Therapeutic Storytelling is a powerful, fun and exciting method of psychotherapy, and group therapy that can be used on individuals of any age and in many different styles and variations. The therapist can incorporate verbal and non-verbal information using puppets, acting, facial expressions, books, journals, experiences and more. It is the preparation and delivery of the story that affects the therapeutic outcome for the clients who are participating in the program. Therapeutic success is accomplished as the clients identify with the elements in the story and then embraces the desired outcomes and messages that are meant to be taken from what was just mentally or physically seen and/or heard ("The art & science of storytelling therapy," 2011).
Overview of potential target groups
Counselling Patients and Families: Families recognise their strengths in the process of sharing their stories. A feedback process alongside the storytelling assists in reaching the desired outcomes of counselling ( Vetere & Dowling, 2005). The use of stories in buffering and making reality easier to talk about out loud and with another person. A way of using stories about others that relate to the client and coming up with solutions for success on how to overcome obstacles and barriers associated with the issue at hand (Robjanta & Fezelb, 2010).
Children, Adults and Seniors: When children experience difficult emotions which are not discussed, they may demonstrate challenging behaviour as a result. With the use of therapeutic storytelling, they are able to process the situation fully and get the help to accept their painful feelings (Sunderland, 2000). The uses of stories allow individuals of any age to think back, think in the present and think abou...
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Robjanta, K., & Fezelb, M. (2010). The emerging evidence for narrative exposure therapy: A review.
The art & science of storytelling therapy. (2011). Retrieved from http://storytellingtherapy.com/
Sunderland, M. (2000). Using story telling as a therapeutic tool with children. Bicester: Speechmark Publishing Ltd.
Vromans, L., & Schweitzer, R. (2011). Narrative therapy for adults with major depressive disorder: Improved symptom and interpersonal outcomes. Psychotherapy Research, 21, Fulton, D. (2013). Using storytelling to support children and adults with special needs. Third Avenue, New York: Nichola Grove
Welcome to the UK's largest selection of storytelling courses. (n.d.). International school of storytelling,.(2011).
Young, E. (2010). Narrative therapy and elders with memory loss. Clinical Social Work Journal, s38(2), 193-202 .
Overall this genre of conversational narrative is useful to those who need to “reconstruct and make sense of actual and possible life experiences” (7). There are pieces to a story that may not come as clear to a person who has been through traumatic situations, and storytelling is used to help not only with getting the story straight, but for healing as well.
Scott, K., & Debrew, J. (2009). Helping older adults find meaning and purpose through storytelling. Journal Of Gerontological Nursing, 35(12), 38-43. doi:10.3928/00989134-20091103-03
Many people see therapy as something for people who are weak mentally, “Therapy is the art and science of helping children make sense of thei...
I really like that this form of therapy does not focus on problem talk, but instead focuses on solution talk. However, the true focus is all about change and the resources needed to make that change. The emphasis is on the client’s, “unique, subjective perspective or self-constructed narrative, as contrasted with an objective or consensual reality” (Norcross, p. 406). Thi...
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
The core concept of narrative therapy is rooted in postmodern theory. This includes having a positive and hopeful view of clients and their power to create change. Also, taking a “not-knowing” stance is essential in order to enhance collaboration between clients and therapist. Narrative Therapy encourages therapists to remain curious and acknowledge
Narrative Therapy was developed to help people separate themselves from their problems. The idea is that this will help the person use the skills that they already possess to minimize the problems that exist in their everyday lives. The Narrative Therapy approach was developed by Social Workers Michael White (Australia) and David Epston (New Zealand) during the 1970s-1980s. “White proclaimed is work to be exclusively that of ‘rich story development’ “(Gallant).
Cook-Cotton, C. (2004). Using Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development to Understand the Construction of Healing Narratives. Journal of College Counseling, 7(2), p.177-186. Retrieved from PsycINFOdatabase.
The counselor accomplishes the above by expressing empathy, developing discrepancies, going along with resistance and supporting self-efficacy. Moreover, the counselor guides the client toward a solution that will lead to permanent posi...
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
There are multiple structures of that can be applied to the counselling process, ranging from the basic idea of a beginning, middle and end to a more structured approach as that proposed by Egan (1994). Although his initial structure offered three main components; Stage 1, exploring the situation, stage 2, identifying a new or desired scenario to strive for and stage 3, the action stage, in which methods of coping are devised of and implemented. Egan later devised a ten stage structure that still takes into account initial stages from the speakers perspective of identifying a problem and seeking help, within this structure stage 4 is the initial meeting of the counsellor and client and can be considered the beginning stage of the helping re...
Storytelling has been used throughout history to explain the unexplained mysteries in the time of the storyteller. Today the current generation makes it appear that the “stories that sell the most cause” (Kristina) widely spread misconceptions and aggression towards these stereotypes. These misconceptions are seen throughout history, whether it is about the destructive forces of the weather or the animals roaming the planet we call home. Aggression can be seen evident throughout history as well, be it wars of religions live in the crusades, or the war against Afghanistan. Storytelling throughout time has created “a safe space in” (Horn) an environment. They have been used to calm the fears children from ancient times to the present, as well a comfort them when parents as they are told a story to help them sleep. Stories are told through the toughest times from economic failure to bombings raining destruction from above. Historically storytellers have traditionally been the elders of the communities who start to tell younger generations when “the person [is] at a young age” (Horn) and more often then not influences the overall outlook of that child. History has been filled with the tradition of the elders of t...
Expressive arts therapy is the use of art modalities, creative process, and aesthetic experience in a therapeutic context. It is a therapy of the imagination (McNiff, 1992). Effective communication is an essential element in therapeutic relationships and, although verbal language is the most conventional means of conveying information, other forms can convey just as much as words. The arts are an alternative form of communication that has recently received recognition for their value in therapeutic settings. There is a long well-established connection between the arts and psychology. Expressive arts therapy builds on a natural, complimentary relationship between the two disciplines. As a formal therapy, this form is relatively new with its own influences, history, processes, techniques, and considerations.
The old saying says “A problem shared is a problem solved” tells us the truth. That is when things get tough and difficult or we have to make decisions in our life that sometimes we need someone to listen and hear our story so we may get a better idea of our options in life. Most people who receive and or counseling show significant improvement.
There are few circumstances counselors have to oblige when dealing issues from clients. Counselors have to be trustworthy; this is a fundamental to understanding and solving issues. Counselors have to keep information gathered confidential and restrict any disclosure of information to anybody. Clients voluntarily seek help to counselors for therapy or any kind of help they need. Hence as a counselor it is important to respect their clients’ self-government and ensure precision in information given. Commitment of a counselor plays a big role in a therapy. It is not ethical for a counselor to neglect a client such that the client’s well being is not taken care of. It is also important for counselors to have a fair treatment with all their clients. No matter how each client will be, there must not be any form of judgment, which will cause any form of unfair