18/02/2025
A Few Guiding Principles of Narrative Therapy ✨
1️⃣ Non-Pathologizing 🧠
Narrative therapy rejects the idea that individuals *are* their problems. Instead, it views people as *separate* from their struggles, acknowledging the influence of societal and cultural factors. This separation allows individuals to reclaim their agency and recognize their own resilience.
2️⃣ Client as the Expert 🎤
Unlike traditional therapeutic models where the therapist is the authority, narrative therapy centers the client as the expert of their own life. The therapist’s role is to facilitate exploration, helping individuals uncover their own strengths, values, and solutions.
3️⃣ Challenging Social Norms 🔍
Society can impose rigid definitions of success, identity, and worth. Many struggles stem from these oppressive cultural narratives. Narrative therapy challenges and dismantles these limiting stories, making space for more authentic, self-affirming identities.
4️⃣ Unique Outcomes ✍️
Life is not a single, fixed story. Narrative therapy helps individuals identify unique outcomes when they resisted or overcame problems. By weaving these moments into a new narrative, people can reconstruct their identities in ways that empower and uplift them.
5️⃣ Constructed Identity 🤝
Our stories don’t exist in isolation—they’re shaped by relationships and cultural contexts. Narrative therapy values social connection as a tool for healing, encouraging individuals to share their evolving stories with supportive communities to reinforce change.
Narrative therapy underscores agency, empowerment, and the transformative power of storytelling, making narrative therapy a deeply collaborative and liberating approach.
💬 Which of these principles resonates with you?
