Narrative Therapy
#Narrative, #Therapy
Updated on Nov 3, 2025
Narrative therapy helps you step back from your problems and reshape your story through your values and strengths, creating space for lasting personal change.
Narrative therapy is a therapeutic approach that views people as separate from their problems and focuses on the stories they tell about their lives. This method helps you identify and change problematic life narratives while strengthening positive, empowering stories that reflect your values, skills, and preferred identity.
Table of Contents | Jump Ahead
Applications of Narrative Therapy
Technology and Narrative Therapy
Integration with Other Approaches
What Is Narrative Therapy?
Narrative therapy rests on the idea that people understand their lives through the stories they tell about themselves and their experiences. These stories shape how you view yourself, your relationships, and what you can achieve. When problems dominate your life story, narrative therapy helps you find alternative stories that emphasise your strengths and control.
Key principles of narrative therapy:
- Person-Problem Separation: You are not the problem; the problem is the problem that affects your life.
- Story-Centred Approach: Your life experiences are organised into stories that give meaning to your existence.
- Multiple Stories: There are always alternative stories and interpretations of your experiences.
- Preferred Identity: Focusing on who you want to be rather than who problems say you are.
- Social Construction: Understanding how culture and society influence the stories you tell about yourself.
- Collaborative Partnership: Working together with your therapist as co-authors of new life stories.
Core Concepts
- Dominant Stories: The main narratives that shape how you see yourself and your life, often problem-saturated.
- Alternative Stories: Different narratives that highlight your strengths, values, and preferred ways of being.
- Unique Outcomes: Experiences that contradict the dominant problem story and suggest alternative possibilities.
- Re-authoring: The process of creating new, preferred stories about your life and identity.
- Externalisation: Separating yourself from problems by viewing them as external influences rather than internal defects.
- Deconstruction: Examining and questioning dominant cultural stories that may be limiting or harmful.
Externalisation
- Problem Personification: Giving problems names and characteristics separate from your identity.
- Problem Mapping: Understanding how problems affect different areas of your life.
- Problem History: Exploring when and how problems entered your life story.
- Problem Tactics: Identifying the strategies problems use to maintain their influence.
- Resistance Stories: Discovering times when you successfully resisted or overcame problems.
- Relationship with Problems: Understanding your relationship with problems rather than being defined by them.
Unique Outcomes
- Exception Identification: Finding times when problems didn't dominate or when you acted according to your values.
- Significance Exploration: Understanding what unique outcomes reveal about your character and capabilities.
- Story Development: Building alternative stories around unique outcomes and exceptions.
- Meaning Making: Exploring what unique outcomes mean for your identity and future possibilities.
- Audience Recognition: Identifying who would appreciate and recognise these alternative stories.
- Historical Context: Placing unique outcomes within the broader context of your life history.
Re-authoring Conversations
- Preferred Identity: Exploring who you want to be and how you want to be known.
- Values Clarification: Identifying what's most important to you and what you stand for.
- Skills and Abilities: Recognising your capabilities and resources for creating change.
- Relationship Stories: Exploring how you want to be in relationships with others.
- Future Narratives: Imagining and planning preferred future stories.
- Identity Claims: Making statements about who you are based on alternative stories.
Therapeutic Process
- Problem Exploration: Understanding how problems have affected your life and relationships.
- Externalisation Work: Separating you from problems and exploring their influence.
- Unique Outcome Discovery: Finding exceptions and times when you've resisted problems.
- Alternative Story Development: Building new narratives based on your values and preferred identity.
- Audience Engagement: Involving others who can witness and support your alternative stories.
- Re-membering: Reconnecting with people and values that support your preferred identity.
Narrative Therapy Techniques
- Externalisation Questions: "How has depression been affecting your relationships?"
- Unique Outcome Questions: "Tell me about a time when anxiety didn't stop you from doing what you wanted."
- Preference Questions: "Is this the kind of person you want to be, or would you prefer to be different?"
- Story Development Questions: "What does this tell us about what's important to you?"
- Audience Questions: "Who would be least surprised to hear about this achievement?"
- Historical Questions: "How did you develop these skills and values?"
Definitional Ceremonies
Definitional ceremonies are group activities that help people share and strengthen their alternative stories.
- Outsider Witness Groups: Having others listen to and reflect on your alternative stories.
- Re-telling: Sharing your stories with supportive audiences who can appreciate their significance.
- Resonance: Exploring how your stories connect with others' experiences.
- Transportation: Understanding how your stories might inspire or help others.
- Acknowledgement: Receiving recognition for your alternative stories and preferred identity.
- Documentation: Creating records of your alternative stories and identity claims.
Applications of Narrative Therapy
- Depression and Anxiety: Separating yourself from mental health problems and discovering stories of resilience.
- Trauma Recovery: Re-authoring stories about traumatic experiences to reclaim agency and identity.
- Relationship Issues: Exploring preferred relationship stories and challenging problem-saturated narratives.
- Identity Concerns: Developing preferred identity stories that reflect your values and aspirations.
- Family Problems: Helping families create new stories about their relationships and capabilities.
- Cultural and Social Issues: Challenging dominant cultural narratives that may be oppressive or limiting.
Working with Families
- Family Stories: Exploring the narratives that families tell about themselves and their relationships.
- Problem Effects: Understanding how problems affect different family members and relationships.
- Family Values: Identifying shared values and preferred ways of being together.
- Collective Re-authoring: Creating new family stories that highlight strengths and connections.
- Intergenerational Stories: Exploring stories that connect across generations.
- Cultural Family Narratives: Understanding how cultural stories influence family identity and relationships.
Cultural and Social Justice
- Dominant Culture Critique: Examining how dominant cultural stories may be oppressive or limiting.
