The Narrative Theory / Paradigm

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 premise of narrative therapy was developed as a way of removing the blame in sessions. This could allow the opportunity in hopes of gaining empowerment within the client. Narrative therapy is thought of as more of a collaboration between the therapist and the client to allow recognition of his or her natural competencies, expertise and unique skills that one possesses. By practicing the narrative therapy process it is conceived that the client can then return with a sort of plan or outline that can assist in guiding them towards more productive and hopeful positive changes within their lives. Humans are generally viewed as separate entities from that of their own issues at hand. This being said, humans take their problems and have way of either blaming themselves directly or tossing it to another directly, instead of matching the issues with the symptoms. We as humans need reasons for everything in order to compartmentalize our situations. It is just how humans are naturally wired.

There are three schools students may have an interest in, these colleges are: Cal Poly Pomona, San Diego State University, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The information a student could research are graduation rate, admission rate, jobs out of school, curriculum, greek life, and the student to faculty rate. With the curriculum set at each university, many courses are offered to potential students. After one earns a degree, based on a specific curriculum, schools try to help one student get a job once that pupil have graduated. In the upcoming paragraphs one student could participate on campus: the fun in engaging in greek life, or how in class, the student to faculty ratio may affect a student 's learning. By gathering information

I never thought that I would be saving someone life from drowning. That was until my friends and I did help someone. Which was something that happened very fast.

I was incredibly excited. School was starting tomorrow. The first few days were just icebreakers, learning everyone’s names, blah blah blah. Then the real learning began. Of course, teachers started to write our lessons on the board. I started to notice a few changes in what I was seeing. The words they were writing were just...black lines! I didn’t pay much attention to it, I just asked my friends what the board said. As the year went on, it affected me more and more, especially in math. I saw a 2 as a 6, and and an A as an 8.

40) “However, when telling their stories, participants frequently mentioned teachers and advisors who deeply affected their feelings about and decisions during college. This confirms research that suggests that campus climate does influence an organization’s members—but often not in ways the members themselves can easily recognize.”

Thus, investigating what caused minority students to persist in college beyond their freshmen year provided answers as to how the selected universities

Low enrollment of Black students contributes to their often referenced unique and isolating experiences at tier-one institutions, and at predominately white institutions (PWI) in particular. This remains true even when compared to other traditionally marginalized groups. For example, Latino/a students comprise between 22 to 24% of the UT freshmen class compared to Black students at four-and-a-half to five-and-a-half percent. By representing nearly a quarter of the freshmen class, one can argue the experiences of Latino/as differs quite drastically from Black students. Therefore, this pilot study aims to give voice to and highlight the experiences of UT’s Black students during the college search process. As such, the major research questions this study seeks to address

The college must discover what similarities it has with the audience and their family and friends. For example, if my college uses social media to connect to them and who they know, they will be able to raise awareness of the college and what it has to offer. Through these communities, the college can change its perception and get those to attend the college by offering information, stories, and statistics. Hinton and Hjorth (2013).

In her 1977 book The Damned and the Beautiful, Paula S. Fass displays the post-World War I influence of colleges and universities on the culture at large. Though contemporary times differ greatly from those she examined, nonetheless, colleges and universities still possess almost unrivaled cultural influence. Students move away to college, young, vivacious, and pliable. After just escaping the oppression of their parents’ rules, their minds readily embrace the next social structure that presents itself. Repeated research has shown that students need structure, something to give them a solid base before they can climb the ladder towards self-actualization and learning. Campus cultures provide more than that, they also provides a lens

British author Karen Armstrong said, "In compassion, when we feel with the other, we dethrone ourselves from the center of our world and we put another person there." In today's "me-focused" culture, we as humans frequently disregard other’s needs. For many, the main concern is how to present their best self to the world and never show any sign of weakness. I on the contrary, realize that we are damaged and hurting people who often desire a "shoulder to cry on."

Some may say it’s a cliché to write about the feelings you have when arriving on a college campus for the first time; however, the feeling I got when I stepped foot on the Dickinson College campus is one of the main reasons I decided to apply. Although I visited in June, when there were few students on campus, I still had a feeling of being at home. Through my information session, I was able to grasp an accurate understanding of how Dickinson tries to emanate a family feeling while at college. This is precisely what I’m looking for in a college: a place where I feel I belong and welcomed.

We as human only have one life to live. Therefore, we should take advantage of opportunities in our lives and make the most of it and also learn from our past experiences. College years are important stage in one’s life in terms of building one’s identity and exploring new opportunities. The small student body size at Macalester provides a commune atmosphere which gives students the confidence and security of expressing and exploring their interests. Therefore, I strongly believe that the new experiences that I will gain and the positive risks that I will take at Macalester will help build my character and expand my perspectives on life. Besides my personal gains, I truly believe that I can give back to the Mac community. Macalester is a college

It is also assumed that the act of telling a story can provide insight into past, present and future events (Espinoza, 1997). By going through this process, individuals can find the importance of certain events and assign roles to people who are a part of their story. This act can allow a client to find new meaning and understanding to their reality (Espinoza, 1997). Not only is a

Narrative therapy is one of the post-modern therapies used today. Narrative therapy helps individuals identify their values, skills, and knowledge they have to effectively face problems in their lives. The key ideas of narrative therapy are: people’s stories give meaning to their lives, stories are shaped by emotional themes, a person’s story shapes his/her personality, people seek counseling when their stories do not match their lived experiences, and people who have less social power benefit greatly from Narrative Counseling. The concern is with meaning making and there is an emphasis on mindfulness and positive psychology. The process of Narrative therapy starts in the initial stage exploring the client’s issues. It then transitions into the insight stage to a deeper understanding of the issues. The insight stage is followed by the action stage, where the client and therapist work to change the story and therefore change the outcome. Lastly, there is the termination phase.