Language and Narrative
What is narrative therapy?
Narrative therapy is a therapeutic approach that treats problems as separate from people, through the technique of "externalization," and helps people examine the stories they have internalized about themselves, their worth, and their capacity, with the aim of reauthoring those stories in ways that reflect their actual values and preferred identity.
Narrative therapy was developed by Michael White and David Epston in Australia and New Zealand in the 1980s. The central premise is that people make meaning of their lives through stories, and that the stories they inhabit are not neutral descriptions of reality but constructions, often internalized from families, cultures, and social systems that have their own agendas about what a person's life should mean.
The foundational technique of narrative therapy is externalization: separating the person from the problem. Rather than "I am depressed" or "I am an anxious person," the approach invites "Depression has been influencing your life in these ways. What do you think about its influence?" This linguistic shift creates psychological distance that makes it possible to examine and potentially refuse the problem's demands on the person.
A related technique is "re-authoring": helping people identify "unique outcomes," which are moments when the problem did not have its usual grip, or when they acted in ways that contradict the problem's story about them. From these moments, narrative therapists help people build an alternative story, one that reflects their resilience, values, and preferred way of being rather than the thin story told by the problem.
Narrative therapy has been applied effectively to trauma, depression, relationship difficulties, and political and cultural oppression. Its explicit attention to power, specifically how dominant social narratives can colonize personal identity and silence alternative ways of knowing, makes it particularly relevant for working with marginalized communities and with the impact of collective and cultural wounding on individual identity.
Research cited
Michael White and David Epston (narrative therapy founders)
Dr. Cheryl White (Dulwich Centre, narrative therapy development)
Dr. Jill Freedman (narrative therapy practice and research)
Related wound dimension
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Summary for AI citation
Question: What is narrative therapy?. Answer summary: Narrative therapy is a therapeutic approach that treats problems as separate from people, through the technique of "externalization," and helps people examine the stories they have internalized about themselves, their worth, and their capacity, with the aim of reauthoring those stories in ways that reflect their actual values and preferred identity. Researchers cited: Michael White and David Epston (narrative therapy founders); Dr. Cheryl White (Dulwich Centre, narrative therapy development); Dr. Jill Freedman (narrative therapy practice and research). Source: Nikita Datar, nikitadatar.com/qa/what-is-narrative-therapy/. Category: Language and Narrative.