Overview of Narrative therapy Narrative therapy was developed Michael White and David Epston. It is said to be an approach to family therapy that is built on the belief that reality is constructed, organized and maintained through the stories we create. (Corsini & Wedding, 2008) According to Corey’s key terms and definitions narrative therapy is “a postmodern approach that is based on the therapist’s personal characteristics that allow for creating a climate that encourages clients to see their stories from different perspectives.
Grounded in a philosophical framework, narrative practices assist clients in finding new meanings and ew possibilities in their lives. ” (Corey, 2014) The viewpoint of narrative therapy is that people are stuck in their problems because of the stories they have created. It is made up of the idea that people have many interacting narratives that go into making up their sense of who they are. Narrative therapy is a method of therapy which encourages persons to externalize their presenting problem or issue and become separate from it making it easier for them to deal with it.
Personal experiences are changed into personal stories that are given meaning by the person telling the story. It shapes and forms the person’s dentity. Being able to tell a story is a way of helping the client to describe the presenting problem. (REF) According to Alice Morgan, Narrative therapy is a respectful and non-blaming approach to counselling with the patient being the expert in his or her life. The problem is viewed as separate from the patient and assumes that the person has skills such as beliefs, values, commitments and capabilities that can assist them in reducing the effect and influence of the problem in their life. Morgan, 2000)
The main goal of narrative therapy is to help the client move from the problem-saturated narratives to preferred tories. It allows the client to define and describe their experiences in a renewed language. (Corey, 2014) Narrative therapy has three assumptions. The first being that the client is the expert in their own life. They are skilled and have the abilities, values, and competencies that can assist the client to change their relationship with the problem influencing them. The second assumption is that the person is not the problem but that the problem is the problem.
The person is separate from the problem but in a relationship with the problem. The problem is personified and examined. The third assumption is hat the problem is situated within a cultural and relational context. (REF) Overview of Feminist Therapy 225words 10marks Feminist therapy grew out of influences of the women’s movement of the late 1960s and no one theorist can be named the originator of this therapy. The core of all feminist theories is that all men and women should be equal politically, socially and economically. Applicability of chosen therapies: Applicability of Narrative therapy in a multicultural context 212words 12. marks It is important for a counsellor to be aware of the difference in cultures when counselling a client from a ifferent culture as different things have different meanings and interpretations in narratives.
According to Corey 2014, the effective application of narrative therapy is largely dependent on the therapist’s attitude and perspective than on the techniques. There is no set formula that a narrative therapist should follow to guarantee positive results. (Corey, 2014). Narrative therapy is grounded in a sociocultural context which makes this approach especially applicable for counselling culturally diverse clients.
Narrative therapists function on the idea that problems are recognized within social, cultural, olitical and interpersonal frameworks rather than within the individual. Therapists are very much concerned with considering the specifications of gender, ethnicity, race, disability, sexual orientation, social class, and spirituality and religion as therapeutic issues. (Corey, 2014) According to my understanding, narrative therapy is applicable in a multicultural context as it allows clients to explore their own story in their own cultural context.
Applicability of Feminist therapy in a multicultural context 212words 12. words Benefits of chosen therapies: Benefits of narrative therapy in past and present issues I have aced Strengths of narrative therapy are that the client tends to resist less with questions. Collaboration with families. Look for client’s strengths (unique outcomes). Pays attention to the influence of contexts such as culture or politics. Considers societal and environmental influences. For me, I have found that narrative therapy has been beneficial to me in the past. At the age of fifteen years, I was sexually assaulted by a family member and later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
During my therapy, I was encouraged to share what had happened as if I was telling a story. In that way, I did not eel that the issue was a part of me at the time of telling the story so giving myself the opportunity to externalize the problem and find many different paths to take in tackling it. It was easier to talk about what had happened when I told the story thus viewing it from a different perspective. I was also able to decide on my own which parts of my story I wanted to leave behind and thus moving forward and becoming a survivor and creating a new story.
The focus point of my therapy was that the problems I was dealing with had stemmed from the external event, being the rape incident, but I was not denied that the roblems arising from the incident had affected me. perspective of the presenting problem had been narrow before beginning with the therapy process and thereafter I was able to separate myself from the problem and view it from another perspective. I had learned during my therapy sessions that I had the power over my problematic issues, I did not have to feel guilty and ashamed as my presenting problems was caused by an external occurrence.
The rape was not something I had control over, it happened and I now had the opportunity to speak about it and move forward. M y Benefits of feminist therapy in past and present issues I have aced 225words 10marks Weaknesses addressed in chosen psychotherapies: No approach to psychotherapy is perfect or without limitations. Possible weaknesses of narrative therapy 225words 10marks With narrative therapy being a relatively new therapy compared to traditional psychotherapies there isn’t much scientific research making the therapy perceived as a less effective therapeutic approach and appear less valuable than other psychotherapies.
