Narrative therapy has been around for a while but it is still something that many people don’t know anything about. This blog will look at the different elements that make up narrative therapy and how it can be used to help individuals in their lives.

What is narrative therapy?

Narrative therapy helps people to explore their lives and their relationships with others. It is a collaborative process that is designed to help people to recognize the stories they tell themselves, and to create new stories to replace the old ones. Narrative therapy is a form of psychotherapy. It was created by social-worker and psychotherapist Michael White and psychiatrist David Epston in the late 1980s. They argued that the views of what counts as reality are created by socialization and are then maintained by organizations and institutions. When individuals are caught up in a particular story and their conceptions of reality fall short of what is happening in their lives, then it becomes necessary for them to change the story.

Narrative therapy emphasizes the social, cultural, and personal stories that people tell themselves and others about who they are and how they live. Narrative therapists work with clients to understand the stories they tell about themselves and their lives and to “re-author” them in a way that helps them live full lives.

The Stages of Narrative Therapy

The process is a series of stages that helps people understand their narrative and the narrative of others.

The stages of narrative therapy can broadly contain:
1. The therapist and the client work together to create a story about the client’s life or the period of life in question. This story is not necessarily the client’s life story, but it is a story that the client feels comfortable telling.
2. The therapist and the client work to feel what the core issue is to the story as told.
3. The therapist and the client create a scene that is central and pivotal to the story. This can involve a reenactment for the client to experience a different outcome, or a reenactment for the client to experience how he or she feels about the other characters.
4. The central character in the story is reframed in terms of the core issue. This uses the feelings identified in the previous stage.
5. The consequences of this reframing are explored. The client imagines his or her life after the problem has been reworked.
6. The therapist and the client work together to create a new story in which the client’s problems are dealt with in the way that the client wants them to be dealt with.
7. The therapist and the client work together to see if there are any obstacles to the client’s obtaining what he or she wants. Based on the obstacles a reenactment is created to show the client dealing with the obstacle in a new way.
8. The therapist and the client work together to see if the client is satisfied with the new outcome and the obstacles. If not, the reenactment is repeated.

It’s important to remember that the stages will run differently for each individual and can differ based on their ability and willingness to participate and the skills and experience of the therapist.

How narrative therapy can be used?

Numerous studies have shown that narrative therapy can be used to help people with a wide range of issues. It can be used to help people with depression, anxiety, and even addiction.

It does not focus on the past, but instead on the present and future. It is a form of psychotherapy that helps people understand the meaning of their lives. It also helps them think about their relationships, jobs, and other issues.

The goal of narrative therapy is to help people improve their lives by changing the stories they tell themselves. People may tell stories, both conscious and unconscious, that keep them from living up to their potential.

How narrative therapy is different from other forms of therapy. 

Narrative therapy is a form of therapy that helps people by having them talk about their life experiences. It differs from other forms of therapy because it focuses on the different meanings people can derive from their life experiences.

This therapy is different from other forms of treatment because it is not about solving problems. It is about exploring the stories that make up a person’s life. The therapist does not offer advice or try to fix anything. Instead, they help the person find their own solutions to their problems.

It is a form of therapy that helps people by having them talk about their life experiences.  In comparison, in cognitive-behavioural and psycho-dynamic therapies the focus is to discover the hidden meaning behind the behaviour. Narrative therapists work with the stories people tell themselves, not just the experience itself.

How narrative therapy benefits individuals.

Narrative therapy is a type of psychotherapy that helps people to explore the stories they have about themselves and the world. We use our stories to make sense of our past, present, and future. We use our stories to reassure, console, motivate and guide ourselves and others. We use our stories to imagine and plan for the future. But the stories we tell about ourselves and the world are rarely entirely factual. They are often edited to fit with our preferred self-image, or designed to make ourselves feel better. We use stories to put a positive spin on things, to put a negative spin on things, and sometimes to cover up things that don’t fit with our preferred image of ourselves.

Narrative therapy is a great way to help people understand their problems and find solutions.  The goal of this therapy is to help people identify the underlying problems and work to solve them.

Hopefully, this blog has helped you understand how narrative therapy works. If you know of anyone that would benefit from a narrative therapy approach, please feel free to contact us anytime. We would be more than happy to schedule a consultation for them or to discuss how we can help them. If you want to learn more about narrative therapy, you can contact us anytime at 08 87251843. Thank you for reading, we hope to hear from you soon!