Narrative therapy was originally developed by Michael White
and David Epston in the 1970s in Australia. It became popular in America in the
1990s. The therapy’s name is derived from its primary foundation, storytelling.
Narrative therapy is focused on the
stories of people’s lives, the meanings that the client attaches to these stories
and the differences that can be found in the telling and retelling of these
stories (Dulwich Centre Publications [DCP], n.d.). It involves collaboration between client and
helping professional to re-author these stories to include their history and
the broader context that affects lives, such as society, economy and other
people (DCP, n.d.). It is a way to organize information from a person’s life
and make sense of new experiences within this context (Sween, 1998). It also
involves the client’s discovering of who they are and what is most important to
them (Sween, 1998).
The
following definition of narrative therapy sums up the important points of the
perspective: “Narrative therapy involves exploring the shaping moments of a
person’s life, the turning-points, the key relationships, and those particular
memories not dimmed by time. Focus is drawn to the intentions, dreams and
values that have guided a person’s life, despite the set-backs. Oftentimes, the
process brings back stories that have been overlooked – surprising stories that
speak of forgotten competence and heroism (Sween, 1998, p. 4).”
Although White and Epston were both influential in the
creation of the therapy, White is credited as the Father of Narrative Therapy. White
created the Dulwich Center in Australia, which is where he first came in
contact with Epston. White’s specialization was in family therapy, but he also
worked with children and people suffering from anorexia, bulimia, and
schizophrenia (GoodTherapy, 2007). The creation of narrative therapy was a
result of his work with these patients and his other work with trauma victims
(GoodTherapy, 2007). One of his victories with narrative therapy was helping
communities in Canada settle years of land disputes. Another accomplishment was
the founding of the Adelaide Narrative Therapy Center in Canada in 2008
(GoodTherapy, 2007).
Narrative therapy draws upon the
strengths perspective in that it looks at the client as the expert of their own
life, not the counselor or other helping professional (DCP, n.d.). Narrative
therapists also believe that all people have competencies, values and
commitments that will help them overcome the problems that they face in life
(DCP, n.d.).
Narrative therapy was originally
created to be used by family therapists, but today a variety of helping
professionals use narrative therapy as a tool, including therapists, community
workers, teachers, school counselors, and community cultural development
workers (DCP, n.d.). Although addiction therapy was not specifically mentioned
in the research, it would be very helpful in that situation. Narrative therapy
was first developed and used with people who had no choice but to attend
therapy or with people who were at first unwilling to talk to a therapist (DCP,
n.d). Therefore, it would work well for addiction clients who may be commanded
to attend counseling as part of their treatment or who may at first be
unwilling to admit that they have a problem.
Below is the picture from our notes depicting the addiction cycle:
Narrative therapy can help addicted clients break this
cycle. Clients would be able to look at their reconstructed stories to find
another way to deal with their shame, guilt, anger and depression. These are
also options for the negative feelings section. They can also look at the
integrated pieces of their life to see where the cause of their addiction lies.
When negative consequences arise, clients would be able to re-evaluate these
things and make them apart of their story so that they know how these things
negatively impact their lives. The strengths perspective component of narrative
therapy will also help clients identify their capabilities and use these in
overcoming their addictions.
One aspect of narrative therapy that would be helpful to clients
suffering from addictions is this slogan: “The person is never the problem; the
problem is the problem (Sween, 1998).” This takes the blame away from the
client. It will also help the client find the outside triggers of their addictions,
such as stress, jobs and the economy. The narrative therapy will help the
clients identify relationships that will be useful for support and also their
own competencies that they can depend upon.
References:
Dulwich Centre Publications (DCP). (n.d.). Commonly asked
questions about narrative therapy. Dulwich Centre Publications. www.dulwichcentre.com.au. Accessed
February 20, 2013.
Good Therapy. (2007). Michael White Biography.
GoodTherapy.org. Copyright 2007-2013. http://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/michael-white.html.
Accessed February 20, 2013.
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