Narrative Analysis : ' Narrative ' Family Therapy '

This paper will recount the development and history of narrative therapy and provide a brief background assessment on the founders and significant contributors to the postmodern approach of Narrative Therapy. The role of the therapist, the theory of change, the target of intervention, the assessment from this approach, and what the approach says about normalcy, health, and pathology will be presented. It will also discuss how narrative therapy might work with and be sensitive to the cultural and diversity factors and give some examples of intervention from this approach. It will then discus the case using concepts and ideas from narrative therapy and the application of the essential ideas of the narrative therapy in the case and, where appropriate,

The narrative therapy approach allows the client the freedom to present their story and then to verbally rewrite the story in a more positive, healthy way.

Solution-focused therapy is different from narrative and collaborative therapy because it focuses more on discovering solutions to problems by asking miracle and scaling questions (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). Solution-focused therapists utilize miracle and scaling questions to help clients change their thoughts and behavior. Miracle questions challenge clients to think about what their lives could be like if all their problems suddenly went away and were solved (Henderson & Thompson, 2016). Scaling questions challenge the client to magnify their view of the current circumstance (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). Solution-focused therapy is also different from narrative and collaborative therapy because the counselor leads the counseling session. Counselors lay out clear expectations for their clients to change, and expect them to actively participate in counseling so change occurs. The third difference between the three approaches is that solution-focused therapy is complaint-based, while narrative and collaborative therapy is not (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). Clients come to counseling with a complaint, and counselors typically work with those who ready and willing to change. Another difference is that solution-focused therapy consists of five steps, which are “co-constructing a problem and goal, identifying and amplifying exceptions, assigning tasks, evaluating effectiveness, and reevaluating problems and goals” (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013, p. 382). Collaborative and narrative therapy do not follow these five

Narrative therapy is guided by the idea that people’s lives have dominant storylines and people get stuck in problem-saturated stories (Morgan, 2000). When these dominant storylines begin to emerge, individuals will remember events that support the storyline, and forget events that don’t (Kelley, 2011, p. 317). The Brice family’s problem-saturated story when they presented to therapy

This paper will look at the logic of narrative therapy by focusing on 5 major points. This paper will begin by discussing how the narrative approach defines and perceives problems. It will address how narrative therapy views the nature of the relationship between the client and the professional. This paper will look at how problems are solved using the narrative approach. It will also focus on three main techniques used in narrative therapy, which will include externalization, deconstruction and re-authoring. This paper will also include a short narrative critique of the medical model.

The premise of narrative therapy was developed as a way of removing the blame in sessions. This could allow the opportunity in hopes of gaining empowerment within the client. Narrative therapy is thought of as more of a collaboration between the therapist and the client to allow recognition of his or her natural competencies, expertise and unique skills that one possesses. By practicing the narrative therapy process it is conceived that the client can then return with a sort of plan or outline that can assist in guiding them towards more productive and hopeful positive changes within their lives. Humans are generally viewed as separate entities from that of their own issues at hand. This being said, humans take their problems and have way of either blaming themselves directly or tossing it to another directly, instead of matching the issues with the symptoms. We as humans need reasons for everything in order to compartmentalize our situations. It is just how humans are naturally wired.

The research complied for this report was gathered from various Journals dedicated to the discourse surrounding the practices of narrative therapy and family therapy. Search terms used to collect relevant articles were ‘narrative therapy’, ‘Michael White’ and ‘externalising’. The results from these terms were extensive and required narrowing further by way of peer reviewed status, content type and discipline. Data gathered was then critically analysed to explicate firstly, the socially constructed knowledge surrounding the process of narrative therapy, and the technique of

Narrative therapy emerged from postconstructuralism and deconstruction (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2008). “Poststructural thought rejects the notions that there is a deep structure to all phenomena and that its complexity can be broken down to its elements” (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2008, p. 367). Therapy must look for deep, underlying causes, repair the flaw and not be satisfied with simply reducing or eliminating symptoms. Deconstructing old notions and replacing them with possibilities reduces the power of the stories that dominate and are filled with problems (Goldenberg & Goldenberg). The stories are given thick descriptions rather than thin descriptions and the new story of a client’s life is connected to future options.

