NARRATIVE THERAPY
HISTORY
DEVELOPED IN THE 80’S
FAMILY THERAPISTS - MICHAEL WHITE (AUSTRALIA) & DAVID EPSTON (NEW ZEALAND) WHITES TRAINING WAS IN SW
RELATIVELY NEW TO US
INTRODUCED IN 1990
BECAME PREVALENT WITH THE PUBLICATION OF THEIR BOOK -NARRATIVE MEANS TO THERAPEUTIC ENDS
CONSTRUCTIVISM
NARRATIVE APPROACH BORROWS FROM CONSTRUCTIVISM - PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE WHICH ARGUES THAT HUMANS CONSTRUCT KNOWLEDGE AND MEANING FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES - SUCH AS PIAGET’S LEARNING THEORIES
CONSTRUCTIVISM IS BEST VIEWED AS A “META THEORY” ENCOMPASSING MANY LATE 20TH CENTURY DEVELOPMENTS - INCLUDING PSYCHOANALYSIS, EXISTENTIAL-HUMANISTIC, CBT, AND FAMILY SYSTEMS
BASIC ASSUMPTIONS
MOTTO - THE PERSON IS NOT THE PROBLEM. THE PERSON HAS THE PROBLEM OR THE PROBLEM IS THE PROBLEM.
A PROBLEM IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE AND DOES NOT DEFINE WHO YOU ARE
NARRATIVE APPROACH HOLDS THAT OUR IDENTITIES ARE SHAPED BY OUR STORIES (NARRATIVES), EITHER UNIQUELY OR CULTURALLY
EACH OF US FILTERS AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF INFORMATION
WE ARRANGE OUR LIVES INTO SEQUENCES TO DEVELOP A DOMINATE STORY LINE TO ASCRIBE MEANING TO OUR LIVES -BY ORGANIZING WHAT WE SEE, HEAR, FEEL AND REMEMBER INTO MEANINGFUL STORIES
NARRATIVE STRUCTURING IS A SELECTIVE PROCESS BASED ON OUR OWN BIASES - WE REMEMBER WHAT WE FIND INTERESTING, IMPORTANT AND CONSISTENT WITH OUR BELIEFS, EXPECTATIONS, AND PREJUDICES
LIKEWISE, WE IGNORE , FORGET, OR MINIMIZE THING THAT ARE CONTRARY TO OUR WORLD VIEW
CERTAIN EVENTS MAY BE IMAGINED OR EXAGGERATED TO FILL IN THE GAPS OF THE STORY
NARRATIVE THERAPY USED MAINLY BY CLINICAL SW’S, FAMILY THERAPIST AND PSYCHOLOGISTS W/GRADUATE DEGREES
IT REQUIRES A CONSCIOUS USE OF SELF
TRANSFERENCE/COUNTERTRANSFERENCE ARE CONSIDERED IMPORTANT ISSUES - NARRATIVE THERAPIST NEED TO BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THEIR OWN ISSUES, VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES TO KEEP THEM SEPARATE FROM THOSE OF THE CLIENTS
THE CLIENT’S HISTORY AND REALITY ARE...