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Narrative Therapy: Externalizing the Problem

Narrative Therapy: Externalizing the Problem. Karelia Cribb-Lokhorst Lumi Simescu Nicole Chen. “The person is never the problem; the problem is the problem” (Sween, 1998, pg 4) Problems are things/entities…. They are not people

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Narrative Therapy: Externalizing the Problem

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  1. Narrative Therapy: Externalizing the Problem Karelia Cribb-Lokhorst LumiSimescu Nicole Chen

  2. “The person is never the problem; the problem is the problem” (Sween, 1998, pg 4) • Problems are things/entities…. They are not people • Externalizing involves talking about problems as being separate from people, shifting away from blame What is Externalizing?

  3. Begins to situate the problem outside of the person, moving away from blame and shame and creating room for hope and possibilites. • Allow clients and therapists to look at the resources, skills, and knowledge the client possesses. • Can help people re-understand, re-author, and re-contextualize their view of the problem. This can move a person forward with the problem. • Can allow the counsellor to help the client renegotiate their relationship with the problem. What are the potential benefits of Externalizing?

  4. Imagine the problem as being in a separate chair or place. This helps you change the language surrounding the problem/set the distance • Focus on using ‘it’ and ‘the’. These two words hold the power in externalizing the client’s problem. I.e. “how does it’s presence influence your life?” “The Depression” • Ask yourself how your client has come to know and perform themselves at this particular time. How may these problems have been shaped by society? How do I get started with Externalizing?

  5. Internalized statement=“I’m useless” • Externalized Response possibilities= • “Am I right in thinking that the problem tries to tell you about the type of person you are?” • “How does it try to convince you that you are useless”? • This Useless Feeling, Who does it visit? Are there times when it is more or less likely for the Uselessness to come around?” How can I start to shift from “I” statements?

  6. Externalizing steps: 1) Listen Closely with Curiosity • Invite the person to describe the problem using their own words and experience • Try to gain insight into the person’s relationship with the problem • Even though we often claim to know what clients are talking about when they mention clinical terms (depression, anxiety), we may not know what their person experience has been and it is the therapist’s job to find this out • Ask yourself: What more can I find out about this person’s unique struggle with ___(anxiety, anorexia, depression)___ (Nylund, 2000; White & Epston, 1990) How do I externalize the problem in therapy with clients?

  7. 2) Naming the Problem (Nylund, 2000, p. 73) • Think of the problem as an entity of its own, separate from person/family’s life • Invite the person to provide a name for the problem; if cannot come up with a name, can provide tentative suggestions; it can be helpful to think of other names previous clients have used as opposed to simply a clinical name • Can refer to the problem as “the problem” or “it” in the beginning and wait for a name to come to the person/family • “If you could give this problem a name, what would it be”? • “Would you like to call the problem ___________ or something else”? (Nylund, 2000; White & Epston, 1990) How do I externalize the problem in therapy with clients?

  8. 3) Asking Questions • Ask curiosity questions to learn more about the relationship between the person and the problem • “What kind of impacts has ___(the problem)____ had on your life? How has it interfered with your relationships with others?” • “In what ways have you been able to renegotiate your relationship with ____(the problem)____?” • “When did _(the problem)___ show up in your life?” • “What do you think of the impact that ___(the problem)___has had on your life?” • “Do you think other people have similar experiences with ___(the problem)______?” (Nylund, 2000) How do I externalize the problem in therapy with clients?

  9. “If you could give this problem a name, what would it be”? • When did _(the problem)___ show up in your life? • “What kind of impacts has ___(the problem)____ had on your life? How has it interfered with your relationships with others?” • “In what ways have you been able to renegotiate your relationship with ____(the problem)____?” • “What do you think of the impact that ___(the problem)___has had on your life?” • “Do you think other people have had similar experiences with ___(the problem)______?” • “Am I right in thinking that the problem tries to tell you about the type of person you are?” • “How does it try to convince you that you are useless”? • This Useless Feeling, Who does it visit? Are there times when it is more or less likely for the Uselessness to come around?” Questions

  10. Madigan, S. (2012). Questions workshop • Morgan, A. (2002). Beginning to use a narrative approach in therapy. The International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, 1, 85-90. Retrieved from www.dulwichcentre.com • Nylund, D. (2000). Treating Huckleberry Finn. San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. • Sween, E. (1998). The one-minute question: What is narrative therapy?: Some working answers. Gecko, 2(1),3-6. • White, M., & Epston, D. (1990). Narrative means to therapeutic ends. New York: Norton. References

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