Narrative Therapy

I have always been a fan of storytelling, whether it be through word of mouth, or through different forms of entertainment like tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs), movies, video games, etc. Although everyone may not be a writer in their spare time, I do believe that everyone has a story to tell. I utilized narrative therapy in a collaborative group setting where we worked on self-esteem and learning new social skills.

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.

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.

The foundation of Dr. Inez's psychotherapy worldview is narrative therapy. Some suppositions of the narrative worldview as defined by Michael White: Everyone has meaning-making skills. Everyone tells stories. The meanings we give these stories shape our lives. Life is multi-storied, not single-storied. Therapists listen for these storylines, and we support people to develop the preferred storylines richly.

Through narrative therapy, we delve into the stories and beliefs you hold about yourself, allowing us to reimagine your understanding of your experiences. Your past does not define you. By exploring personal narratives alongside cultural context and intersectionality, we can promote resilience, self-discovery, and healing. This process empowers you to reshape your identity, fostering a deeper, more holistic connection to yourself.

Narrative Therapy allows room for the client's full life in the therapy room. Narrative therapy realizes that the client is the expert on their own life, and it is the therapists job to ask good questions that help thicken the story line and increase the client's own agency. Narrative therapy was my introduction to trauma therapy and I weave the principels of it into all the work I do.

Narrative therapy is sometimes called "post-modern" because rather than defining a problem as a deficit in you, it intentionally gives you permission to "author" you own stories. The problem isn't you. The problem is just the problem. This lets your view of the problem evolve naturally. Something that starts out as a problem in your mind might turn out to be a wounded ally, a tool, a battle scar, a part of you that you love, or even still a problem. You control the story.

Society, our families of origin, and negative relationships can create narratives that people can inadvertently retain as self-talk and otherwise truth. Narrative therapy helps to look at other ways people can write the stories of their lives -- those they tell themselves and share with others. There are fun insightful and empowering activities (not all written) to encourage people to see their strengths and positive experiences in life, so they can make decisions to lead the lives they desire.

Narrative therapy is a powerful tool for clients who are interested in exploring early childhood recollections, past trauma, and identity work. Through narrative therapy, we will explore your unique experiences, values, and strengths in order to change how you relate to your emotions and navigate the world while developing the tools to release past narratives that no longer serve you.

I often utilize narrative based approaches to help the client distance themselves from the problem and re-write their life history with empowerment and understanding.

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 one of the models I was trained in.

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.

The idea that we develop stories about our own lives has always resonated with me. I enjoy identifying our own internal narratives and challenge those which may not be congruent with our current self or journey. The idea that people are separate from their problems resonates with me as in our most trying times we can feel entangled with those which most challenge us. Narrative Therapy allows for the externalization of problems through creative mediums.

I believe that every person has their own story and their own way of retelling an experience. Using narrative therapy approaches, that help separate individuals from the challenges and problems they are experiencing, I aim to empower my clients to have their own voice and narratives, and in turn gain agency over their own experience.