Submitted to : Dr.

Asma Bashir
Department : Applied Psychology
Semester: BS 5th (A)
Subject: Counseling psychology

Topic: Narrative approach to counseling

Assignment group: 5
Table of content:
 What is narrative therapy (Nermeen Khan roll no. 29)
 Aim of narrative therapy
 Role of therapist
 Techniques used in narrative therapy (Adina Ayesha roll no. 30)
 Benefits of narrative therapy
 Principles of narrative therapy
 Psychodynamic approach to narrative (Ayesha Asif roll no. 28)
 Role of unconsciousness
 Transference
 Countertransference
 Cognitive approach to narrative (Amna Majeed roll no. 31)
 Cognitive therapies
 Cognitive behavioral therapy
 Virtual reality therapy
 Rational emotive therapy
 Transactional analysis
 Social constructionist narrative therapy (Rabia Karamat roll no. 27)
 What is social constructionism
 Goals of social construction therapy
What Is Narrative Therapy?
Narrative therapy was developed in the 1980s by therapists Michael White and David Epston.  It
is still a relatively novel approach to therapy which seeks to have an empowering effect and
offer therapy which is non-blaming and non-pathological in nature. 

This therapy involves the client talking about their life stories- or narratives- with the therapist.
With the therapist, they discuss and challenge these narratives which may be causing a lot of
emotional distress, to overcome them. 

This approach centers on people as the experts in their own lives and views problems as
separate from the person.
This therapy also assumes that people have skills and abilities that will assist them to reduce
the effect of problems in their lives. 

What is a narrative?
A narrative is a story. As humans, we have many stories about ourselves, others, our abilities,
self-esteem, and work, among many others.
The way we have developed these stories is determined by how we have linked certain events
together in a sequence and by the meaning that has been attributed to them. The
interpretation of a narrative can influence thinking, feelings, and behavior.
Many narratives are useful and healthy, whereas others can result in mental distress. Mental
health symptoms can come about when there is an unhealthy or negative narrative, or if there
is a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of a narrative. 

What is the aim of narrative therapy?

Narrative therapy seeks to change a problematic narrative into a more productive or healthier
one.  This is often done by assigning the person the role of narrator in their own story.
Narrative therapy helps to separate the person from the problem and empowers the person to
rely on their own skills to minimize problems that exist in their lives. 
This therapy aims to teach the person to view alternative stories and address their issues in a
more productive way.
Narrative therapy can be used with individuals but can also prove useful for couples or families.

What is the role of the therapist?

The role of the narrative therapist is to search for an alternative way of understanding a client’s
narrative, or an alternative way to describe it.
The belief is that telling a story is a form of action toward change; therefore, the therapist will
help clients to objectify their problems, frame these problems within a larger sociocultural
context, and teach the person how to make room for other stories. 
During therapy, the therapist acts as a non-directive collaborator. They treat the client as the
expert of their own problems and do not impose judgements.
Instead, the therapist is purely curious and investigative. They are not particularly interested in
the cause of a problem but are open to a client’s perception of the cause. 
Techniques:
There are many techniques that the therapist can use to help the person to heal and move past
a problematic story in their lives:

o Putting together the 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.
This usually involves listening to the client explain their stories and any issues that they want to
bring up. The therapist may find what is known as a ‘problem saturated narrative’ comes up,
which will be what is causing the client the most distress.  As the story comes together, the
client becomes an observer to their story and can then review this with the therapist.

o Externalizing the problem:

Once the story is put together, the therapist encourages the client to create distance between
the individual and their problems. Now, the client sees the problem as a separate entity
allowing him to solve the problem and change the unwanted behaviors.

o Deconstruction:
This “deconstruction” refers to reducing the problems a client is experiencing, thus making it
easier to understand the “whole picture.” A therapist might deconstruct the problem with this
client by asking them to be more specific about what is bothering them. This technique is an
excellent way to help the client dig into the problem and understand the foundation of the
stressful event in their life.

o Unique outcomes:

The unique outcomes technique involves changing one’s own storyline. The client aims to
construct a storyline to their experiences that gives them a positive and functional identity. This
is not as misguided as “thinking positive,” but rather, a specific technique for clients to develop
life-affirming stories.

o Existentialism:

In this therapy the client is encouraged to take the ownership of their own choices. They learn
to see their existing reality more clearly and recognize their contribution to situation.
The role of therapist is to help the client focus on personal responsibility for making decisions.
  Benefits of narrative therapy
 Empowers the individual

 Supportive 

 Non-confrontational

 Client is treated as an expert

 Context is considered

What can narrative therapy help with?

