Narrative therapy is a method of therapy that separates a person from their problem. It encourages people to rely on their own skills to minimize problems that exist in their lives.
Throughout life, personal experiences become personal stories. People give these stories meaning, and the stories help shape a person’s identity. Narrative therapy uses the power of these stories to help people discover their life purpose. This is often done by assigning that person the role of “narrator” in their own story.
Who can Benefit from Narrative Therapy?
This approach can be useful for anyone who feels like they are overwhelmed by negative experiences, thoughts, or emotions. Narrative therapy allows people to not only find their voice but to use their voice for good, helping them to become experts in their own lives and to live in a way that reflects their goals and values. It can be beneficial for individuals, couples, and families.
Narrative therapy can help people who are dealing with the following problems or concerns:
- Depression or Sadness
- Bipolar Disorder
- Anxiety
- Substance Abuse or Misuse
- Parental Divorce or Discord
- Tantrums
- Problems in School
- Anger
- Explosive Behaviour
- Fears/Phobias
- Sexual Identity and/or Sexuality
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)/Responses to Trauma
- Other problems that interrupt or overtake happiness in one’s life
Core Ideas Behind Narrative Therapy
Our minds are natural storytellers. Over time, repeated events and the meanings we give them can form a problem-saturated story—for example, “I always mess things up,” or “Conflict means the relationship is doomed.” Narrative therapy does not deny pain, but it questions whether this single story is the only story that can explain your life. It assumes:
- You are not the problem; the problem is the problem. We name the problem (e.g., “Anxiety,” “The Critic,” “The Fog”) and examine how it influences your life.
- Stories are multi-voiced. Culture, family, and history contribute to the plot. You can choose which voices to privilege now.
- Values and hopes already exist. Therapy helps you thicken preferred stories that fit your values and desired identity.
How does it Work?
There are a variety of techniques and exercises used in narrative therapy to help people heal and move past a problematic story. Some of the most used techniques include the following:
✽ Putting Together Your Narrative
Narrative therapists help their clients put together their narrative. This process allows the individual to find their voice and explore events in their lives and the meanings they have placed on these experiences. As their story is put together, the person becomes an observer to their story and looks at it with the therapist, working to identify the dominant and problematic story.
In sessions, this might look like mapping key chapters (“When Anxiety first took the stage,” “The time I pushed back,” “People who stood with me”) and noticing patterns about when the problem is louder or softer. You and your therapist listen for glimmers of your preferred identity—moments of courage, care, creativity, or persistence that may have been overlooked.
✽ Externalization
Putting together the story of their lives also allows people to observe themselves. This helps create distance between the individual and their problems, which is called externalization. This distance allows people to better focus on changing unwanted behaviours.
Externalization changes language like “I am anxious” to “Anxiety shows up and tries to take over my mornings.” We then ask investigative questions: “When does Anxiety recruit you? What helps you recruit allies? How has Anxiety tricked you in the past—and how did you resist?” This stance reduces shame and increases choice.
✽ Deconstruction
Deconstruction is used to help people gain clarity in their stories. When a problematic story feels like it has been around for a long time, people might use generalized statements and become confused in their own stories. A narrative therapist would work with the individual to break down their story into smaller parts, clarifying the problem and making it more approachable.
We slow sweeping statements (“I’m a failure”) into specifics (“When deadlines stack and I skip breaks, The Critic gets loud”). We also examine the social context—messages from school, family, media—that may have shaped your story about success, love, or strength. This opens space for kinder, truer meanings.
✽ Unique Outcomes
When a story feels concrete, as if it could never change, any idea of alternative stories goes out the window. People can become very stuck in their story and allow it to influence several areas of their lives, impacting decision-making, behaviours, experiences, and relationships.
Unique outcomes are the exceptions—moments when the old plot did not prevail. Maybe you spoke up, delayed a reaction, or asked for help. We investigate: “How did you pull that off? What does that say about you? Who would not be surprised to hear you did that?” These details thicken a preferred story so it becomes easier to live into.
Additional Narrative Practices You May Encounter
- Re-authoring conversations: Linking unique outcomes across time into a coherent, values-based storyline (“From Silenced to Self-Respecting”).
