Narrative therapy
Narrative therapy rests on the following understandings
People are the experts in their own lives
Narrative therapy understands that people are the experts in their own lives and that they hold within them the answers and guidance they need, even when it feels that they do not. Narrative therapists hold a stance of respectful curiosity about peoples' lives and experiences. We strive to avoid giving advice or acting like experts on others experiences. Instead we aim to walk beside the people with whom we work, asking specific skillful questions which help people to find their own answers.
The person is never the problem, the problem is the problem
When you have been living with a problem for a long time it can begin to feel like the problem is central to who you are, or worse still that you are the problem. Narrative therapy views people as separate from the problems they experience. Through skillful inquiry and attention to the use of language, we help people to view their problems as separate from themselves so that they can get perspective on the problem, its influence in their lives and hence begin to find ways to decrease that influence.
We are multi-storied beings
When problems begin to take hold on people's lives they stop people noticing the stories which fit with who they want to be and instead focus the person's attention on anything which makes them feel bad or dis-empowers them.
Narrative therapy understands that people have many stories about themselves and their lives. Some of these are about problems and some are about the intentions they hold for their lives, their inner resources and the things which give their lives meaning.
In narrative therapy skilful questioning is employed to reconnect people with their strengths and personal qualities and the ways in which they have taken a stand against the problems they face. This questioning seeks to empower people by opening out conversations which connect people to the alternative stories they have about themselves, stories which fit with who they want to be, how they want to be and the hopes and dreams they have for their lives.
People are the experts in their own lives
Narrative therapy understands that people are the experts in their own lives and that they hold within them the answers and guidance they need, even when it feels that they do not. Narrative therapists hold a stance of respectful curiosity about peoples' lives and experiences. We strive to avoid giving advice or acting like experts on others experiences. Instead we aim to walk beside the people with whom we work, asking specific skillful questions which help people to find their own answers.
The person is never the problem, the problem is the problem
When you have been living with a problem for a long time it can begin to feel like the problem is central to who you are, or worse still that you are the problem. Narrative therapy views people as separate from the problems they experience. Through skillful inquiry and attention to the use of language, we help people to view their problems as separate from themselves so that they can get perspective on the problem, its influence in their lives and hence begin to find ways to decrease that influence.
We are multi-storied beings
When problems begin to take hold on people's lives they stop people noticing the stories which fit with who they want to be and instead focus the person's attention on anything which makes them feel bad or dis-empowers them.
Narrative therapy understands that people have many stories about themselves and their lives. Some of these are about problems and some are about the intentions they hold for their lives, their inner resources and the things which give their lives meaning.
In narrative therapy skilful questioning is employed to reconnect people with their strengths and personal qualities and the ways in which they have taken a stand against the problems they face. This questioning seeks to empower people by opening out conversations which connect people to the alternative stories they have about themselves, stories which fit with who they want to be, how they want to be and the hopes and dreams they have for their lives.