Family Counseling Approach - Narrative Therapy Essay

This paper will recount the development and history of narrative therapy and provide a brief background assessment on the founders and significant contributors to the postmodern approach of Narrative Therapy. The role of the therapist, the theory of change, the target of intervention, the assessment from this approach, and what the approach says about normalcy, health, and pathology will be presented. It will also discuss how narrative therapy might work with and be sensitive to the cultural and diversity factors and give some examples of intervention from this approach. It will then discus the case using concepts and ideas from narrative therapy and the application of the essential ideas of the narrative therapy in the case and, where appropriate,

The narrative therapy approach allows the client the freedom to present their story and then to verbally rewrite the story in a more positive, healthy way.

Solution-focused therapy is different from narrative and collaborative therapy because it focuses more on discovering solutions to problems by asking miracle and scaling questions (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). Solution-focused therapists utilize miracle and scaling questions to help clients change their thoughts and behavior. Miracle questions challenge clients to think about what their lives could be like if all their problems suddenly went away and were solved (Henderson & Thompson, 2016). Scaling questions challenge the client to magnify their view of the current circumstance (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). Solution-focused therapy is also different from narrative and collaborative therapy because the counselor leads the counseling session. Counselors lay out clear expectations for their clients to change, and expect them to actively participate in counseling so change occurs. The third difference between the three approaches is that solution-focused therapy is complaint-based, while narrative and collaborative therapy is not (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). Clients come to counseling with a complaint, and counselors typically work with those who ready and willing to change. Another difference is that solution-focused therapy consists of five steps, which are “co-constructing a problem and goal, identifying and amplifying exceptions, assigning tasks, evaluating effectiveness, and reevaluating problems and goals” (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013, p. 382). Collaborative and narrative therapy do not follow these five

This paper will use the book The Family Crucible to demonstrate the authors’ family systems approach to therapy. Narrative theory is compared and contrasted with family systems theory, and is ultimately integrated into my own theoretical foundation for practice as a social worker.

This paper will look at the logic of narrative therapy by focusing on 5 major points. This paper will begin by discussing how the narrative approach defines and perceives problems. It will address how narrative therapy views the nature of the relationship between the client and the professional. This paper will look at how problems are solved using the narrative approach. It will also focus on three main techniques used in narrative therapy, which will include externalization, deconstruction and re-authoring. This paper will also include a short narrative critique of the medical model.

Narrative therapy is way in which a therapist can help externalize sensitive issues, by allowing the client to take the reigns by talking through it outload with the therapist as the active listener. This objectification dissolves struggle and resistances and allows the client to address this issue in a more productive manner.

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

The client met with his counselor on 05/06/2017 for his one on one session to discuss his treatment plan goals. the client has been on track with his goals and is working on his second step. the client discuss one of the things that his currently working on and that is acceptance. the client explained that he is having a hard time acceptance certain situations and things that happen in his life, and most of the time it result in him resulting to using drugs. the client as well talked about being disappointed in himself for relapsing after two years of being sober. the client reported that he didn't use the tools that were given to him from his last his was in the program, getting a sponsor and learning coping skills. the client reported that

The authors of narrative therapy are Michael White and David Epston in the 1970s and 1980s. It was created to separate the person from the problem, and therefore encourage individuals to utilize their own skills to resolve or minimize the problem. Narrative therapy is non-pathologizing; it is an empowering, collaborative type of therapy. Rather than transforming a person, narrative therapy aims to transform the effects of the problem. People are viewed separate from their problems which are transformed into personal stories giving a person meaning and identity into discovering the life’s purpose of the problem (Dulwich Centre - A Gateway to narrative therapy and community work, 2014).

Every single activity, session, interaction that the client and therapist execute jointly in the course of their combined struggle to help the patient deal with life more effectively with life’s most challenging aspect is the therapeutic relationship (Oliveira, Sousa, & Pires, 2012, p. 295). Flexibility from both the therapist and the client must be given at all times to be able to co-create a new story with the patient. The therapist’s listening and attending to the sessions are essential to this part of the relationship. This approach is like a trial and error run. Since the therapist has never previously worked with this client before, each encounter in therapy is like uncharted territory for both the client and the therapist. The therapist cannot rely on fixed techniques and procedures for treatment; flexibility is a must, especially in the aspect of changing (Slife, 2005). The client will change with the therapist’s help, and flexibility from both parties is needed. If not, the therapeutic relationship will be affected. This therapeutic relationship is an on-going project throughout the treatment process. The relationship is built by how the client and therapist work together on creating new narratives based on new lived experiences in more empowering ways and promoting change.

The potential impacts of using specialist communication skills and techniques in the counselling setting fall into a broad spectrum. When counsellors use the active listening skill and unconditional positive regard, clients will feel encouraged and supported in telling their story allowing them to convey their feelings. This can also be supported and further enhanced through the use of reflection of feeling, which gives the client an opportunity to examine, decipher and understand their own emotions. The

Narrative therapy is a social constructive philosophical approach to psychotherapy that has been developed to help clients deconstruct their negative and self-defeating life stories while rebuilding healthy and positive life stories through the use of various techniques. This paper will discuss the leading figures, some concepts and techniques, ethics, some similarities and dissimilarities of other theories compared to Narrative therapy. This paper will also address my personal integration of faith regarding the theory of Narrative therapy.

This paper is going to look into two models of intervention that Ben and I think might help him cope with things going on in his every day life. The two that we have chosen are Cognitive-behavioral therapy and Narrative therapy. We will look into both of these and also as we do that we will find out what the role of the social worker is in both cases.

Systemic therapy was based on Minuchin’s Structural Therapy model (1968) followed by Bateson's cybernetic model (1972) The first order cybernetic model considerd that problems within a family system should be focused on by strategically solving problems, meeting family goals and help change a person's dysfunctional behaviour. D Shazer (1985). These concepts in Systemic therapy were known as the major paradigms and were taught by therapists such as Minuchin in Milan until the information-processing systems were introduced. They were characterized by the therapist's observation of the system from the external social world. Minuchin S & Fisherman,HC (1981)

The antagonists in this book are his patient from whom he elicits permission before using them. The author uses scenarios from some of his therapy sessions to evoke alertness in his audience as well as to provide a practical framework with which they can relate or be guided as therapists or future therapists.