What is narrative therapy?
Sharing stories in ways that make us stronger
Narrative approaches to therapy and community work are vitally interested in the stories of people’s lives, and how stories can be told in ways that make people stronger.
It is possible for counsellors to invite people to tell and re-tell stories in ways that can offer hope and healing. With the use of narrative practices, we seek to honour and acknowledge the stories of hardship and loss that people have experienced. And at the same time, we make it possible for people to tell other stories of their lives as well, stories that bring strength and possibilities.
As Kaurna Elder and narrative therapist Aunty Barbara Wingard describes, ‘We assist people to tell our stories in ways that make us stronger’.
What is narrative therapy?
Here is a very quick response to the question: What is narrative therapy?
Aunty Barbara Wingard
Aunty Barbara describes how stories are so important and people are the experts of their own lives.
The danger of a single story
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Novelist Chimamanda warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
As you listen to Chimamanda’s powerful speech about the danger of the single story, please also think about how Chimamanda’s own life experiences shape the stories she shares, including her class privilege which she has written about elsewhere.
Listening for more than one story: Strengthening resistance
As Chimimanda describes, it’s important to move beyond the single story. This is what narrative therapists and community workers do in our work. We listen for more than one story.
This extract is from a workshop held in Rwanda with counsellors who are all themselves survivors of the 1994 genocide.
mandyklc
January 23, 2024Watching Chimamanda Adichie reminds me of the times that I make assumptions about people, for example teenagers. Although they do share some characteristics but as therapists, if we step back and remove that stereotype and the bias, perhaps we can listen with intent and empathise with the different narratives each individual holds – this is when true understanding can be developed and people are more willing to go deeper in their stories to explore their values, reflect their learning, and navigate through challanges.
christinef
January 22, 2024I also loved seeing Chimamanda’s TED talk , which I had not seen before on the dangers of single story. I loved her ability to use her self in the talk and her description of being and reflecting over many experiences of different cultures. I also immediately have thought of a way I can use this in therapy with children and in talking about clients in therapeutic work placed settings where the danger of single ‘problem’ stories is very prevalent.
christinef
January 22, 2024I loved all of the recordings here, particularly Aunty Barbara Wingard talking about the origin of the phrase ” Telling our stories in ways that make us stronger” and also her expression when she talks about the benefit to people of hearing their stories read back to them – the witnessing of their stories by their own eyes and ears. This has the benefit of creating visibillity of the preferred story and people stepping into their chosen identities.
windchime108
January 9, 2024This is my second time seeing Chimamanda’s Ted talk and I always learn something new, about myself and the way I see those around me. I think we are all guilty of holding single stories about groups of people based on class, race, sexuality, location, gender, ability etc.
Yohana Sutanto
October 25, 2023Reflecting back a story is a powerful tool. When I heard about how Aunty Barbara experienced this, it reminded me of a similar experience where my story was reflected in a way that promoted hope, healing and beauty.
abbey.goode1998
August 21, 2023I loved listening to Chimimanda Adichie. Particularly her use of examples to show how one story can risk a critical misunderstanding.
Monica A. Garcia
May 10, 2023I really enjoyed hearing Chimamanda Adichi, and pieces of her story. I have always been drawn to Narrative practice approach, because storytelling has always been in me. I didn’t know why, but as I began to reconnect with my indigenous roots 7 years ago, I understood why. Storytelling is part of our way of life. Even the weavings and colors in our Húipils (indigenous traditional clothing), they tell a story.
cycshane
April 19, 2023I loved the story of Chimamanda. It illustrated how if we listen to the same single narrative enough times that we can begin to believe it as fact, which can lead us to having preconceived ideas about others and even ourselves. I also liked the concept of depersonalising the problem, thus encouraging others to let go of or stop self-blame.
Liz Evans
March 7, 2023thank you for this course; it reminds me that the choice to listen to only one story is taken by the listener and reflects our biases, we must remain more interested and curious about the bigger picture (skills and strengths not just challenges) then we have more respect…
crockett.brisbane
January 17, 2023Having only listened this far in the course, it strikes me that Narrative therapy with its focus on stories is wonderfully universal yet at the same time each person’s story is only theirs to tell. I also love the idea that “the person is not the problem, the problem is the problem”.
May
January 13, 2023I love the concept of people being the experts of their own lives and owners of their own stories. It’s very empowering to view stories in that frame regardless of the nature of the story.
Deborah Flower
January 13, 2023Listening to Chimimanda Adichie reminds me of the unconscious biases we carry with us. If we could change at least one of our unconscious biases by changing the story we tell ourselves through hearing others’ stories – we would be bale to have more acceptance and inclusivity..
