What is Narrative Therapy?

This video describes narrative therapy. Narrative therapy is a therapeutic modality that can be used with families or with individuals. Narrative therapy seeks to modify a problem-saturated story into a more productive story. Part of the idea behind narrative therapy is that identity is formed by the narrative of a person’s life. In narrative therapy there is no diagnosis from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) or from any source. The role of the therapist in narrative therapy is that of an investigative reporter or non-directive collaborator. The therapist in this modality is extremely curious about the narrative and particularly the client’s perception of the narrative. Narrative therapy attempts to externalize the problem. A phrase that is popular narrative therapy is “the person is not the problem, the problem is the problem.” Narrative therapy is a postmodern and constructivist approach.