NARRATIVE THERAPY

By: Byrel Mae Vergara

1.Reality is socially constructed, which
means that our interactions and
dialogue with others impacts the way
we experience reality.
 Antirealist
› The “reality” in which we exist is our stories.
› Reality of each client
› There is no reality; there are only stories to
tell about reality
 As our stories change, so too do we
change
2. Reality is influenced by and
communicated through language,
which suggests that people who
speak different languages may
have radically different
interpretations of the same
experiences.
3. Having a narrative that can be
understood helps us to organize
and maintain our reality. In other
words, stories and narratives help
us to make sense of our
experiences.
› The past can be changed by
constructing new narratives or stories.
4. There is no “objective reality” or
absolute truth, meaning that what
is true for us may not be the same
for another person, or even for
ourselves at another point in time
(Standish, 2013).
 Rejects empirical theories of
personality and psychopathology
 Clients must be free to tell us who
they are and who they want to
be
 Rather than transforming the
person, narrative therapy aims to
transform the effects of the
problem.
If you want to know the your identity,
the reality of who your are, don’t turn
to someone else’s theory. Turn to the
next chapter in your own story.
Unique Outcomes Technique
 Narratives must be more consciously
constructed as liberating stories.
 Changing old stories and
constructing new ones.
 Reimagining the problem –
Alternative or new story line
Deconstructing
 Breaking down the problem or problems the
client is having, making it more easy to
understand and address.
 Deconstructing the issue makes it
more specific and avoids
overgeneralizing, as well as clarifying
what the core issue or issues actually
are.
Consciousness Raising
 Dominant Discourses
› Who are the powerful people who
tell us how to think and feel about
ourselves?
› In the past, powerful people had
the privilege of editing our
experience, imposing meaning to
our lives
Consciousness Raising
 Privileged position
› No predetermined theoretical
interpretations are imposed on our
personal experiences
› Perceive ourselves from multiple
perspective
 Power of problem – Personifying the
problem
› Ex: My Depression is a demon that
demands that I listen to sad music,
attend depressing dramas, read
absurd existential fiction, and tell
stories.
Choosing
 A person can choose to
overthrow dominant discourses
with own words, own voices and
personal privileges.
 A choice asserting that our words
matter, our experiences are
meaningful
 Amplify client
“knows-hows”
Counterconditioning
 Externalization of the problem
 One of the clearest signs that
one’s self is changing is that one’s
words are changing.
 Narrative therapist’s general
contribution is gently guides
client into constructing new
editions of their stories that are
less limiting and more liberating.
 Nurture hope in their clients
 Narrative Empathy
› Attempts to construe and express
the inner emotional logic of the
client’s problem patterns
 “That’s me!”
https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/narrative-therapy/