Narrative Therapy

Individual people and communities of all sizes understand their identity and purpose via the stories they tell. Narrative theory is about unpacking the stories we tell about ourselves and where they come from, societal stories, family stories, community stories. It's about actively choosing what stories we want to tell in the future. My practice of narrative therapy is informed by the work of Black feminists like The Combahee River Collective, Octavia Butler, and Toni Morrison.

As a post-modern approach, Narrative Therapy centers you as the expert of your life. My role is to ask questions to bring you through processing your life in a way that allows for you to re-examine and re-narrate in a way that is empowering and clarifying. By doing so, we'll discuss carrying that empowerment into how you "write" your life going forward.

Narrative Therapy is one of the models I was trained in.

Narrative therapy helps you see yourself as the author of your life in so many ways. It increases your ability to act and bring about the changes you want to see by helping you get clear on your individual skill sets and sense of purpose. It helps you identify your values and to see yourself and the actions available to you more clearly.

My training at the Ackerman Institute included a focus on social constructionism and narrative therapy. My practice has focused on distinguishing people from their problems, exploring the relationship between the individual and their problems, understanding that systems of power influence our lived experience, supporting people to cultivate life affirming, empowering narratives about their lives.

I use Narrative Therapy to learn about the stories that a client tells about their life. Throughout the therapeutic process, we will "thicken the narrative" and discuss the ways that we may "re-story" our lives.

Narrative therapy will help you separate yourself from your problems by viewing your life as a story. It encourages you to explore how your stories shape your identity and challenges. By re-authoring these stories, you can gain new perspectives, empower yourself, and create more positive narratives that support their growth and well-being. I will act as a collaborator, helping you discover alternative stories that reflect your strengths and values.

The stories we tell ourselves and that are told to use often feel defining, but we can gently re-write the narratives that we carry and that we hear. Through narrative therapy work, I am here to help you in this process.

I gravitate toward narrative therapy because I believe in the power of stories to shape how we see ourselves and our world. I’m passionate about helping clients uncover the narratives driving their thoughts and behaviors, especially those rooted in attachment experiences. By separating problems from identity, I help clients rewrite their stories in ways that honor their strengths. If you’re seeking a therapist who values your story and empowers meaningful change, I’d be honored to support you.

I invite you to step into the earth of your story in the presence of a kind witness to the harm that you've suffered. It is here we most need others and often are the most alone. If you'll walk through how your story shaped you, influences the present, and intersects with the stories of others, life can make sense in a way it never has, and you can begin to create the life and relationships your heart longs for. My therapy style draws from Narrative Focused Trauma Care/Allender Theory.

"The problem is the problem, the person is not the problem:" Michael White and David Epston, psychotherapists, founders of Narrative Therapy Narrative Therapy is a postmodern approach to therapy. It helps the client reframe their difficulties as primarily social and outside of themselves, which gives them more options for personal agency and effective change.

My graduate training is primarily in narrative therapy, and my approach is to engage in self-exploration by taking an outside, curious perspective of ourselves and our stories, gain greater insight into the events that have shaped us, enrich our stories by recognizing our resilience, and use that knowledge and perspective to better define what we would like our futures to be.

Through Narrative Therapy, you and I will seek to understand the stories you tell yourself (or that others have told you) about YOU that cause you anxiety, sadness, or for you to feel "stuck." With that increased understanding of your self-focused story, we can slowly work to shift your story to reflect your strengths, your nuances, and your wisdom. With a more compassionate and balanced self-image, you will feel more confidence and self-love.

My personal journey in therapy has been within this modality since 2017 and I've been in love with the framework since! I honor storytelling as one of the most ancient forms of healing, memory, remembrance and community care. Narrative therapy helps me center the Native origins of so many of the healing practices we use as therapists.

Explores significant events/"stories" that occur over time in one's life. Acknowledges how these "stories" may have shaped a person's identity. Challenges 'problematic stories/narratives' one carries of self which inhibit growth and limit one's sense of internal peace. Focuses on not labeling or viewing oneself as "broken". Aims to allow one to get some distance from their preconceived narratives in order to re-assess their perspective and messaging surrounding it.

Stories are the way we make sense of our lives. It's why we love movies, TV and books! Sometimes we feel we are part of an uninteresting story or are stuck in a negative story. But you can be the one who chooses your story. Let's work together to identify and build upon the story of a better and healthier life.

Narrative Therapy is my personal favorite!!! I find such passion in stories and exploring the narratives that we tell about ourselves. The power of storytelling is innate in humanness and harnessing that power to drive change and healing is transformational.