What childhood stories are you still What childhood stories are you still clinging on to?clinging on to?

Michael White

David Epston

“Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends”

• People are interpretive beings who make meaning of themselves and their world through the language of stories that have become part of themselves, as well as their understanding of those stories

• Problems are manufactured in social, cultural, familial, political and historical contexts rather than being intrinsic to or inherent in the person.

• People’s lives are created and interpreted through their stories… ones they hear, create in their own minds, and ones they tell and retell

• Drawing people’s attention to subtle changes in their lives can foster new insights, promote empowerment and help people develop better ways to resolve difficulties… through this knowledge people can truly become authors of their own lives…

• Client is an expert on his own life and counselor is an expert of narrative therapy

• Stories give messages and become road maps of our lives

• Believes stories have cultural and interpersonal basis and meaning are generated in social interaction

• Person isn’t the problem the problem is the problem

• Therapeutic Anthropologists

• Supportive, facilitator, encourager… not an expert

• Never Judges

• Active role… suggesting exercised, offering new viewpoints, soliciting feed back

•Create shifts to bring about new meaning to the client’s story

•Does not seek to heal or “fix” people but to learn about client & understand them

• Suggest alternative viewpoints and elicit stories

•Mirroring- reflect themselves as well as the client

• Emphasis on being respective & encouraging of client’s strengths and resources

• Participatory witness and interpersonal relationship based on collaboration not just reflection (person-centered) but interactive

•Careful listening, empathetic, summarization and paraphrasing to give people ownership