Narrative Therapy In Family Therapy

1016 Words3 Pages

Stories are created over time through our attempts to connect events in our experiences and derive meaning from them (Morgan, 2000). Maya Angelou once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Narrative methodologies assume that individuals have a various set of skills, capabilities, beliefs, values, and commitments that will assist them in reducing the influence of troubles in their lives. During the practice of narrative therapy the client is encouraged to deconstruct and critically appraise their story in search for new meanings (White & Epston, 1990). White (2000) believed that if one can change the way they describe their lives and the events within, there will be a change for the better. Intervention Overview Narrative therapy, a newer approach to family therapy, was initially developed in the late 1970s by Australian family therapists, Michael White and David Epston. …show more content…

In narrative therapy, the therapist is a collaborator or consultant; clients are the true experts on their lives (Carr, 1998). Therapists who utilize narrative therapy work with clients from all walks of life with an array of conditions. Narrative therapy can be used to help children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. It can also be a beneficial intervention for couples, families, and community settings. The problems and disorders that may benefit from this therapeutic approach include, but aren’t limited to family conflict and marital concerns, mood disorders like anxiety and depression, loss and grief, childhood conduct problems, anger management, trauma, substance abuse and addiction. Carr (1998) credits narrative therapy for covering a vast amount of areas because the main goal of this intervention is to help the client deconstruct the problem-saturated dominant story and to thereby create opportunities to choose among other, more preferred

Open Document