defining the problem so that they can assess how it has impacted their lives as well as how it operates in their lives
- focusing on exceptions or unique outcomes to the problem which normally wouldn’t be predicted in the actual narrative
- a sharp awareness of any impact created by the therapeutic conversation along with the therapist’s commitment to regularly contacting the client in order to check with how certain therapeutic styles might have mitigated any negative effect of the therapist’s beliefs or invisible assumptions
- how the client responds to personal failure conversations during therapeutic sessions
Additional considerations
The Delray Recovery Center offers addiction treatment and recovery programs that employ narrative therapy as a part of the recovery process so that the client is successful and remains substance-free once they return to society. If you or one of your loved ones has a substance dependency issue, please contact us today so that we can provide you with the help that you deserve and need. Our caring staff members are available 24/7/365 to assist you and answer all of your questions.
