[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”WHAT IS NARRATIVE THERAPY?” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Narrative therapy focuses on helping individuals overcome their problems through storytelling, creating a narrative of the problems they face. They are taught to view their problems as separate from themselves, which helps them see the problem objectively. The main aim of this therapy is to help the client engage their problems by finding alternative solutions to them.
THE NARRATOR
When a person faces challenges in life, it can be difficult to see the challenges clearly and to, eventually, see past the problem itself. Narrative therapy helps the person view the problem as though somebody else is facing it. It does this by having them tell the story as the narrator rather than the subject.
While therapists, at times, share a story of an exceptional person that overcame a similar problem, it is usually the client that is called on to narrate their own story. The therapist helps them get started and then investigates the story by asking questions as it unfolds.
As the person answers these questions to complete the story, they are identifying solutions to the problems that they face. The client is helped to recognize negative traits and correct them.
In this way people are called on to recognize that they have the skills to solve the problems that they face every day. As they narrate the story, their experiences are shaped into personal stories that give meaning to their life and help identify the life purpose of the narrator.
THE WITNES
At times outsider witnesses are called in for certain sessions, and they are usually friends, family, or past clients who have had success in overcoming a similar problem. During their first visit, the witness typically observes without comment.
After listening to the client on the second visit, the therapist will interview the witness with instructions not to criticize the client, asking which phrase or image stood out to them and how they related to it in their own life struggles.
Next, the therapist interviews the client concerning which phrases or images of the witnesses interview stood out to them and how they relate to it in their life struggles. An outsider witness greatly benefits the client because they help the client see that they are not the only person facing these problems.
Narrative therapy has proven to be an effective method of counseling. It focuses on positive reinforcement and helps the client see that they already possess the skills needed to overcome their problems.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
