There are various types of interventions utilized by narrative therapist. The intervention used will depend on the therapist and the client. The following are just a few of the interventions that are at a narrative therapist disposal.
Problem Deconstruction. Deconstructed Listening and Questions. Deconstructed listening and questions are based on the philosophical works of Jacques Derrid, narrative therapists use this technique to help their clients track how dominate discourses are affecting them and enable them to choose which discourses they will allow to affect their lives (Gehart, 2014). “In deconstructive listening, the therapist listens for “gaps” in the client’s understanding and ask them to fill in the details or has them explain the ambiguities in their stories”(Gehart, 2014, p. 408). Deconstructive questions help the client breakdown the story to see how it was constructed in the first place and to help identify which discourse is influencing them (Gehart, 2014).
Scaffolding Conversations. Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development concept is the basis of this intervention. This concept is based on Vygotsky’s theory that learning is relational so in order for children to learn, they need to be able to interact with the new material. This concept can also apply to adults, especially when the task is difficult for them. The therapist will use “scaffolding conversations to move from that which is familiar to that which is novel” (Gehart, 2014, p. 409). There are
This paper will recount the development and history of narrative therapy and provide a brief background assessment on the founders and significant contributors to the postmodern approach of Narrative Therapy. The role of the therapist, the theory of change, the target of intervention, the assessment from this approach, and what the approach says about normalcy, health, and pathology will be presented. It will also discuss how narrative therapy might work with and be sensitive to the cultural and diversity factors and give some examples of intervention from this approach. It will then discus the case using concepts and ideas from narrative therapy and the application of the essential ideas of the narrative therapy in the case and, where appropriate,
This paper will look at the logic of narrative therapy by focusing on 5 major points. This paper will begin by discussing how the narrative approach defines and perceives problems. It will address how narrative therapy views the nature of the relationship between the client and the professional. This paper will look at how problems are solved using the narrative approach. It will also focus on three main techniques used in narrative therapy, which will include externalization, deconstruction and re-authoring. This paper will also include a short narrative critique of the medical model.
The premise of narrative therapy was developed as a way of removing the blame in sessions. This could allow the opportunity in hopes of gaining empowerment within the client. Narrative therapy is thought of as more of a collaboration between the therapist and the client to allow recognition of his or her natural competencies, expertise and unique skills that one possesses. By practicing the narrative therapy process it is conceived that the client can then return with a sort of plan or outline that can assist in guiding them towards more productive and hopeful positive changes within their lives. Humans are generally viewed as separate entities from that of their own issues at hand. This being said, humans take their problems and have way of either blaming themselves directly or tossing it to another directly, instead of matching the issues with the symptoms. We as humans need reasons for everything in order to compartmentalize our situations. It is just how humans are naturally wired.
Why is externalising a central technique in narrative therapy today, and what are the limitations and successes of this technique?
When narrative therapy first came into my life, I was not able to realize its brilliance. I had the misconception that the modality found where problems stemmed from and then showed clients how to cope with problems when they reoccur. Then I saw narrative therapy in action during a session with clients of my colleagues. The idea of problems being outsiders intruding on the system was fascinating and co-authoring a new narrative with a client sounded fulfilling. When all of a client’s knowledge is considered socially constructed rather than learned, it helps the therapist to see the client and the client’s problems as separate entities. Meaning becomes attributed to these problems through the client’s interactions with their social environment.
Narrative Therapy the role of the therapist, views of people and their problems, and the approach for helping.
Accordingly, the role of the therapist is to interpret how the client is comprehending their story and the associated meaning. Once completed, the therapist would assist the client to re-author a more helpful, rewarding, and open-ended story by emphasizing the understanding of the individual’s subjective experience (Phipps & Vorster, 2015). Tonya and her experience were constructed and anchored in her family roots that manifested through years of emotional and physical abuse from her mom, the media, and society while grieving the neglect and abandonment of her dad. The authors of this paper believe it is imperative that Tonya and her mother work independently. Individual work can create a boundary and space to heal from the history of
This paper is going to look into two models of intervention that Ben and I think might help him cope with things going on in his every day life. The two that we have chosen are Cognitive-behavioral therapy and Narrative therapy. We will look into both of these and also as we do that we will find out what the role of the social worker is in both cases.
