Chapter 15: Narrative Therapy

Narrative therapy is a form of therapy that utilizes narrative or storytelling to approach psychotherapy and and social construction. This is a more recent form of therapy created by Micheal White and David Epston. This therapy believes that there is no objective social reality, but instead we view ourselves, others, and the entire social world in which we live is constructed by society. According to narrative therapy is a series of stories that are created and connected to our experiences the way we process them.

When working in the student affairs profession, narrative therapy could be applied when consulting with a student(s) about an event that happened. Each person involved could tell their own story about how the event took place, how effective it may or may not have been, who was involved, and what the outcome was. This can create feedback to the program board about how effective the program was.

Video:Narrative Session with Dr. Madigan and David
The counselor and client work together to create a list of how to fix the clients problem with taunting in school. The counselor tries to create and get connected to the clients experiences and process them efficiently. By allowing the client to get his concerns off of his chest help to create a more positive atmosphere.