Narrative Therapy and Family Therapy

1312 Words3 Pages

Research Question Why is externalising a central technique in narrative therapy today, and what are the limitations and successes of this technique? Research The research complied for this report was gathered from various Journals dedicated to the discourse surrounding the practices of narrative therapy and family therapy. Search terms used to collect relevant articles were ‘narrative therapy’, ‘Michael White’ and ‘externalising’. The results from these terms were extensive and required narrowing further by way of peer reviewed status, content type and discipline. Data gathered was then critically analysed to explicate firstly, the socially constructed knowledge surrounding the process of narrative therapy, and the technique of externalising. Secondly, any discrepancies or conflicts in the discourse related to the application of the externalising technique. And lastly, the successes, efficacy, and limitations of externalising as a technique. There was no primary research conducted in the process of compiling this report. Literature Review Narrative therapy was introduced to the family therapy field in the late 1980’s by therapists Michael White and David Epston (Matos et al. 2009, p.89). A philosophy of narrative therapy is that everyone has a story to tell which is bound by the socially constructed knowledge within their cultural setting, and this story can be better interpreted by contextualising it according to the individual’s language, social, political and cultural situation (Combs & Freedman 2012, p.1036; Etchison & Kleist 2000, p.61; Fernandez 2010, p.16). The narrative is then reduced to the theme which is determined as a problematic element within the story, and perceived internally as a dominating power (Mascher 2... ... middle of paper ... ...ncalves, Miguel, Martins, Carla (2009), ‘Innovative moments and change in narrative therapy’, Psychotherapy Research, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 68-80. Phipps, Warwick, Vorster, Charl (2011), ‘Narrative therapy: A return to the intrapsychic perspective?’, Journal of Family Psychotherapy, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 128-147. Ramey, Heather L, Tarulli, Donato, Frijters, Jan C, Fisher, Lianne (2009), ‘A sequential analysis of externalising in narrative therapy with children’, Contemporary Family Therapy, no. 31, 2009, pp. 262-279. Strong, Tom (2008), ‘Externalising questions: a micro-analytic look at their use in narrative therapy’, The International Journal of Narrative Therapy & Community Work, no. 3, 2008, pp. 59-71. Walsh, William M, Keenan, Robert (1997), ‘Narrative Family Therapy’, The Family Journal: Counselling and Therapy for Couples and Families, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 332-336.

Show More
Related

  • Structural Theory and Solution-Focused Brief Theory

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gladding, S. T. (2010). Family therapy: History, theory, and practice (5th Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson

    Read More

  • Case Conceptualization And Treatment Planning Essay

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...Therapy approach in counseling Chris was asked precise questions; which lead to externalizing the problems. During the questioning Chris is able to identify his problems that relate to his behavior. Chris explores his behaviors, his life, relationships their effects, their meanings, and the context in which they are formed (Murdock

    Read More

  • Experiential Family Therapy Analysis

    263 Words  | 1 Pages

    I found that Virginia Satir’s Experiential Family Therapy is the most interesting and important theory for especially youth. Family has a strong connection to youth’s mental condition. I strongly agree that Satir’s way of practice, which is “bringing the father into therapy,” and she “focused on the development of self-esteem in the family members and helped them to communicate directly and openly with each other,” is effective to the patient’s unfathomable depth.

    Read More

  • Michael White No Worry Allowed Get Out Summary

    486 Words  | 1 Pages

    The premise of using narrative therapy in child focused problems is to allow the child to characterize the good in therapy by making the familiar strange and the strange familiar. In this study the idea of making the strange familiar is the process in which the child becomes conscious of their personal strength and capabilities. This article references the work of Michael White in narrative therapy; he believed his work was entirely a way to assist the person in building a strong personal story. A way to replace the old, possibly negative story they have already built; through the exploration of alternative personal stories in

    Read More

  • Movie Analysis: Therapeutic Relationships

    1637 Words  | 4 Pages

    If the client has family problems, opening up or sharing their experiences can be a bit easier if they have been longing for an outlet to communicate their frustrations. It can also be a source of reluctance if the client's typical way to deal with problems is to shut down emotionally. Lily's family issues began when she was a young girl and over the years they became magnified and intensified. The relationship between her parents was dysfunctional and witnessing this as a minor impacted the way Lily interacted with others. She sought comfort in others such as Rosaleen and idealized her mother. The environment that a client is brought up in can help the therapist to understand the circumstances that led the client to their current

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Kate Taylor's Serial Monogamy

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    Storytelling’s impact on people who use it has been life saving in certain cases. By asserting the existence of different perspectives, writers get to suppress their own opinions in order to sympathize with others. (insert thing about meta-fiction) With this idea in mind, author Kate Taylor wrote the novel Serial Monogamy, a meta-fiction of a writer recalling the story of her husband’s affair and her deal with terminal breast cancer, all through her telling of Dickens’ secret life and tales of the Arabian Nights. In Serial Monogamy, storytelling makes people more understanding as they explore new perspectives.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Clinical Reasoning

    1368 Words  | 3 Pages

    Narrative reasoning focuses on the client’s particular circumstances and takes into account the client’s past, present, and future and how their current circumstances will affect their life. This gives the practitioner ideas on how to collaborate with the client and family based on the individual’s journey. It is important for the occupational therapy practitioner to help the client see how the treatment

    Read More

  • Therapeutic Relationship Case Study Essay

    1307 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a strong therapeutic relationship is being cultivated with a client and their family, a therapist is able to create a conceptualization case study to help them. Although each therapist has their own preference of conceptualizations, this case study will focus on the client’s demographics, reason for referral, developmental stage, mental health history, diversity and risk factors, role of the therapist, goals/interventions, and ethical concerns.