- Counter-Narratives: Developing stories that challenge harmful cultural narratives.
- Cultural Identity: Exploring and strengthening positive cultural identity stories.
- Social Justice: Using narrative therapy to address issues of oppression and marginalisation.
- Community Stories: Working with communities to develop empowering collective narratives.
- Political Implications: Understanding how personal stories connect to broader social and political issues.
Documents and Certificates
- Therapeutic Documents: Creating written records of alternative stories and identity claims.
- Certificates of Achievement: Formal recognition of progress and accomplishments.
- Letters from the Future: Writing from your future self to your present self.
- Declarations of Independence: Formal statements of freedom from problem influences.
- Membership Cards: Documents that acknowledge membership in preferred identity groups.
- Testimonials: Written accounts of your alternative stories and achievements.
Research and Evidence
- Outcome Research: Studies demonstrating the effectiveness of narrative therapy approaches.
- Qualitative Research: Research exploring how narrative therapy creates meaning and change.
- Cultural Research: Studies on using narrative therapy with diverse cultural groups.
- Family Research: Research on narrative therapy with families and couples.
- Community Research: Studies on narrative therapy applications in community settings.
- Social Justice Research: Research on narrative therapy's role in addressing oppression and marginalisation.
Training and Practice
- Narrative Therapy Training: Specialised education in narrative therapy principles and practices.
- Supervision: Learning to maintain a narrative focus while addressing client needs.
- Cultural Competence: Developing skills for working with diverse cultural narratives.
- Social Justice Awareness: Understanding the political and social implications of narrative work.
- Collaborative Skills: Learning to work as a co-author rather than an expert.
- Ethical Practice: Understanding ethical considerations in narrative therapy practice.
Challenges and Considerations
- Cultural Sensitivity: Ensuring that narrative approaches respect different cultural storytelling traditions.
- Problem Minimisation: Avoiding the risk of minimising serious problems through externalisation.
- Therapist Role: Balancing collaboration with appropriate professional guidance.
- Time Requirements: Narrative therapy may require time to develop and strengthen alternative stories.
- Client Readiness: Some clients may not be ready for or interested in narrative approaches.
- Integration Needs: May need to be combined with other approaches for comprehensive treatment.
Technology and Narrative Therapy
- Digital Storytelling: Using technology to create and share alternative stories.
- Online Communities: Digital platforms where people can share and witness alternative stories.
- Social Media: Using social platforms to document and share preferred identity stories.
- Video Documentation: Recording alternative stories and identity claims.
- Apps and Tools: Digital tools that support narrative therapy practices.
- Virtual Therapy: Providing narrative therapy through online platforms.
Self-Help Applications
- Personal Storytelling: Using narrative principles for personal growth and development.
- Journalling: Writing alternative stories about your experiences and identity.
- Story Sharing: Finding audiences for your preferred stories and identity claims.
- Problem Externalisation: Practising separating yourself from problems in daily life.
- Values Exploration: Regularly exploring and clarifying your values and preferred identity.
- Unique Outcome Recognition: Noticing and celebrating times when you act according to your values.
Integration with Other Approaches
- Solution-Focused Integration: Combining narrative therapy with solution-focused techniques.
- Cognitive-Behavioural Integration: Using narrative approaches alongside cognitive and behavioural interventions.
- Family Systems Integration: Integrating narrative therapy with family therapy approaches.
- Trauma-Informed Integration: Adapting narrative therapy for trauma survivors.
- Mindfulness Integration: Combining narrative therapy with mindfulness and acceptance practices.
- Cultural Integration: Incorporating traditional storytelling and healing practices.
Measuring Progress
- Story Development: Assessing the richness and strength of alternative stories.
- Identity Claims: Tracking statements about preferred identity and values.
- Problem Influence: Monitoring reductions in problem influence and dominance.
- Relationship Quality: Evaluating improvements in relationships and social connections.
- Life Satisfaction: Measuring overall satisfaction and sense of agency.
- Value Alignment: Assessing how well your life aligns with your stated values.
Common Misconceptions
- Denial of Problems: Narrative therapy acknowledges problems while separating them from identity.
- Fantasy Stories: Alternative stories are based on real experiences and capabilities.
- Therapist Passivity: Narrative therapists are actively engaged in collaborative exploration.
- Cultural Imposition: Narrative therapy respects and works with diverse cultural storytelling traditions.
- Quick Fix: Developing alternative stories requires time and commitment.
- Individual Focus Only: Narrative therapy addresses social and cultural influences on personal stories.
Future Directions
- Digital Innovation: Better use of technology to support narrative therapy practices.
- Cultural Adaptation: Developing culturally specific narrative therapy approaches.
- Community Applications: Expanding narrative therapy to community and social justice work.
- Research Development: Continuing research on narrative therapy effectiveness and mechanisms.
- Training Innovation: New methods for training narrative therapists.
- Integration Advancement: Better integration with other therapeutic approaches.
Related Terms
- Externalisation - Key technique in narrative therapy
- Re-authoring - Central process in narrative therapy
- Unique Outcomes - Important concept in narrative therapy
References
Dulwich Centre. (2023). Narrative Therapy Principles and Practice. https://www.dulwichcentre.com.au/narrative-therap
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. (n.d.). Narrative Therapy. https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/types-of-therapy/narrative-therapy
PositivePsychology.com. (n.d.). Narrative Therapy: Techniques, Interventions, and Case Examples. http://positivepsychology.com/narrative-therapy/
This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment. Narrative therapy should be practised by qualified mental health professionals with appropriate training in narrative therapy principles and techniques.
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TherapyRoute does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes and cannot replace consulting a healthcare professional. If you face an emergency, please contact a local emergency service. For immediate emotional support, consider contacting a local helpline.
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