Narrative Therapy in Phoenix AZ

There are a few different therapies available that can help you overcome mental health conditions and relationship challenges. Narrative therapy in Phoenix AZ is one of those therapies. Narrative therapies can be used in various settings, including individual, couple, and family therapy settings.¹

When you hear “narrative,” you probably think of storytelling or writing. That is what narrative therapy is, done with a mental health professional narrative therapist. Narrative therapy helps you understand the dominant story and identify alternative stories that are accurate and more life-enhancing stories and narratives. This approach makes narrative therapy for mental health conditions a powerful tool for change. ¹ Let’s look deeper at what it is and how our narrative therapy in Phoenix, AZ, provides a unique platform for individuals, couples, and families to redefine their stories, fostering resilience and promoting healing in a supportive environment.

The Theory Behind Narrative Therapy

There is no denying that your life story and experiences impact how you view yourself, the world, and others. Narrative therapy seeks that, as an individual, you create meaning out of the events of your own life and form narratives around these events.

You can rewrite your life stories by learning how to deconstruct dominant stories, identify patterns in how you interpret life challenges and events, and reconstruct the life events and challenges in a more productive and healthy light.¹ Through re-interpretation, you can change unhealthy and negative narratives about your life and experiences into healthy and beneficial alternative stories that help strengthen your quality of life.

Instead of being seen as authority figures who give advice, narrative therapists are more like collaborative partners who help clients grow and heal.

How to Rewrite the Narrative

You have multiple interrelating dominant and alternative stories that shape the way you see yourself, and the challenges you experience and discuss in therapy aren’t located within you but rather shaped and influenced by cultural constructions of power and influence.² Narrative therapy in Arizona seeks to rewrite the narrative by using the following narrative therapy techniques to shape your relationships and your life:²

• Re-considering: To consider again with the willingness to reverse or change something.³
• Re-appreciating: To re-evaluate the nature, significance, or worth of something.⁴
• Re-authorizing: To authorize something again.⁵

Understanding Constructivism

Constructivism is a concept that applies to narrative therapy. To understand how narrative therapy separates people from their problems, it is helpful to understand what constructivism is. Constructivism is a theoretical framework that believes that individuals actively create their perception of the world by interpreting events and objects in their lives in terms they already know.³ In other words, your past experiences shape your current state of knowledge, influencing what information you interpret and how you interpret new information.⁶

What is Narrative Therapy in Phoenix Used to Treat?

Unfortunately, not much research is available regarding the effectiveness of narrative therapy in treating various disorders.⁷ However, research that does exist shows that narrative therapy is beneficial in treating trauma and trauma disorders such as PTSD. Moreover, narrative therapy for trauma has shown promising results in providing individuals with a structure to process and reinterpret their traumatic experiences. Treatment of PTSD with narrative therapy has been shown to produce reductions in symptoms as well as increases in self-esteem, empowerment and quality of life. More specifically, narrative exposure therapy (NET) helps individuals who suffer from complex trauma, usually related to social, political, or cultural forces.⁸

Characteristics of NET include:

• Sessions can be conducted in small groups or on an individual basis to protect the personal and sexual identity of the patient.
• Sessions are four to ten sessions in length.
• The patient and narrative therapist create a timeline of the patient’s life, focusing on the traumatic event(s) and positive experiences.
• The patient fills in the details of any gaps in memory to develop an autobiographical story about their life.
• The autobiography story gains richness and helps to refine and understand the traumatic memory.
• The therapist’s approach includes compassion, active listening, alliance, unrelenting positive regard, and understanding.
• The patient is asked to describe the dominant story in depth through emotions, body sensations, and thoughts in detail to the therapist.
• The patient is encouraged to re-tell the traumatic event, emphasizing the present moment.
• The therapist creates an autobiography for the patient and presents it to the patient when treatment ends.
• NET allows the patient to reflect on their own life rather than solely on the traumatic event, which promotes personal identity.

Narrative Therapy in Phoenix, AZ for Substance Use Disorders

Our narrative therapy for addiction program is designed to support clients in re-authoring their life stories, aiding recovery and preventing relapse. If you are struggling with PTSD, addiction, or any other mental health disorder, we have developed narrative therapy programs that may be able to help you. At Camelback Recovery, we recognize the importance of treating both mental health and substance use disorders. That’s why we offer several evidence-based therapies to help treat your underlying causes of addiction as well as to prevent future relapse.

Effective treatment must be specific to people’s lives and unique needs. Contact Camelback Recovery, a leading mental health and addiction treatment center, and speak to a specialist who can help answer your questions about treatment and even help verify your insurance coverage for services. Call 602-466-9880 today. You don’t have to live with trauma, mental illness, or addiction any longer. Let Camelback Recovery provide you with the support and help you deserve.

Sources:

1. American Psychological Association. (n.d.). APA dictionary of psychology: Narrative therapy.
2. American Psychological Association. (2011). Narrative therapy.
3. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Reconsider.
4. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Appreciate.
5. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Reauthorize.
6. American Psychological Association. (n.d.). APA dictionary of psychology: Constructivism.
7. Bera, W., Erbes, C.R., Leskela, J., Stillman, J.R., & Wieling, E. (2014). A pilot examination of the use of narrative therapy with individuals diagnosed with PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress.
8. American Psychological Association. (2017). Narrative exposure therapy (NET).