Narrative Analysis : Narrative 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.

Narrative therapy is way in which a therapist can help externalize sensitive issues, by allowing the client to take the reigns by talking through it outload with the therapist as the active listener. This objectification dissolves struggle and resistances and allows the client to address this issue in a more productive manner.

Why is externalising a central technique in narrative therapy today, and what are the limitations and successes of this technique?

The client met with his counselor on 05/06/2017 for his one on one session to discuss his treatment plan goals. the client has been on track with his goals and is working on his second step. the client discuss one of the things that his currently working on and that is acceptance. the client explained that he is having a hard time acceptance certain situations and things that happen in his life, and most of the time it result in him resulting to using drugs. the client as well talked about being disappointed in himself for relapsing after two years of being sober. the client reported that he didn't use the tools that were given to him from his last his was in the program, getting a sponsor and learning coping skills. the client reported that

The authors of narrative therapy are Michael White and David Epston in the 1970s and 1980s. It was created to separate the person from the problem, and therefore encourage individuals to utilize their own skills to resolve or minimize the problem. Narrative therapy is non-pathologizing; it is an empowering, collaborative type of therapy. Rather than transforming a person, narrative therapy aims to transform the effects of the problem. People are viewed separate from their problems which are transformed into personal stories giving a person meaning and identity into discovering the life’s purpose of the problem (Dulwich Centre - A Gateway to narrative therapy and community work, 2014).

There are various types of interventions utilized by narrative therapist. The intervention used will depend on the therapist and the client. The following are just a few of the interventions that are at a narrative therapist disposal.

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.

This paper is going to look into two models of intervention that Ben and I think might help him cope with things going on in his every day life. The two that we have chosen are Cognitive-behavioral therapy and Narrative therapy. We will look into both of these and also as we do that we will find out what the role of the social worker is in both cases.

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)

Based on influences from Foucault and other scholars, narrative therapy assumes that the stories people tell and the language that they use play a role in their interpersonal and intrapersonal problems (Mattingly, 1998). The stories that cultures tell about such concepts as gender, class and race influence members views on the meaning behind these concepts. Because of external influences, when a client brings up a problem it is not the problem itself that needs to be examined. Instead, the client is being affected by their own framing of the problem. The stories that people tell themselves are shaped by society and can become problematic when a client feels that they no longer have control over their own story (Ross & Shapiro, 2002).

Narrative therapy is one of the post-modern therapies used today. Narrative therapy helps individuals identify their values, skills, and knowledge they have to effectively face problems in their lives. The key ideas of narrative therapy are: people’s stories give meaning to their lives, stories are shaped by emotional themes, a person’s story shapes his/her personality, people seek counseling when their stories do not match their lived experiences, and people who have less social power benefit greatly from Narrative Counseling. The concern is with meaning making and there is an emphasis on mindfulness and positive psychology. The process of Narrative therapy starts in the initial stage exploring the client’s issues. It then transitions into the insight stage to a deeper understanding of the issues. The insight stage is followed by the action stage, where the client and therapist work to change the story and therefore change the outcome. Lastly, there is the termination phase.