Narrative Family Therapy
CHAPTER 16
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Narrative Family Therapy
Originated in Australia and New Zealand
Focuses on helping families solve difficulties by depersonalizing them and rewriting family stories
Focuses on externalizing problems so families can work together on them.
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Major Theorists
Michael White
David Epston
Michael Durrant
Gerald Monk
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Michael White
Influenced by Bruner, Foucault, and Vygotsky, as well as by Feminist theory
He also learned that narratives may be overshadowed by dominant problem-saturated stories
Influenced by Foucault
Believed that problems could be addressed when a cultures values and ideas could be questioned or challenged.
Established the Adelaide Narrative Therapy Centre
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Premises of the Theory
Nonsystemic approach to working with individuals and families based on liberation philosophy
Distinguishes between logico-scientific reasoning and narrative reasoning
People live their lives through their stories, and families are formed and transformed through stories
Emphasizes empowering client-families to develop their unique and alternative stories (reauthoring their lives)
Client-families urged to externalize problems to solve them
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Treatment Techniques
Externalization of the Problem
process by which therapists seek to separate problems from people
Results in the following:
Decrease in unproductive conflict between persons
Lessening of the sense of failure and unresolved problem places on a person
Increase of cooperation among family members to problem solve and engage in dialogue with each other
Opening up of new possibilities for action
Freeing of persons to be more effective and less stressed in approaching problems (White & Epston, 1990)
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Treatment Techniques
Influence (Effect) of the Problem on the Person: the process of asking each family member to give a no-holds-barred account of how the problem has affected him or her
Influence (Effect) of the Person on the Problem: asking family members how they have influenced a problem
Raising Dilemmas: helping families examine possible aspects of a problem before the need arises
Predicting Setbacks: planning for and anticipating potential setbacks in family therapy
Using Questions
Exceptions Questions
Significance Questions
Letters
Celebrations and Certificates
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Treatment Techniques
Using Question: to challenge families to examine the nature of the difficulties they bring to therapy and what resources they have and can use to handle their problems
Exceptions Questions: directed toward finding instances when a situation reported to be a problem was not true
Significance Questions: questions utilized to search for and reveal the meanings of important exceptions (Kurtz & Tandy, 1995)
Letters: done after therapy sessions, serving as a medium for continuation of the dialogue between the therapist and family members as a reminder of therapy sessions
Celebrations and Certificates
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Treatment Techniques
Letters:
Complete after therapy sessions have concluded
Serve as a medium for continuation of the dialogue between the therapist and family members as a reminder of what transpired in the therapy sessions
Celebrations and Certificates
a unique and important part of narrative therapy
Used to bring closure to therapy.
Serve as a tangible affirmation of the defeat of a problem
Also, they mark the beginning of a new description of a family (White & Epston, 1990)
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Role of the Therapist
Collaborator, who assumes the role of nonexpert
Centrifugal, or decentered
Use relationship skills such as attending, paraphrasing, clarifying, summarizing, and checking
Assist families in separating themselves from old, problem-saturated stories by constructing new stories (reauthoring)
Help new stories emerge by looking for unique outcomes, or storied experiences that do not fit the problem saturated story (Molina et al., 2004, p. 144)
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Process and Outcome
Process consists of three phases:
Deconstructing the dominant cultural narrative
Externalizing the problem
Reauthoring the story (Molina et al., 2004, p. 144)
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Unique Aspects of Narrative Family Therapy
Emphasizes reauthoring by families of their stories
Individuals and families asked to look for exceptions to the difficult situations they are experiencing
Expectations of setbacks and the raising of dilemmas are built into narrative family therapy
Letters are sent to families about their progress, and celebrations are held when goals are achieved.
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