Outline of Major Family Therapy Theory
Narrative/Solution Focused Therapy
Alexandria, Jessica, Meika, Rafaela, Sophia,Larissa
LEADERS:
ASSUMPTIONS:
CONCEPTS:
GOALS OF THERAPY:
Jill Freedman, MSW
Gene Combs, MD
Michael White- Adelaide, Australia
David Epston- Auckland, New Zealand
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People create meaning from life
events based on the “story” they
have about it
This “story” is based on dominant
and local discourses
People experience “problems”
when their personal life doesn’t fit
with dominant discourses and
social expectations
It is important to separate the
person from the problem,
externalizing the problem
ROLE OF THE THERAPIST:
The role of the therapist is to help your
client find their voice and tell their story
in their own words. According to the
philosophy behind narrative therapy,
storytelling is how we make meaning
and find purpose in our own experience
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Therapist maintains unwavering
hope and optimist
Meets person separate from
problem
-Cultural, social and political factors are
enmeshed with the issues people bring
to therapy
-Help clients enact their preferred
realities and identities, considering local
knowledges rather than adopting the
values of the dominant culture
-Increase client’s sense of agency
ASSESSMENT:
-Therapists listen for the problem
saturated story
-Therapist attends to how the problem
affects the client at an individual level
and relational level as well as how it
affects each of these significant others
at a personal level
-Therapist listens closely for alternative
endings and subplots in which the
problem is less of a problem (unique
outcomes)
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Uses externalizing language to
further separate person from
problem
Co author and co editor - therapist
adds new layers to client story,
does not attempt to rewrite client
story, by getting all of the
information and looking out for
sparkling moments and unique
outcomes
Therapist acts with intense
curiosity
Therapist is not above or expert to
the client. Therapist continuously
promotes client agency and
autonomy
Therapist asks permission and
gains client consent to discuss
different topics to further client
sense of agency
INTERVENTIONS:
-Witnessing as an intervention:
-Positioning the witnesses / Witnessing
as a friend / Other witnessing positions /
-Helping people stay in a witnessing
position.
-Externalizing problems
-Externalizing strengths & Preferences
-Relational Externalizing
-Therapist listens for dominant and local
discourses that have informed the
development and perception of a
problem
CHANGE:
Externalizing, enacting, and solidifying.
Externalize the problem as being not
part of the person but separate from
them. Use language and questioning to
help the client begin to understand their
problem as being separate and distinct
making it easier to reflect on it. Enacting
involves identifying what their preferred
narrative is. Finally, the therapist helps
to solidify and strengthen those
preferred narratives, this prevents
regression back to old narratives and
commitment to new ones.
TERMINATION:
SELF OF THE THERAPIST:
CRITIQUE:
RESOURCES:
-Near the end of treatment, the client will
write out their life story which includes
the threads of the accumulating
narratives that have been uncovered in
the therapy space.
-The client will share the story with a
willing witness and process it together
with the therapist.
-Termination includes reflection on
identified narratives and how to integrate
teachings from therapy into the individual
or families life.
-Narrative Therapy creates space for
personalization based on identity sets.
Narrative Therapy pivots on a client's
personal stories informed by identity and
society therefore narrative therapy is a good
choice for clients and families with diverse
identity sets.
-Narrative Therapy coexists with feminist
therapy as it uses context from societal
teachings and helps bring awareness to
harmful narratives that may have been
internalized.
-Narrative Therapy is respectful in the sense
that it externalizes the problem from the
person therefore avoids risks of attributing
certain issues to specific populations.
Must exhibit optimism and hope
Co-Author and Co-Editor: therapist and
client engage in a joint process of
constructing meaning (therapist does
not rewrite client story)
Investigative reporter: Intense curiosity,
therapist aims to know all details of the
story
Knowing the person apart from the
problem. Building a genuine relationship
with the person, apart from any of their
presenting issues.
https://dulwichcentre.com.au/
The Dulwich Centre:
We are involved in narrative therapy,
community work, training, publishing,
supporting practitioners in different parts
of the world, and co-hosting
international conferences.
Maps of Narrative Practice by Michael
White
Narrative Therapy: Making Meaning,
Making Lives by Catrina Brown
There are an array of resources
available on:
http://www.narrativeapproaches.com/
https://dulwichcentre.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Witnessing-and-positioning-Structurin
g-narrative-therapy-with-families-and-couples-by-Jill-Freedman.pdf