The Very First Page, Not Where the Storyline Ends

As a therapist working with kids and teens, words can often be hard. Sometimes the feelings can get too big to put into words, or the words we have aren’t enough to fully describe what we are going through. Words can be confrontational or overwhelming, trying to contain sensations or emotions with the constraints of language. One tool that I use to access words in a different way is through narrative therapy. Narrative therapy can be a fun and enlightening way to access inner worlds and share personal connections with others.

Understanding Narrative Therapy

Narrative therapy is based on the premise that individuals are not defined by their problems, but rather by the stories they construct about themselves and their experiences. Through collaborative dialogue, therapists kids in deconstructing limiting narratives and crafting alternative stories. These alternatives are often more empowering and expansive.

Narrative Therapy Tools

Externalization
One of the key components of narrative therapy involves externalizing the problem. I often support clients in personify their struggles by creating concrete, tangible representations. A child with anxiety may write a story about their Worry Monster or describe how a conversation with fear might go. By externalizing the issue, children gain a sense of agency. Externalization can also help clients have distance from the intensity of the situation, realizing that they are separate and distinct from their problems.

Reauthoring Stories
Through collaborative storytelling, children are invited to reimagine their narratives. Using either written stories or expressive arts as a medium, therapists facilitate the creation of alternative storylines. In these new storylines children often emerge as resilient protagonists capable of handling their problems and overcoming obstacles. Children who have experienced feelings of powerlessness can create a story or narrative where they harness their inner strength and recognize adaptive thoughts and parts of themselves.

Witnessing and Validating
Therapists often serve as compassionate witnesses, validating children's experiences and emotions without judgment. By creating a safe and non-judgmental space, therapists foster trust and encourage clients to share their stories authentically. Therapists honor the client’s narratives through active listening and empathetic engagement, reinforcing the sense of worth and dignity. Sometimes the telling of the story is just as powerful as the story itself.

Rituals and Ceremonies
Rituals and ceremonies can hold immense significance in narrative therapy, symbolizing transitions and transformations. Therapists guide clients in crafting personalized rituals to mark pivotal moments in their healing journey. These rituals can include a farewell ceremony, funerals for past events, celebrations of new adventures, and magic spells for changing times. These rituals can provide clients with a sense of closure and empowerment.

Metaphors
Metaphors serve as powerful tools for describing and distilling complex emotions and experiences. Therapists often use the creative potential of metaphors, inviting clients to explore their inner landscapes through symbolic representations. By tapping into the metaphorical realm, clients can create rich narratives that illuminate hidden truths and insights. Metaphors often gives us a different way of looking at the problem, which can result in new realizations and awareness of strengths.

Narrative therapy can provide additional tools to the framework of traditional, allowing therapists and clients to access healing in new ways. These new tools can offer clients a dynamic, inclusive, and expressive experience. Through the combinations of narrative techniques and expressive arts modalities, therapists can empower children to rewrite their stories, reclaim their agency, and forge paths towards wholeness. Through the power of narrative therapy, therapists can bear witness to the remarkable resilience and creativity inherent in every child and client's narrative.

Click below to learn more about narrative therapy and expressive arts.