A narrative is a story that makes up a collection of events. Every person has a story. Some people have positive, uplifting, humorous stories. Others have greatly difficult, traumatic, and even scary experiences that overshadow any positive. Many people go through life defining themselves by their problems. This often leaves people feeling stuck, hopeless, and empty. Narrative therapy is one tool people may encounter that can support their healing journey.

Narrative Therapy

The therapist is not the expert in narrative therapy. The person in the other seat is the one in control. This shift in perspective from traditional forms of therapy can be very empowering for people who seek treatment. It is not uncommon for people in therapy to regard themselves as weak, damaged, and irrevocably harmed. Through their grief and trauma, narrative therapists seek to work in tandem with the people in that seat to accomplish their therapeutic goals in a respectful, non-judgmental way. People in therapy then learn to use alternative ways of looking at their own story, viewing it as a strength, not a weakness, and learning to build on the better aspects of their personal narrative.

What to Expect

Narrative therapy involves weekly sessions with a trained therapist. The therapist will facilitate the process in a collaborative effort between the person in recovery and the therapist. During sessions, narrative therapists guide the conversation in such a way that the person can foster discovery and allow for and encourage new stories and meanings to emerge. This helps people rewrite the dominant story.

Benefits

There are myriad benefits to narrative therapy. Some of those can include:

  • Non-blaming and non-judgmental approach to therapy that separates the problem from the person
  • Regards the person in recovery as the expert of their own life. This provides empowerment rather than a mode of fixing to the relationship
  • Strengths-based and focused, with an approach to building their knowledge and skill rather than focusing on past failures and weaknesses
  • Optimistic and playful view of therapy rather than leaving the person in recovery feeling discouraged by the magnitude of their past

Many mental health professionals use narrative therapy in clinical practice. When seeking a qualified therapist, be sure he or she has appropriate training and certification for narrative therapy training. One of the biggest benefits of narrative therapy is learning how to rewrite the ‘story’ that dominated your life under addiction and now learning to create a future that aligns with your sober self, desires, and goals for the future.

The Springboard Center’s addiction treatment programs are tailored to meet the needs of each client. By utilizing a set of diverse methods of addiction treatment, we are able to deal with your addiction from all angles and concentrate on every aspect of your healing process. It is important to recognize that many of our services offer a group setting and environment, so that the client spends time with other people affected by the same chronic disease and problems. 432-620-0255