Narrative Therapy Course

Lesson 1 • The Therapeutic Relationship in Narrative Practice

Defines the collaborative, non-expert stance central to narrative work. Students understand how this stance shapes every aspect of the therapeutic encounter.

Lesson 2 • Core Philosophical Assumptions

Examines the belief that people are not their problems and that meaning is socially constructed. Connects philosophy to practical therapeutic stance.

Lesson 3 • Origins and Theoretical Roots

Traces narrative therapy's development through White, Epston, and poststructuralist thought. Grounds students in the intellectual lineage shaping the approach.

Lesson 1 • Problem-Saturated Stories

Examines how problem-saturated narratives develop and constrain client possibilities. Students identify linguistic and relational patterns that reinforce these stories.

Lesson 2 • Preferred Identity and Values

Guides students to help clients articulate their preferred ways of being and core values. Links preferred identity to the foundation of alternative story development.

Lesson 3 • How Stories Shape Identity

Introduces the concept that lived experience is organised into stories that define selfhood. Connects narrative structure to therapeutic entry points.

Lesson 1 • Principles of Externalisation

Introduces the rationale and mechanics of treating problems as separate from persons. Establishes the ethical and practical basis for externalising conversations.

Lesson 2 • Mapping the Problem's Influence

Guides students through systematic inquiry into how the problem affects the client's life domains. Mapping creates a detailed picture that supports later re-authoring.

Lesson 3 • Naming the Problem

Teaches collaborative techniques for giving the problem a name that resonates with the client. Accurate naming increases client agency and therapeutic momentum.

Lesson 1 • Landscape of Action Questions

Introduces questions that map the sequence of events in the alternative story across time. Students learn to build narrative coherence through action-focused inquiry.

Lesson 2 • Identifying Unique Outcomes

Teaches recognition of exceptions, sparkling moments, and contradictions to the problem story. Unique outcomes serve as entry points for alternative narrative construction.

Lesson 3 • Landscape of Identity Questions

Teaches questions that draw out the client's qualities, values, and intentions revealed by unique outcomes. Identity questions thicken the alternative story.

Lesson 4 • Thickening the Alternative Story

Guides students in enriching alternative narratives through multiple perspectives and extended timelines. Thick stories are more durable and resistant to problem re-emergence.

Lesson 1 • Definitional Ceremonies

Guides students through planning and facilitating formal ceremonies that publicly affirm preferred identities. Ceremonies create powerful, community-held narrative events.

Lesson 2 • Remembering Conversations

Introduces the practice of revisiting significant figures who have contributed to the client's preferred identity. Remembering conversations expand the membership of the client's identity club.

Lesson 3 • Outsider Witness Practices

Teaches the structured use of outsider witnesses to reflect on and enrich client stories. Students learn the four-step outsider witness response protocol.

Lesson 1 • Evaluating Document Effectiveness

Guides students in assessing whether documents resonate with and empower clients. Evaluation skills ensure documents remain client-centred and therapeutically useful.

Lesson 2 • Writing Therapeutic Letters

Teaches the craft of composing letters that summarise, affirm, and advance the client's preferred story. Students practise letter types suited to different therapeutic moments.

Lesson 3 • Certificates and Declarations

Introduces the use of certificates and formal declarations to mark narrative milestones. These documents create public, celebratory records of client achievements.

Lesson 1 • Narrative Therapy with Families and Couples

Applies narrative practices to relational systems, addressing shared and competing stories. Students facilitate multi-voice conversations that honour each member's narrative.

Lesson 2 • Narrative Therapy in Group Settings

Translates individual narrative techniques into group formats using collective witnessing. Students design group sessions that leverage shared narrative experiences.

Lesson 3 • Narrative Approaches to Trauma

Integrates trauma-informed principles with narrative practice for survivors. Students learn pacing, safety, and re-authoring strategies specific to trauma presentations.

Lesson 4 • Narrative Therapy with Children

Adapts narrative techniques for developmental stages using play, art, and metaphor. Students learn age-appropriate externalising and re-authoring strategies.

Lesson 1 • Ethical Dimensions of Narrative Practice

Addresses power, transparency, and accountability in narrative therapy relationships. Students apply ethical reasoning to complex clinical and cultural dilemmas.

Lesson 2 • Narrative Supervision Models

Introduces supervision frameworks grounded in narrative principles for ongoing professional development. Students practise giving and receiving narrative-informed supervision.

Lesson 3 • Integrating Narrative Competencies

Synthesises externalising, re-authoring, witnessing, and document practices into fluid sessions. Students move from technique application to integrated narrative practice.