The narrative family therapy
The narrative family therapy adopts a psychiatric context that is founded on two key hypotheses. Families are always affected when a child succumbs to a mental disease. The impact is ordinarily such that the whole family requires psychiatric help. A necessary component in implementing the therapy is that the parents need to master and comprehend their child’s mental disease to effectively contribute to treatment. The narrative therapy, which was propounded by Michael White and David Epston, does not directly focus on mitigating symptoms but rather addressing a person’s attitude towards the problem and changing their story about the problem faced. The crucial outcome expected is that a patient needs to experience a greater sense of responsibility towards improving their inclination towards the primary problem from one of negativity to positivity. As a therapist seeking to utilize this approach, one needs to take into account that people’s historical background shapes their lives and identity in society.
The Client seeking treatment in this case is a family of three that is a father, mother, and daughter who is aged 17 years old. The biological parents, who include the father and mother, are aged 49 years and 43 years, respectively. The parents are perturbed as a result of their daughter’s detachment from the family. The daughter no longer wants to associate with her parents and has all of a sudden turned from being a sweet and kind lady to a grumpy and ferocious lady. The parents are concerned about their daughter’s psychiatric wellbeing since the father has, at one time, caught her in the act of substance abuse. The father notes that upon confrontation with his daughter, he was shut out and advised to stay away. Based on the above background, the prudent approach is to employ the narrative therapy. The focus is to understand the underlying issues that have led to the rebellious nature of the daughter. The therapeutic model is a post-modernist approach; hence it would enable the treatment based on considerations that realities in bringing up young girls are slowly shifting and undergoing various changes in the contemporary world. The objective is to make my clients realize that as Parents, they need to make their daughter trust them well enough to disclose her challenges and the emotional baggage she is battling in her mind.
Two fundamental techniques will be utilized in my treatment model. One is to use the putting together a narrative technique. I will have separate discussions with my clients in confidence each on an individual basis. During these discussions, I will reassure the individual that they are in a comfortable space and get to listen and relate with their story in a bid to assist them in finding their voice and telling their story voluntarily in their way. My role would be integral in terms of helping the clients to construct their story and affording them an opportunity to find purpose, healing, and positive values from their accounts. The second technique that would be employed in treatment would be the externalization method. The method would serve to enable the clients to view their problems, not as a permanent, unchangeable part of themselves but rather help them to embrace their challenges to boost their self-esteem and confidence in tackling those issues.
The targeted result is to re-ignite a sense of trust amongst the family members, which would significantly improve the parents’ relationship with their daughter. Treatment on the daughter would primarily seek to comprehend her underlying emotional battles and gaining her trust and confidence to enable her to share the same and to view her problems as solvable. Treatment, in this case would change the daughter’s perception towards her parents as her first trustworthy friends as well as caregivers who are not to be viewed as invasive and authoritative.