Contrary to our prior expectations, we did not find increased DD in our group of smokers. This contravenes an abundantly studied phenomenon but only at first sight. Our subjects registered for the cognitive-behavioral group therapy program which was offered every 4-6 weeks and, when willing to participate, were scheduled for our fMRI. Presumably, by taking subjects who opted in for a therapy program that required future-directed registration, we generated a self-selection bias effect on the measured discounting rate k. Audrain-McGovern and colleagues previously observed that non-treatment-seeking smokers show higher DD than treatment-seeking smokers and ex-smokers (38).
In the Narrative Family Therapy, it first assumes individuals can develop their own solutions to their own stories in life. People can develop their own lives when they speak and act out what they see or hear in the world. It is also believed that families can write their storyline and their family story line. Can a family change their story line? Yes, they can, but it would be hard to do so knowing you have been brought up a way. When a narrative family therapist comes in, it helps the family out by writing out their story line while breaking down each meaning of what is said during the session. It’s a strong possibility that therapist fear that families can fail when distinguishing problems within the household. Of course, people are all
Interacting with peers is a successful way of developing skills, either with adult guidance or more advanced kids help the less-advanced. However, Vygotsky never used the term "scaffolding;" instead he phrased it as "Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)." ZPD is The difference between what the student can do with or without someone’s help but cannot yet do it independently.
Teachers take on the role of learner as well as instructor and are there to guide the discussion towards learning objectives without just forcing their point of view on students. Another very important part from Vygotsky’s work is the concept of a student’s zone of proximal development (ZPD). Vygotsky (as cited by Eggen & Kauchak, 2011) described it as “the distance between the actual development level…and the level of potential development…under adult guidance…or more capable peers” Once a student is within their ZPD, they can vastly benefit from ‘scaffolding’, this is assistance from either the teacher or from peers in a collaborative group to achieve a level that they would be unable to do independently (Eggen & Kauchak, 2011). This scaffolding can take many forms, using prompts and cues, asking pertinent questions, the most important point is not to do the work for the student but to guide in the right direction.
Much discussion has been had regarding what narrative therapy is and what it is not, as the definition may at times seem ambiguous. According to a study done in 2011 by Jennifer Wallis, Jan Burns and Rose Capdevila, a better understanding of narrative therapy was given with the following words:
Vygotsky’s concepts of zone of proximal development and the more knowledgeable other person has led to the idea of scaffolding. Scaffolding, which encompasses both ZPD and MKO, is seen in almost all classrooms in today’s society. Scaffolding is a temporary support mechanism that aids students when they need it and then relinquishes control when the assistance is no longer needed. According to Lipscomb, Swanson and West (2004), scaffolding is used in classrooms by the “development of instructional plans to lead the students from what they already know to a deep understanding of new material,” and “execution of the plans, wherein the instructor provides support to the students at every step of the learning process.” Scaffolding encompasses the role of the teacher. The teacher acts as the most knowledgeable other to the student and then assesses the current knowledge of the students. The teacher decides which knowledge level the students should be performing at, and that gap between current knowledge and abilities and their potential is the zone of proximal development. In order for
Narrative therapy is one of the post-modern therapies used today. Narrative therapy helps individuals identify their values, skills, and knowledge they have to effectively face problems in their lives. The key ideas of narrative therapy are: people’s stories give meaning to their lives, stories are shaped by emotional themes, a person’s story shapes his/her personality, people seek counseling when their stories do not match their lived experiences, and people who have less social power benefit greatly from Narrative Counseling. The concern is with meaning making and there is an emphasis on mindfulness and positive psychology. The process of Narrative therapy starts in the initial stage exploring the client’s issues. It then transitions into the insight stage to a deeper understanding of the issues. The insight stage is followed by the action stage, where the client and therapist work to change the story and therefore change the outcome. Lastly, there is the termination phase.