Narrative therapy may be helpful for treating the symptoms of a variety of conditions,
including:

 Anxiety disorders

 Depressive disorders

 Eating disorders

 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

As well as mental health conditions, narrative therapy may also be useful for the following:

 Those who feel like they are overwhelmed by negative experiences, thoughts, or
emotions.

 Those with attachment issues.

 Those who are suffering with grief. 

 Those who have issues with low self-esteem. 

 Those who often feel powerless in many situations.

The Psychodynamic Approach to narrative:
The psychodynamic approach to narrative is a form of psychotherapy with its roots in
traditional psychoanalysis, which was pioneered by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud as a
clinical method for treating psychopathology, a term meaning mental disorders.
Freud believed that we are governed by subconscious drives and conflicting parts of our
personality which he labeled the id, ego and super ego. This tripartite personality sees the id as
the needy uncontrolled part of ourselves. The ego, on the other hand, is our adult self-trying to
rein in the childish self-destructive desires of the id.

Techniques:
A psychodynamic therapist may draw upon psychoanalytic techniques in their work with a
client. Free association and dream interpretation are commonly used in both psychoanalysis
and psychodynamics as a means to explore the unconscious.
Bringing the subconscious in to the here and now: Both theories help the client understand
how decisions subconsciously made in childhood are carried through in to our adult lives.

Key concepts:
The Role of the Unconscious:
The psychodynamic approach to counseling aims to help clients to develop their self-awareness
by exploring what is happening in their process at an unconscious level.
Relevant psychoanalytic concepts such as defense mechanisms; the Jungian concept
of shadow; psychosexual stages; and ego, superego and id are likely to form a part of how a
psychodynamic therapist makes sense of the material the client brings.
A psychodynamic therapist will work with the client to explore their responses and to bring
their unconscious selves into conscious awareness. Carl Jung called this process Individuation.

Transference and Countertransference:

Psychodynamic therapy often involves paying attention to transference and
countertransference responses which occur in the therapeutic relationship

 Transference: refers to the feelings that a client develops towards a therapist, which

typically mirror relational dynamics and feelings from past relationships.
Exploring the responses that a client is experiencing towards a therapist can allow deeper
exploration of the ways in which past experiences are influencing the client’s here-and-now
relating and bring unconscious or repressed feelings to light in the therapeutic relationship
where they can be safely explored and processed
Countertransference is a complex phenomenon; there is likely to be a mixture of here-and-now
feelings and feelings with their basis in the therapist’s past experiences which make up part of
the therapist’s unconscious response to the client, but also, the therapist may unconsciously
develop feelings in response to the client’s transference – this is where countertransference
emerges and may be useful to the therapeutic work.
Overview
Psychodynamic counseling tends to be a longer-term approach which involves deep exploration
of self. It is suitable for clients who wish to explore their inner-selves at depth, or who have
difficulties in their lives and relationships with no obvious cause.
A psychodynamic approach to counseling is inherently relational and views the emergence of
unconscious material within the therapeutic relationship as inevitable. Typically,
psychodynamic therapy will involve a mixture of directive and non-directive approaches,
employing some psychoanalytic technique, but also allowing space for the client to navigate
their way through their own unconscious.
Psychodynamic therapy is a ‘whole life’ approach where you explore the life process and
interactions that made you who you are. It also helps you consider what you want to change.
Cognitive Approach to narrative:
Counseling provides the opportunity to explore thoughts, feelings and emotions.
Understanding why we think, feel and act a certain way, and why we hold the beliefs that we
do, requires that we have patience and keenness to explore our past and our present. There are
many different counseling approaches that can help identify, and understand, behavior and
conditioning.

What is Cognitive therapy?