- Mapping the influence: Charting how the problem influences you—and how you influence the problem—across home, work, friendships, and body.
- Double listening: Hearing both the effects of hardship and your responses of protest, care, and skill that emerged alongside it.
- Documentation: Writing therapeutic letters, certificates, or “news clippings” that acknowledge growth, witnessed by therapist or loved ones.
- Outsider witnesses: Inviting trusted people (or group members) to reflect on what your story evoked in them, highlighting your contributions and values.
What to Expect in a Session
Your therapist will ask respectful, curious questions that position you as the expert on your life. You might name the problem, map its tactics, and identify allies and skills you already use. Sessions often end with a short reflection or letter summarising what stood out, so you leave with language you can lean on during the week.
Between sessions, you may be invited (never required) to collect “small evidences” of the preferred story: a text you sent, a boundary you kept, a gentle thought you offered yourself. These are not tests; they are breadcrumbs that help the new plot gain momentum.
Narrative Therapy with Children and Teens
Stories can be drawn, built with blocks, or acted out with figures. A child might describe “Worry Wombat” and practice outsmarting it at bedtime. Teens often enjoy creative mediums—playlists, photo journals, or comics—to name values and map influence. Parents are included as partners: they learn to witness preferred stories and avoid feeding problem-saturated narratives at home.
Narrative Therapy for Couples and Families
Instead of blaming each other, partners externalize the cycle (“The Blame Game,” “The Silence Spiral”) and examine how it recruits each person. Unique outcomes might include a 10-minute pause ritual or a repair phrase that interrupts escalation. Families identify shared values (“We try again,” “We speak kindly”) and collect stories that prove those values are alive, even under stress.
Examples of Narrative Questions
- “When did Fear first convince you that you were alone—and when did you first doubt that message?”
- “What does your choice to rest say about the kind of life you are trying to build?”
- “If your best friend were telling this story, what strengths would they highlight that you may be missing?”
- “What small action would move the plot one paragraph toward your preferred ending this week?”
Safety, Culture, and Identity
Narrative work honours context. Our identities (culture, language, faith, gender, sexuality, migration, class) shape which stories are available or suppressed. Therapy makes room for these forces and supports you in centring stories that reflect dignity, safety, and belonging. When risk or trauma is active, sessions prioritise stabilisation and consent; no story is told before it is safe enough to tell.
Measuring Progress
Progress is visible when language shifts (“I’m broken” becomes “Grief visits—and I have ways to respond”), when choices widen (you pause before reacting), and when preferred values show up more often (courage, kindness, steadiness). Many people notice reduced shame, clearer boundaries, and a more compassionate inner voice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this just positive thinking?
No. Narrative therapy takes problems seriously. It also takes your responses and values seriously, so the problem is not the only author.
Do we ignore the past?
We honour the past and how it shaped current stories, while emphasising your present and future authorship.
How many sessions will I need?
It varies. Some people focus on a specific storyline for 4–8 sessions; others prefer longer work to reshape deeply embedded plots.
Can narrative therapy work alongside other approaches?
Yes. Many clients blend narrative work with skills-based therapies (e.g., CBT, DBT) or trauma-focused modalities. Narrative language often makes skills easier to use because it aligns them with your values and identity.
Short Practices You Can Try This Week
- Name the problem. Give it a nickname. Write one paragraph about how it tries to influence you—and one about how you influence it.
- Collect unique outcomes. Each evening, note one moment (however small) when you acted closer to the person you want to be.
- Values postcard. Write a short note from your future self describing one value you protected today and how you did it.
- Support circle. List three people who would not be surprised by your strengths. Consider sharing one unique outcome with them.
Working with your Therapist at Psychology Blossom
Our narrative-informed clinicians collaborate with you to separate problems from identity, surface your values, and co-author practical next steps. Whether you are navigating low mood, anxiety, grief, identity questions, or relationship stress, we will help you gather the evidence that your preferred story is already alive—and grow it with intention.
If you’re ready to step into the role of narrator and align your actions with your values, we’re here to walk alongside you.
Everyone Deserves to Blossom.
We recommend This Video to those who wants to learn more about Narrative Therapy.
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