8 - Narrative Therapy

Question 1

Narrative school of therapy

Answer 1

• dev by Michael White and David Eptson
• concerned with the ways ppl construct meanings rather than the ways they behave
• therapists helps clients re-examine the stories of their lives and re-examine unhelpful influences of various cultural values

Question 2

Theoretical formulations

Answer 2

• the main focus on narrative therapy is that people interpret their experience has a powerful influence on their lives
• Michael White - used constructivism to explain how ppl re-author their life
• ppl’s problems are seen as a product of the stories they hold about themselves - which often come from oppressive cultural practices
• narrative is designed to help free people from feeling like victims of their problems
• therapists form collaborative, strengths-orientated relationships with families, focusing on the effects problems have on them, getting families to explore times when the problems didn’t dominate them

Question 3

Normal family dev

Answer 3

• narrative therapists - avoid judgements about what is normal or not, argue for the elimination of problems, include diagnosis and systems concepts such as rigid boundaries, enmeshment etc. They try not to make assumptions.

Question 4

Dev of behaviour disorders

Answer 4

• when ppl tell themselves stories they construe their experience in unhelpful ways
• when these stories are told, they make ppl feel powerless and encourages them to act and relate to others - which makes them as prey to more problems

Question 5

Goals

Answer 5

• goal of narrative therapy - help ppl deconstruct the oppressive stories so they are empowered
• ppl need to be helped to identify and separate themselves from the problem-saturated stories

Question 6

Therapeutic techniques

Answer 6

• main technique is re-storying
• the benefit is that ppl realise that some of the things that oppress them are based on unhelpful cultural values
• once they have begun to think and act in more effective ways - the narrative therapist helps them to reconnect with ppl who will share their new and more positive view of themselves

Question 7

Questioning style

Answer 7

• when the members change their perc on the problem, the therapists asks questions on how the change affected their stories about themselves and each other. In this way, problems are taken aback and clients re-author their self or family story.

Question 8

Letter writing as a technique

Answer 8

• epston and white - the use of letters in therapy
• these post-session letters convey a deep appreciation of what the client has endured, the outline of their new story and the therapist’s confidence in their ability to continue to progress.