Typical day scenario: The therapist asks the family to describe their typical day in depth. This works well with young children because they can disclose things without being directly asked. Additionally, it can be used to imagine a positive day in which the problem does not exist. I utilize this technique often because it incorporates narrative and experiential theories. The clients build upon their current situation but are encouraged to author a story that does not have the problem as the center of the story. This introduces a unique outcome to the system that the clients may not have previously

Narrative family therapy (NFT) is a postmodern, collaborative therapy approach that characterizes a family’s problem story as only one of many possible narratives (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013, p. 395). David Epston and Michael White founded NFT as a natural outcome of their work in anthropology, social work, and family therapy (Morgan, 2000, p. v). Narrative family therapists adhere to the deconstructionist notion that no absolute truth exists, that people’s narratives are not just about their lives, but are their lives, and that these narratives organize and maintain multiple realities from which to choose (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013, p. 395). This paper briefly describes the narrative approach to family therapy, including conditions needed for change to occur; the main goals of therapy; the therapist’s role; and the narrative view of multiculturalism. A case study illustrating NFT is provided.

Narrative therapy is a social constructive philosophical approach to psychotherapy that has been developed to help clients deconstruct their negative and self-defeating life stories while rebuilding healthy and positive life stories through the use of various techniques. This paper will discuss the leading figures, some concepts and techniques, ethics, some similarities and dissimilarities of other theories compared to Narrative therapy. This paper will also address my personal integration of faith regarding the theory of Narrative therapy.

‘Clients often are able to provide a theory or an idea of cause, blaming past experiences for behaviors of which they are ashamed. The therapist listens to their explanations however are concerned more with their willingness to accept responsibility for their future behavior and the achievement for their attainable goals’ (Milner & O Byrne, P162). Furthermore, by ‘Acknowledging the clients paradoxical strategies have the effect of empowering clients of their perfectly valid cautious, more fearful concerns about change and leaving them to operate out of their arguments as to why change should be attempted’ (Cade, B. p156).

This particular group also incorporated different practise frameworks, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and narrative therapy to help group members successfully understand their goals and the resources needed to attain those goals. Based on the literature, CBT is a goal-directed and semi-structured therapy that seeks to change negative thinking patterns and reduce maladaptive behaviours to promote socio-emotional well-being (CUCARO, 2017). This framework is evident within the facilitated role-play activities (i.e. 05:25-06:50) that encouraged members to walk through a scenario and identify their thoughts, feelings, and bodily responses. This CBT activity gave group members the opportunity to critically analyze their own coping strategies (successful or otherwise) as well as receive feedback from other members around what worked well and what alternatives could be implemented in a safe setting. This psycho-educational group also utilized a narrative therapy model, “in which people are encouraged to recount their stories as related to the circumstances at hand…” (Roberts & Yeager, 2006; White, 1989). During the check-in of the 6th session, each group member was encouraged to share their narrative of how the prior week had gone and whether they were successful in completing

Systemic therapy was based on Minuchin’s Structural Therapy model (1968) followed by Bateson's cybernetic model (1972) The first order cybernetic model considerd that problems within a family system should be focused on by strategically solving problems, meeting family goals and help change a person's dysfunctional behaviour. D Shazer (1985). These concepts in Systemic therapy were known as the major paradigms and were taught by therapists such as Minuchin in Milan until the information-processing systems were introduced. They were characterized by the therapist's observation of the system from the external social world. Minuchin S & Fisherman,HC (1981)

Narrative counseling seeks to be respectful and a non-blaming approach to counseling; the client is the expert of his or her own life. Similar to Client Centered Therapy in which the client has the innate ability to self-actualize without the direction of the therapist. Additionally, Narrative Counseling separates the client from their problem and believes that he/she has the resources to face the problems in their lives. Client Centered Therapy also focuses on the client and separates the client