Chapter 9/10: Narrative Theory & Solution Based Theory

scaling question

asking clients on a 10-point scale (where 1 represents the problem is fully present and 10 represents the problem is fully gone) to rate their current view of the problem *This helps the client identify change *clarify what is needed to attain resolution *measure progress *motivate future success

miracle question

asking the client to consider a future when the problem no longer exists

Principle 2 of SFBT: The therapy should focus on solutions

instead of focusing on the identified problems, focus is on resolving them

deconstruction

involves challenging these internalized assumptions and replacing them with messages that foster growth and opportunity

Principle 6 of SFBT: Intensity, frequency, duration, and severity of the problem should be considered

measure can be used to describe the problem, past and present; identification of each of these in context can assist in resolution

dominant narrative

messages constructed by society (for many groups, messages relayed in the media, through education, and in politics can be oppressive)

externalization of the problem

normalizes the client and puts the problem outside the person as something that is to be fought (depathologizing)

relative influencing

questions can help clients to recognize how externalized problems affect their lives

social constructivism

reality is created through social interactions with others

Principle 4 of SFBT: Exceptions to the problem likely exist

social workers help the client to identify exceptions when the problem was absent or less disturbing

joining

starting where the client is and being a partner in change

post-modern

subjective worldview; reality is subjective (each person is unique)

appraisal

the activity of attaching meaning or interpretation to an experience, often occurring through storytelling

multistoried

the concept of multiple interpretations of life experiences

narratives

are accounts that people share through written words, artwork, and other pictorial representations, and ceremonies, as well as verbally

solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT)

*short-term treatment model (popular in managed care) *social worker remains focused not on problems but on solutions

Narrative theory

*suggests that people talk about their lives through the process of sharing stories *provides some explanation regarding how storytelling can help us both understand and intervene with clients within social work practice *storytelling is essential to the human experience *narrative theorists are concerned with how society changes our interpretation of experiences *narrative therapy

Theoretical Principles of Narrative Theory

1. People communicate about their lives through the process of storytelling in verbal and written accounts through artwork 2. The process of sharing a story allows the storytellers to attach meaning to their experiences which can in itself be therapeutic 3. Because storytelling involves appraising events, helping clients alter the meaning they attach to the experiences can be helpful 4. dominant narratives can hinder potential; therefore, externalization helps clients understand their experiences in more liberating ways

Narrative Therapy Interventions

1. Storytelling 2. Externalization 3. Reauthoring 4. Relative Influencing 5. Letter writing campaigns

reauthoring

if stories represent varied interpretations of experiences, clients can be empowered to reinterpret their stories and develop more helpful interpretations

strengths

include internal and external resources that can be used to assist someone in enhancing well-being and ameliorating the current distress

Principle 8 of SFBT: Asking who, what, when, and where can help to identify the nature of the distress

identification helps to put the problem and solution into context, both past and future

narrative therapy

a therapeutic practice grounded in the theoretical assumptions of narrative theory; suggests that people experience the events of their lives through the metaphor of a story (White and Epston 1980)

storytelling

constructing and sharing life stories can be a helpful process; this is essential to assessment because it describes people's interpretations of what is happening in their lives

Principle 3 of SFBT: The client arrives in therapy with strengths

each person possesses particular strengths that can be identified and used to empower the client to develop and reach solutions

future-oriented

focus is not on the history of the problem but toward the future when the problem is resolved

solutions

focus is on things that fix the problem, solutions, instead of the problem

Principle 5 of SFBT: The client's problem is likely systemic rather than localized

focus on the client in context means that the problem can be external to the client; this depathologizes the client

first-formula task

helps the client discover what is going well and identifies skills and resources to be maximized, as well as focusing on the positive

social construction

how societies develop ideas that can become internalized by groups and individuals (this belief is then fostered through community discourse)

meaning

the process of how we understand the experiences our lives

externalization

the process of situating a problem outside of the person; involves locating problems within the context of society rather than within the individual

Principle 7 of SFBT: Process remains future-oriented

there is lessened concentration on the past and emphasis on the future and resolution

exceptions

times when the problem did not exist or when people coped well

letter writing campaigns

unhelpful messages can be deconstructed by having family and friends write letters that offer new, more helpful interpretations

Principle 1 of SFBT: Uniqueness of the client must be considered

with the postmodern perspective, the social worker must strive to understand the client in context