Narrative Therapy Presentation

Narrative Therapy Nathan Missen

Outline • • • • • • •

Definition of Narrative Therapy Theoretical Assumptions Basic process Applications Multicultural considerations Strengths/weaknesses/criticisms Closing comment

What is Narrative Therapy? • In the words of Epston & White (1990): “A therapy situated within the context of the narrative mode of thought would take the form that: • 1. privileges a person’s lived experience; • 2. Encourages a perception of a changing world through the plotting or linking of lived experience through the temporal dimension; • 3. Invokes the subjunctive mood in the triggering of presuppositions, the establishment of implicit meaning, and in the generation of multiple perspective; • 4. Encourages polysemy and the ordinary, poetic and picturesque language in the description of experience and in the endeavor to construct new stories;

What is Narrative Therapy? (2) • 5. Invites a reflexive posture and an appreciation of one’s participation in interpretive acts; • 6. Encourages a sense of authorship and re-authorship of one’s life and relationships in the telling and re-telling of one’s story; • 7. Acknowledges that stories are co-produced and endeavors to establish conditions under which the “subject” becomes the privileged author • 8. Consistently inserts pronouns “I” and “you” in the description of events • Basically, people construct stories (narratives) to help them understand and make sense of their lives • It is a postmodern, social-constructivist approach to therapy

Theoretical assumptions • 1) Realities are socially constructed • 2) Realities are constituted through language • 3) Realities are organized and maintained through language • 4) There are no essential truths • (adapted from Freedman and Combs, 1996)

Basic process • Map the influences • Initiate externalizing conversation/externalize the problem (cultural conditions / medical discourse • Identify unique outcomes • Construct an alternative story / restorying • Alternate story history • Provide an audience

Applications • Preventative - Petersen, Bull, Propst, Dettinger & Detwiler, 2005 • Developmental (typical and atypical) - Cashin, 2008, DeSocio, 2005, White & Epston, 1990 • Clinical e.g. Anorexia/Bulimia - Lock, Epston, Maisel & Faria, 2005; BDD - Costa, Nelson, Rudes & Guterman, 2007; Alcoholism - Monk & Winslade, 1997; Sexual abuse - Monk & Winslade, 1997 • School problems - Winslade & Monk, 1999 • Eclectic applications - Speedy, 2000

Strengths/Weaknesses/ Criticisms •

Advantages – Counseling applicability – Cultural applications – Accessibility • Disadvantages/Criticisms – Relativistic – Nihilistic – Notion of agency (Logio-scientific/Narrative/Humanistic) – Indeterminate amount of time – Downplays the role of expertise - S or W? – Emphasis on language – Cultural bias / difficulties – The “blameless self”?

Closing comment • The approach is easy, the theory is not. • Fundamentally, requires a different mindset than most approaches.

A little bit of humor… • Three baseball umpires are sitting around over a beer, and one says “There’s balls and there’s strikes and I call them the way they are.”. Another one says, “There’s balls and there’s strikes, and I call them the way I see’em.” The third says, “There’s balls and there’s strikes, and they ain’t nothin until I call call’em” - Walter Truett Anderson

Questions/Comments?

Resources • Cashin, A. (2008). Narrative Therapy: A Psychotherapeutic Approach in the Treatment of Adolescents With Asperger’s Disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 21, pp 48-56 • Costa, D., Nelson, T.M., Rudes, J. & Guterman, J.T. (2007). A Narrative Approach to Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 29, (1), pp 67-80 • DeSocio, J.E. (2005). Accessing Self-development through Narrative Approaches in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 18, (2), pp 53-61 • Lock, A., Epston, D., Maisel, R. & de Faria, N. (2005). Resisting anorexia/bulimia: Foucauldian perspectives in narrative therapy. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling [sic], 33, (3), pp 315332 • Monk, G., Winslade, J., Crocket, K. & Epston, D. (1997). Narrative Therapy in Practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Resources (2) • Petersen, S., Bull, C., Propst, O., Dettinger, S. & Detwiler, L. (2005). Narrative Therapy to Prevent Illness-Related Stress Disorder. Journal of Counseling & Development, 83, pp 41-47 • Speedy, J. (2000). The storied helper: narrative ideas and practices in counselling [sic] and psychotherapy. The European Journal of Psychotherapy, Counselling & Health, 3 (3), pp 361374 • White, M. & Epston, D. (1990). Narrative means to Therapeutic Ends. NY, New York: W.W. Norton • Winslade, J. & Monk, G. (1999). Narrative Counseling in Schools; Powerful & Brief. CA: Corwin Press