Deborah Flower
January 13, 2023Listening to Chimimanda Adichie’s story and Aunty Barb reminds me of the unconscious biases we can live through. Having more than one side of a story I believe can help break unconscious biases – which will and can help us to be more accepting of others – and therefore change our own internal story of biases.
tina.stasuik
November 29, 2022I appreciate the statement by Barbara Wingard that there is a trust that must come with the sharing of stories. I think that this brings to mind the importance of what we are engaging in when we work with those who share their stories and the importance of valuing that trust and the importance of their stories.
Lesley
November 24, 2022Thank you Chimamanda…great storyteller.
And thank you for your wisdom, Aunty Barbara
linda.gilbert6
July 25, 2022It was so interesting to think about the power that can be in a story in all sorts of ways – that a single story can rob people of their dignity, but a complete story can repair this, and that dispossession can be enacted by starting a story with “secondly” and neglecting what happened first. Most of all I liked that stories can make us stronger, and that the person is not the problem. the problem is the problem.
lucas
July 5, 2022Loved listening to the story by Chimamanda, Listening for more than one story: Strengthening resistance. makes you really look at it in different ways.
brighdecampbell
June 23, 2022I love the double listening and listening for what’s implicit when something else is stated. This adds a whole extra dimension along with listening for tiny sections or openings to new stories
skye_lady
May 30, 2022I’m really happy to have come across this course at the start of my placement. I’ve learned about narrative therapy before I feel like Aunty Barbara’s explanation will help me to support my clients in owning their story.
shelley.keehn
May 27, 2022This is powerful… I particularly loved the TED Talk. She had such an amazing presence of spirit and a wonderful way of explaining the power of story and the danger of the single story. Excited to get into this course in earnest now. :)
sarah.wray
May 6, 2022Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk moved me greatly. Such a warm and elegant yet striking reminder of the power of storytelling and the importance of dispersing and consuming diverse stories. I am grateful to have listened to this. This is 20 minutes that will stay with me a lifetime – Thank you :)
faye blanch
May 3, 2022i loved this section and the art of not being just a single story, but knowing that there is many stories that is embedded in our minds, bodies and how to know that this is what drives us as humans. I really like the TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that speaks to a knowing of self that is then represented and carried into spaces where sometimes the black or indigenous body is not seen except in negative ways. allowing for the story that we carry as Indigenous peoples can be centred.
jasmine.stadhams
March 29, 2022Aunty Barbara Wingard explains the importance of telling your personal story/journey and embracing/learning from the life experiences you endure.
Pat
March 19, 2022“Stories can break the dignity of a people but stories can also repair that broken dignity.” Also true in terms of the stories we tell ourselves. One’s story can be filled with shame, humiliation and despair but from another perspective it also carries strength, hope, determination and the will to survive.
Jesse
February 21, 2022Wow, this course is amazing so far! Very excited for the upcoming lessons. I work with First Nations youth in Canada and very much identify with Chimamanda Adichie’s observations on the dangers of single story. A quick Google search of the community where I work tells story after story of trauma, but nothing of resilience, culture, sports/activities, youth achievement, or community development. A friend of mine who lives there wrote for a newspaper in the 90s and he refused to write about anything other than positive and hopeful community stories. He still has every single one of those newspaper clippings and shares them with me whenever I visit. I am always very inspired by his work, and his example has encouraged me to make sure I represent a “balance of stories” myself.
Looking forward to the next lesson!
Emma
January 26, 2022I was really moved by this idea of ‘double listening’. As someone mentioned in the Rwandan excerpt, I think it’s something we often do as counsellors anyway, but to have it front of mind and as something to work towards with a client, is really motivating. Chimamanda Adichie’s stories really resonated with me and made me think about the role of the media in Australia and how rarely we’re fed stories of Aboriginal excellence, and the role this plays into how people perceive themselves and the people around them. So many excellent takeaways and only the first module!
janine.clark279
February 14, 2022i am not sure how to make a separate comment, and wanted to say I agree that Chimamanda Adichie, along with Autny Barbara Wingard, make comments that resonate with me – particularly being aware of the use of power in constructing a single story – and the equal power of telling and re-telling someone’s story back to them which can be so powerful it is “magic”. :)
Susie L
January 6, 2022What a great reminder of ‘the single story; how it comes about and the way this reduces places and people, making it so much easier for that narrative to be manipulated by those in power.
The loss of richness and connection between people and places is so important and is supported by the many stories rather than the singe story.