I gravitated to something called “Narrative
Therapy” in 1994 because it offers a
 compelling alternative to the
pathology focus that dominates psychology. Developed by Michael White and David Epston, It operates from the view that most people don’t want
problems in their lives, and that people have resources and skills to take
back their lives from problems.
The word “narrative” implies that we make sense of our lives through
stories. Thousands of potential stories make up our lives, but by the time
someone enters therapy, this range is often drastically narrowed. If
someone calls themselves “a failure” or “attention deficit disordered” or
“a
depressive,” there’s really one story and it’s a devastating one. In these
descriptions the person literally becomes the problem.
These descriptions tend to leave people feeling isolated and defective. I
try to open some distance between people and these corrosive effects of
the problem. One way of doing this is to pay attention to those moments
that contradict “problem stories.” |
These
are the times when people outwit the problem, or take back a little bit of
their life from it. I listen for these moments, and consult with clients
in great detail about what they did to bring these moments about.
These contradictions begin to add up to a different kind of story, one
where people’s skills and competencies come to light. This isn't like a
psychological mining expedition for the dusty “roots” of problems. It’s
about uncovering histories that assist people to break free from problems.
Narrative Therapy is explicitly political in the sense that problems
aren’t seen as existing in a vacuum. I attend to ways that racism, sexism
and homophobia contribute to problems. I try to make these larger social
and cultural influences visible, and help people take stands on the way
these bigger stories are affecting their lives.
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