    Read More

  • Sex-Offender Best Practices

    1443 Words  | 3 Pages

    The theory of change is not explicitly discussed however, the heavy reliance and best practice guidelines for free narrative work is a great indicator that narrative theory fits the theory of change. Narrative theory places emphasis on stories and conversation in order to obtain information from, in this case, interviewees(Stewart,

    Read More

  • Essay On Motivational Interviewing

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Motivational interviewing is an important technique and counseling style that was created by William Miller and Stephen Rollnick in the 1980’s. The brief definition of motivational interviewing (MI) that is provided by Miller and Rollnick in their influential text is “a collaborative conversation style for strengthening a person’s own motivation and commitment to change” (Miller & Rollnick, 2013). Motivational interviewing is considered to be a style that evolved from client-centered therapy. The style is considered to be empathic but requires the counselor to consciously directive so that they may help their client resolve the ambivalence they are experiencing and direct them towards change. The important thing to note is that client autonomy is key to the process (Hettema, Steele, & Miller, 2005). However, despite being able to currently give a definition of MI, one that could be considered a working definition, motivational interviewing is “a living, evolving method” (Miller & Rollnick, 2009). It will continue to evolve as times change and it is implemented in use with other maladaptive behaviors. MI is a relatively new style that it still has the ability to undergo changes to adapt to what purpose it is serving (Miller & Rollnick, 2009).

    Read More

  • Mental Illness and Personal Narratives

    2072 Words  | 5 Pages

    Using narratives to gain an insight into human experience is becoming an increasingly popular method of exploration. Assuming that people are in essence narrative beings that experience every emotion and state through narrative, the value of exploring these gives us a unique understanding. Narrative is thought to act as instrument to explore how an individual constructs their own identity (Czarniawska, 1997) and explain how each individual makes sense of the world around them (Gabriel, 1998). It may also give us an understanding into individual thought processes in relation to individual decision making practices (O’Connor, 1997). It is evident from studies such as Heider and Simmel (1944), that there appears to be an instinctive nature in people to introduce plots structures and narratives into all situations, with an intention to construct meaning to all aspects of life in its entirety. The value of narrative is that it is a tool that allows us to understand what it means to be human and gives us an insight into a person’s lived experience whilst still acknowledging their cultural and social contexts. Narrative is thought to be significance as it is ‘a fruitful organizing principle to help understand the complex conduct of human beings (p.49)’ (Sarbin, 1990) The construction of a person’s narrative is thought to be dependent on each person’s individual awareness of themselves and the circumstances that surround them. However, a debate to whether a person is able to formulate a valid narrative in the face of a mental illness such as schizophrenia has emerged. Sufferer’s symptoms are often thought to interfere with their abilities to perceive within a level deemed acceptable to their society’s norms and therefore the validity ...

    Read More

  • Disabilities Narrative Therapy

    285 Words  | 1 Pages

    Narrative therapy seeks to assist clients in a conscious and non judgemental manner. The goal of Narrative therapy is for clients to focus on themselves as the specialists and author of their own lives. The counselor aids the client is recognizing that he or she is not their disability or their current issue. Also, Narrative therapy allows clients to see how their disability may be helping them and protecting the, rather than harm. The situations that occur over time in a person’s life are viewed as stories, which sometimes stand out with more meaning than others. For example, traumatic memories may carry a greater weight on one’s emotions than happier memories. These meaningful stories,

    Read More

  • Role Playing In Psychodynamic Therapy

    103 Words  | 1 Pages

    Psychodynamic Therapy helped obtain more information about the client’s childhood and why she enjoyed having independence and freedom. This approach helped the client notice that her mother’s hard work in preforming the mother/father roles while her father was deployed, influenced the client to have the same independence/freedom aspirations as her mother.

    Read More

  • Narrative Therapy Case Study

    1629 Words  | 4 Pages

    Narrative Therapy (NT) is a post-modern approach to Family Therapy (FT), derived from French post-structuralist theory, in particular Foucault’s concepts on dominant and subjugated discourses. This represents a major departure from more traditional FT models (i.e. Structural Therapy, Strategic Therapy, Transgenerational FT etc.) which, due to their overtly modern worldview, frames familial interactions as mechanistic processes and prescribes correspondingly rigid interventions.

    Read More

  • Narrative Therapy: A Case Study

    1126 Words  | 3 Pages

    I needed to help the client understand that he was not the problem; that he was a human being who makes mistakes but he himself was not the actually problem. The client needed to separate himself from his problem. During and after each session of narrative therapy, I observed that the client was still experiencing trauma (forcefully taken away form loving a and structured environment at his grandmothers house), isolation (distant from his family and being in and out of prison his whole life), addictions to alcohol and drugs, physical violence, loss of intimacy, loss of independence, despair, guilt and

    Read More

More about Narrative Therapy and Family Therapy

Open Document