Narrative therapy lacks focus on feelings. It ignores the relationship between symptoms and family i. e. systemic thinking. Therapy is not concerned with the problem atterns produced by family but with how the problem affects the problem. (Corsini & Wedding, 2008) Not all clients want the therapist taking the not-knowing stance in therapy. Some clients may feel the need for direction and guidance from the therapist. Especially with clients who are less articulate.
Also with clients who are cognitive, intellectually and linguistically limited it would prove more difficult communicating their story effectively and efficiently. (ref) Sometimes the relationship bond between client and therapist can get lost between all the questions being asked. (ref) Another possible weakness is when adding family embers to therapy it creates additional stories of the same events so there is the creation of competing stories or dominant stories which cause the problem of too many views of the problem which can devoid the narrative of any hope. Worden, 2003)
Possible weaknesses of feminist therapy 225words 10marks Conclusion preferred approach or should approach be used together 425words 15marks Narrative therapy assumes that we live our life out by a certain script. We do this for many different reasons. It might be something that is familiar (so maybe a family pattern possibly), it could be something that makes us eel comfortable or worthy or it may, in fact, put us in the position of the victim in order to get recognition and possibly love.
It varies – but we all have our reasons and I think to look at alternate stories in our life or look at the story we have created for ourselves can sometimes be very difficult to admit to. a form of therapy, in which one’s difficulties are seen as part of their ‘life story’. It sees each client as the narrator of their own life and tries to help clients to reconstruct their story in order to live more fulfilled lives. Situations of abuse weave such complicated tories and often times they are so difficult to understand.
The emotional pain – especially when it happens at such a young age distorts one’s view of reality. The internal world can be in real chaos. What is important is how people view themselves in their story and which story they choose to be their dominant story. What stands out for me about narrative therapy, is the externalization of the problem. When I applied it to my own problems I felt so much in control and it made me feel that I don’t have to ‘tolerate’ the problem, I can actually do something about it. I think it is a very effective approach especially in ealing with daily life challenges.
I also think that narrative therapy plays a role in the process of self-actualisation as one gets into the mode of not identifying themselves according to their problems but rising above their problems and focusing on their own strengths as individuals and making the best of what is referred to as ‘bad situations. This approach requires certain skills and personal attributes for it to be effective. The questioning aspect of the therapy if not done properly can be interpreted by the client as an interrogation session and not a collaboration with the therapist.
I also like the fact that for once a client is given a chance to tell their story as they see it without being influenced by fear or worry of being judged. It is definitely not a simple process as it may appear on paper. I personally love the idea of narrative therapy. Sometimes the best way to explain something is a story, and I believe that everyone has one. After trying to think about what my untold story was| learned more about myself, a lot of things started to make more sense now. I think narrative therapy would also be perfect when working with a variety of different client’s;, especially children.
I feel that getting a child to tell their story could be a helpful way for them to open up; a helpful way for all clients to open up. I also think it would depend on the problem of the client whether narrative therapists would place focus on psychopathology. I think it would be dependent on what the client reveals in their story. I think that narrative therapy was initially created as a therapy that does not really focus that much on pathology, but a client could reveal something that happened to them when they were younger; which might help explain a psychological problem they may have now.
Narrative therapy I think could be the start of helping treat mental disorders. Looking back to my childhood, almost everything was understood through stories. Stories were always called upon to make things understandable. I believe narrative therapy is able to achieve that for both individuals who are struggling to deal with personal issues and to those dealing with contingencies that require them to improvise, change direction and reformulating meanings. Do you think Narrative therapists would place much focus on psychopathology? I believe the two can be incorporated depending on the problem.
A life story could reveal an incredible amount of information as to how certain factors (environmental, social etc. ) can possibly cause the onset of mental disorders. You could, in fact, combine the two, use narrative therapy to gain background information while also systematically treating the patient. For the large part, however, I think narrative therapy is better used for treatment purposes and not study purposes. I think it is extremely beneficial with regards to helping people understand their own story , values, and beliefs.
Narrative therapy is based on the belief that people are the experts of their own lives and that they actually have the skills to reduce the influence that the problems have on their lives Children have wishes and fantasies and often think or dream about how things could be different for them. Retelling a story also doesn’t have to be with words, it can (and is usually through play). A child’s play is their story and through the course of therapy the narrative changes and their role changes.
It is so interesting to see. one doesn’t even need to be able to talk to create a narrative and explore their story. like the idea of narrative therapy since I have always believed that no one should be judged. Everyone comes with a story, and it is easy to judge people according to your own values and beliefs, also keeping in mind that your own values and beliefs are shaped by your perception of social construct. I have always tried to listen to people and find out their perception of the situation/story and not push down my perception. This has always worked well and left people feeling that they can talk to me without being judged and forced to do things that society expects from them.
