About Narrative Therapy
Narrative Therapy is a way of talking about problems that treats them as separate from the person who has them. It was developed in Australia and New Zealand in the 1980s by Michael White and David Epston, and it is now used by therapists in many countries, usually alongside other approaches.
The starting point is that people make sense of their lives through stories. Some of those stories are handed to us by families, schools, workplaces or wider culture, and they can be thin and unkind. A narrative conversation looks at where an account of yourself came from, and whether it holds up against everything else you know about your life.
Four things you may notice in sessions
- The problem is treated as separate from you. Therapists often talk about the problem as something outside the person, such as anxiety or the inner critic, rather than as a trait you are.
- The familiar story is examined. Conclusions such as "I am the difficult one" are treated as one account among several, and traced back to where they came from.
- Overlooked events are gathered. Moments that do not fit the familiar story, such as small refusals or promises kept, are collected and taken seriously.
- A preferred story is built up. Over time the conversation builds an account of your values and commitments that holds up in ordinary life.
Words you may see in listings
| Externalising | Talking about a problem as something separate from the person, so that it can be described, named and examined. |
|---|---|
| Thin description | A short, hard conclusion about someone, such as "lazy" or "difficult", that leaves out most of their life. |
| Unique outcome | An event that does not fit the familiar story, often small, used as a starting point for a different account. |
| Re-membering | Deliberately keeping important people, living or dead, present in your sense of who you are. |
| Preferred story | The account of your values, commitments and history that you would want to be able to give. |
| Outsider witness | A listener invited into a conversation, sometimes another therapist or a family member, who reflects back what they heard. |
Who it may or may not suit
People often say they are drawn to this approach because it does not treat them as a diagnosis, and because it pays attention to culture, family and language. Others prefer something more structured, or want a method aimed at a specific symptom. Many therapists combine both.
There is no way to tell in advance whether an approach will suit you. Most people use a first conversation to find out. Nothing on this page is advice about treatment.