narrative therapy

Question 1

basics of narrative therapy

Answer 1

-No “family” in the name.
-Michael White, David Epston, Jeff Zimmerman, Vicki Dickerson, Galveston Group
-The perfect expression of the post modern revolution—interested in the way people construct meaning rather than how they behave.
-Michael White combined his interest in Bateson (how people construe the world) and Foucault (the dehumanizing effect of institutions and expert discourse).

Question 2

what does narrative mean

Answer 2

Focuses on client’s understanding and experience, thus, expanding attention to allow the consideration of alternative ways of looking at themselves and their problems.

Question 3

problem in narrative therapy

Answer 3

• The focus is more in the individual, but Narrative examines the problem’s impact on the family.

Question 4

goal of narrative therapy

Answer 4

People need to construct new, more positive stories about themselves.
-How people got caught in this problem stricken story of themselves, separate them from their story

The therapy involves deconstructing their unproductive stories—separate people from their problem-saturated stories. Find unique outcomes.

Question 5

facets of therapy

Answer 5

-Extent to which the family acts “as if” problems are certainties.
-Problem-saturated stories can be destabilized.
-Deconstruction—External conversations
-Externalizing the problem, problem is a blob, who are you when the blob is not around
-Reconstruction– Re-authoring one’s story
-We all need to examine our dominate stories and determine alternate stories to replace them.

Question 6

explain externalizing

Answer 6

-It challenges people as to who is responsible for the problem.
-It liberates people.
-What is this story doing to your picture of yourself as a person?
-How is your belief in “worthlessness” (or another problem-saturated story) affecting how others see you?
-Map the influence of the dominate story (deconstruct that identity)
-Remove problem from identity so the problem is not their identity

Question 7

explain reconstructing

Answer 7

Unique Outcomes
-how could this positive thing have happened if the Dominate Story well totally true?

History of Unique Outcomes
-Who, in your past, would have challenged the problem-saturated version of you?

Question 8

explain revisionary therapist

Answer 8

Neutral
-Not taking on power position, being open to who they are, being gentle

Curious

Compassionate

Everything is information

Go with resistance

Watch for strengths

Give permission to “not know”

Maintain gender sensitive stance

Question 9

explain special tools

Answer 9

-Recruit an audience for new story
-Write letters to significant others with a re-storying to reduce the impact of the old story on others.

Inoculate against disappointment

Use a reflective team as an audience to appreciate the new story.
-Team would be watching therapy and only thinking about positive connotations, what are people trying to do that is an attempt to service the family
-Was not always clinically effective, they reflected on these things but they were unsure how to change

Question 10

explain Minuchin article

Answer 10

-Therapists do know something and I want to see if this is useful to you, rather than I know something and I want to teach you
-Not just us asking them questions and them doing all the work
-For real authenticity, it is important to have a reaction to the things that you have a reaction to
-Therapists become too powerful with MRI and Milan, family therapy blew up, led to constructivists and narrative, Minuchin spoke, and led us to where we are now, somewhere in the middle