Deck 15: Narrative Therapy

Question 1

Evaluate narrative therapy's utility for clients who are of diverse backgrounds. What are its strengths and drawbacks?

Answer 1

Narrative therapy can be highly useful for clients from diverse backgrounds as it focuses on the individual's personal experiences and cultural context. This approach allows clients to explore and express their unique stories, including how their cultural background has shaped their identity and experiences. By acknowledging and validating these diverse narratives, narrative therapy can help clients from different backgrounds feel understood and empowered to make positive changes in their lives.

One of the strengths of narrative therapy for diverse clients is its emphasis on cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. Therapists can work collaboratively with clients to understand how their cultural background influences their beliefs, values, and behaviors, and how these factors contribute to their current challenges. This approach can help clients from diverse backgrounds feel respected and validated, leading to a more effective therapeutic process.

However, one drawback of narrative therapy for diverse clients is the potential for cultural misunderstandings or insensitivity on the part of the therapist. Without proper training and awareness of diverse cultural perspectives, therapists may inadvertently impose their own cultural biases or misunderstand the experiences of clients from different backgrounds. This can hinder the therapeutic process and create barriers to building trust and rapport with clients.

In conclusion, narrative therapy can be highly beneficial for clients who are of diverse backgrounds, as it allows for the exploration and validation of their unique cultural narratives. However, it is important for therapists to approach this work with cultural humility and awareness in order to effectively support clients from diverse backgrounds.

Question 2

Discuss the role of the client, the role of the counselor, and the relationship between the two when using narrative therapy.

Answer 2

In narrative therapy, the role of the client is to be the expert of their own life experiences and to be the primary storyteller. The client is responsible for sharing their experiences, thoughts, and feelings with the counselor in order to construct a narrative that reflects their unique identity and values. The client also plays an active role in deconstructing problem-saturated stories and co-creating new, preferred narratives that align with their hopes and dreams for the future.

The role of the counselor in narrative therapy is to act as a collaborator and facilitator of the client's storytelling process. The counselor listens actively, asks open-ended questions, and helps the client externalize their problems by separating them from their identity. The counselor also assists the client in recognizing and challenging dominant cultural narratives that may be influencing their sense of self and contributing to their difficulties.

The relationship between the client and the counselor in narrative therapy is one of mutual respect, collaboration, and co-authorship. The counselor does not assume an expert position or pathologize the client's experiences, but rather works alongside the client to explore and reconstruct their narrative. This collaborative relationship empowers the client to take ownership of their story and make meaning of their experiences in ways that are personally meaningful and empowering. Overall, the client and counselor work together to create a new, more empowering narrative that reflects the client's values and preferred way of being in the world.

Question 3

Pick two therapeutic techniques used in narrative therapy. Define each one and then use it with a client example.

Answer 3

Two therapeutic techniques used in narrative therapy are externalizing conversations and re-authoring conversations.

Externalizing conversations involve helping the client to separate their problem from their identity, allowing them to view the problem as something separate from themselves. This can help the client to gain a sense of control and agency over the problem.

For example, a client who struggles with anxiety may have internalized the belief that they are an anxious person. Through externalizing conversations, the therapist can help the client to see their anxiety as a separate entity, allowing them to better understand and address it.

Re-authoring conversations involve helping the client to reframe their personal narrative in a way that empowers them and challenges dominant problem-saturated narratives. This can help the client to develop a more positive and hopeful outlook on their life and experiences.

For example, a client who has experienced trauma may have a narrative that focuses on their victimization and powerlessness. Through re-authoring conversations, the therapist can help the client to identify moments of resilience and strength, and incorporate these into their narrative, creating a more empowering and hopeful story.

Question 4

Define and discuss "dominant stories" with "alternate stories."

Question 5

Discuss the evaluation of narrative therapy in terms of outcome and theory-testing.

Question 6

Narrative therapists see life as a process of_________

A) events
B) storytelling
C) lies
D) meetings with our friends

Question 7

The name(s) most associated with narrative therapy is/are

A) Michael White
B) David Epston
C) a and b
D) none of the above

Question 8

A major influence of the evolution of narrative therapy was due to the fact that the founder(s) was/were

A) not intensively trained in the psychoanalytic tradition
B) intensively trained in the psychoanalytic tradition
C) excellent at writing letters and describing their experiences
D) fun to hang out with

Question 9

In regard to the concept of power, narrative therapists align MOST closely with what other group of therapists?

A) Psychoanalysts
B) Feminists
C) Adlerians
D) Existentialists

Question 10

Narrative therapists approach clients from a perspective that emphasizes__________ and __________.

A) fun; friends
B) honesty; writing
C) health; strength
D) none of the above

Question 11

One of the founders of narrative therapy refers to himself as a

A) therapist
B) conversational host
C) counselor
D) a and c

Question 12

The type of story that brings clients to counseling is called the

A) problem-saturated story
B) alternate story
C) depressing story
D) b and c

Question 13

These adjectives refer to the qualities of the stories clients tell

A) good and bad
B) interesting and boring
C) thinness and thickness
D) short and long

Question 14

A unique outcome is

A) an event that is not part of the dominant, problem-saturated story
B) the exception to the problem's rule
C) a and b
D) none of the above

Question 15

Doan (1998) suggested that the two central narratives that are common to all people are:

A) love and sex
B) love and fear
C) love and friends
D) love and food

Question 16

Assessment in a narrative therapy model is

A) seen as a continuous process that is focused on understanding the client's perspectives on their lives
B) not likely to use formal means
C) inconsistent with narrative therapy philosophy
D) all of the above

Question 17

In a narrative therapy session, whose language is used?

A) the client's
B) the counselor's
C) both the client's and counselor's
D) the other therapists who are observing and helping

Question 18

The narrative therapist is seen as a(n)

A) expert
B) consultant
C) master storyteller
D) none of the above

Question 19

The major technique used in narrative therapy is

A) Visualizing
B) Giving homework
C) Asking questions
D) b and c

Question 20

When clients are given the opportunity to share their experiences with others, this is called:

A) Taking it back practice
B) Outsider Witness practice
C) Reflection practice
D) Accountability practice

Question 21

When a special person or group of people are invited to participate in therapy conversations, this is called:

A) Taking it back practice
B) Outsider Witness practice
C) Reflection practice
D) Accountability practice

Question 22

A(n) __________ letter can be composed for clients who are reluctant about therapy to acknowledge the client's choice and control in his/her life.

A) encouraging
B) persuasive
C) readiness
D) none of the above

Question 23

A criticism of narrative therapy is that

A) it is too difficult to read and understand
B) it loses the family
C) it does not include a more defined theoretical structure
D) all of the above

Question 24

The term that refers to culturally-based "truths" is called

A) cultural discourse
B) cultural narrative
C) cultural stories
D) cultural accounts

Question 25

White's (2007) category of inquiry in externalizing conversation include

A) negotiating experience-near definition of the problem
B) justifying the evaluation
C) evaluating the effects of the problem's activities
D) all of the above

Question 26

________ technique is so important in narrative therapy that Madigan (2011) admits using them 99% of the time in therapy.

A) Double listening
B) Questioning
C) Visualization
D) Outsider Witness Practice

Question 27

Which of the following is true regarding the empirical validity of narrative therapy?

A) many of the studies are qualitative
B) there are no quantitative studies
C) research beginning to emerge is not supportive of narrative thearpy
D) there is now a large body of quantitative studies