Cognitive therapy centers on the belief that our thoughts are influenced by how we feel. There
are a number of different cognitive therapies, including Cognitive-behavioral, Reality, Rational
Emotive and Transactional analysis. Each of these cognitive approaches to counseling can help a
client through the counseling process, by providing further understanding of the way our
thoughts are sometimes distorted.
Cognitive therapy focuses on the present. This means that issues are from the past that are
influencing current thinking, are acknowledged but not concentrated on. Instead a counselor
will work with the client on identifying what is causing distress in present thinking. What links
these different forms of cognitive therapy is the way in which the counseling relationship
between a counselor and client develops. Assertiveness exercises, role-playing and homework
are also part of the supportive one-to-one sessions a client will have with a counselor.

Cognitive-Behavioral therapy:
This cognitive approach to counseling is based on the belief that learning comes from personal
experience. Counseling will focus on a client’s ability to accept behavior, clarify problems and
difficulties and understanding the reasoning behind the importance of setting goals. With the
help of self-management training, assertiveness exercises and role-playing, the counselor can
help a client work towards goals.

Virtual Reality Therapy:

This form of therapeutic approach works well in treating fears and phobias. This is because
virtual reality therapy(VRT) concentrates on accurately duplicating the distressing situations.
Counselors who use this form of cognitive approach, during counseling sessions, will recreate
situations in order to expose the client to what triggers their fear. VRT also works well in
treating anxiety disorders.

Rational Emotive Therapy:

Rational Emotive Behavior therapy (REBT) centres on the belief that human beings have a
tendency to develop irrational behavior and beliefs. These are the 'musts' and 'shoulds' that
many people fill their lives with, and which influence thought and deed. REBT acknowledges
that past and present conditions affect a person's thinking and utilize a framework so that the
counselor can apply activating events that allow the client to identify beliefs and consequences.

Transactional Analysis:
TA, as Transactional analysis is also known, is based on the notion that our personality consists
of three stages of ego - parent, adult and child. During interaction with others, one of our ego
states will predominant, depending on the situation we find ourselves in. Certain types of
behavior are associated with each of the ego roles, and using this form of cognitive approach to
counseling allows the client to understand the different ego stages and how they interact with
each other.

What is social constructionism?

Social constructionism is a theory that knowledge and many aspects of the world around us are
not real in and of themselves. They only exist because we give them reality through social
agreement.
Simply put, social constructs do not have inherent meaning. The only meaning they have is the
meaning given to them by people. For example, the idea that pink is for girls and blue is for
boys is an example of a social construct related to gender and the color of items.
Social constructionism focuses on the artifacts that are created through the social interactions
of a group, social constructivism focuses on an individual's learning that takes place because of
his or her interactions in a group.
Social Constructionism is a term used for introducing the awareness of how our ways of life are
constantly socially developing and changing over time. The way we communicate with each
other, how we get our needs met, how we organize ourselves, are all constructed relationally
and are continually being redefined.
Social constructionism is the theory that people develop knowledge of the world in a social
context, and much of what we perceive as reality depends on shared assumptions.
1. From a social constructionist perspective, many things we take for granted and believe
are in reality are socially constructed, and are able to change as society changes.
2. Social constructionists believe that things that are generally viewed as natural or normal
in society (e.g understandings of gender, race, class, and disability) are socially
constructed, and accordingly are not an accurate reflection of reality.
What are social constructionist therapies?
In social constructionist therapy, client and therapist work to co-create new, more satisfactory
'stories,' in ways which recognize their social, relational character.
Social constructionism observes how the interactions of individuals with their society and the
world around them gives meaning to otherwise worthless things and creates the reality of the
society.

Goals of social constructionism therapy:

 Generate new meaning in lives of clients
 Co-develop with clients, solution that are unique to situation.
 Enhance awareness of impact of various aspects of dominant culture on the individual
 Help people, develop alternative ways of being, acting, knowing and living.
References:

 https://www.verywellmind.com/constructivism-and-psychotherapy-2337730
 https://www.verywellmind.com/narrative-therapy-4172956
 https://www.glasgowpsychology.co.uk/psychodynamic-counselling.php
 https://counseling.northwestern.edu/blog/five-counseling-theories-and-approach
 https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_892
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
247508292_Applying_social_constructionism_to_psychotherapy
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_constructionism