FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 1
Family Counseling Approach
Charity Morton
School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
Abstract
Narrative therapy, developed by Michael White and David Epston in the late 20th century,
highlights clients’ strengths and empowers them to reauthor their stories to resolve their issues
by having them externalize themselves from the problem. This collaborative approach to
counseling allows the counselor and client to continue exploring their experiences and stories.
Narrative therapy is a non-pathologizing approach that views the problem as separate from the
client. It is not technique-based but instead prioritizes questions, and the counselor and client
work together to remain curious as the client unfolds their story, identifies values and beliefs,
and rewrites their story. This theory seems different from most theories but has similarities with
solution-focused therapy and Bowen’s family systems therapy. Integration is possible between
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 2
narrative therapy and Christianity. Although some aspects do not align with Christianity,
integration through externalization, reauthoring, deconstruction, and re-membering allows
narrative therapy to weave with Christianity. With that, the Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts
assessment explores marriage mindset, relationship dynamics, and how to walk with God to
better prepare for future marriage.
Keywords: narrative therapy, integration,
Family Counseling Approach
Narrative therapy is a relatively new approach that enables clients to reauthor their
stories by separating the client from the problem and empowering them. Narrative therapy is a
relatively new approach rooted in social constructionism and postmodernism. Although not
techniquebased, this theory utilizes many interventions that utilize questions. Through narrative
therapy, clients uncover strengths and core values as they rewrite their stories. This paper
explores the origins of narrative therapy, key techniques, how it can work with Christianity, and
its effectiveness with the Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts (SYMBIS) Assessment.
Leading Figures
In the 1980s, Michael White and David Epston sought to bring an approach to counseling
that focuses on the client’s stories and how those stories shape the client’s lives (Dane et al.,
2024). With that, they noticed many counseling approaches focused on the client as
problematic. Michael White and David Epston sought to change that and help clients view their
problems as separate from themselves. Michael White became interested in Gregory Bateson’s
work and began working on how individuals can change how they view their stories (Nichols &
Davis, 2021). He continued this concept and explored how individuals can view their problems
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 3
as separate from themselves and externalize them. David Epston proposed having self-help
groups and encouraging clients to hold onto their new narratives.
Jill Freedman and Gene Combs continued the concept of narrative therapy and
combined it with strategic therapy (Nichols & Davis, 2021). They built on Michael White and
David
Epston’s concepts of narrative therapy (Freedman & Combs, 2020). They authored Narrative
Therapy: The Social Construction of Preferred Realities, which provides an overview of narrative
therapy and how to incorporate it. They sought to integrate narrative therapy with strategic
therapy and political activism.
Jeffrey Zimmerman and Vicki Dickerson cofounded the Bay Area Family Therapy Training
Associates (Nichols & Davis, 2021). They taught narrative therapy at mental institutions and
sought to use narrative therapy with adolescents and couples. They wrote If Problems Talked:
Narrative Therapy in Action, which identifies how personal and cultural narratives affect clients’
perceptions of their problems. Additionally, Stephan Madigan founded groups in Vancouver on
the topics of Anti-Anorexia and Anti-Bulimia to aid individuals in body positivity.
Development of the Theory and Historical Events
In the 1970s and 1980s, Michael White and David Epston began collaborating on
narrative therapy (Nichols & Davis, 2021). David Epston focused on anthropology but came
across Michael White’s concept of narrative therapy and sought to work with him to continue
exploring the idea of narrative therapy (Epston, 2016). Narrative therapy drew some ideas from
Gregory Bateson’s systems theory, Michel Foucault’s social constructionism, and anthropology.
In 1990, Michael White and David Epston wrote Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends, which
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 4
further explains how to incorporate narrative therapy into family therapy and introduces
concepts such as externalization, helping clients re-author their lives, and the collaboration
approach with clients (Phipps & Vorster, 2015).
At this time, Jill Freedman and Gene Combs became interested in postmodernism and
social constructionism, leading them to Michael White and David Epston as they explored
narrative therapy (Freedman & Combs, 2020). They aided in bringing narrative therapy to the
United States, attended workshops, and trained under Michael White and David Epston.
Through this, Jill Freedman and Gene Combs were able to write Narrative Therapy: The Social
Construction of Preferred Realities, which provides insights into narrative therapy and social
justice. They determined that instead of focusing on techniques, narrative therapy offers the
opportunity to view how experiences shape people’s lives, help clients identify what their
stories mean to them, examine how clients can rewrite their stories, and challenge clients not
to perceive their stories as right or wrong (Curtis, 2024).
According to Epston (2016), narrative therapy came about through Michael White
practicing on clients, taping the sessions, and enthusiastically poring over the tapes to figure out
what worked and how they could replicate it. As Michael White and David Epston explored the
concepts of narrative therapy, they continued to experiment with what helped clients while
valuing their stories and decisions. In the early 2000s, they developed other key concepts of
narrative therapy, such as double listening and exploring hidden values. They could also utilize
narrative therapy in numerous groups, such as grief (Nelson et al., 2022). They aimed to ensure
a curious, collaborative experience, so they emphasized not having it be a step-by-step process.
In 2007, Michael White wrote Maps of Narrative Practice, elaborating on concepts and
introducing scaffolding. A few years after Michael White’s death, David Epston wrote
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 5
Reimagining Narrative Therapy, which highlights some of the history and collaboration as well
as what he hopes to see for the future of narrative therapy as counselors aid clients in
continuing to explore their stories, re-imagine, and re-story their stories.
Basic Assumptions and Key Philosophy
Narrative therapy draws ideas from social constructionism, postmodernism, and
hermeneutics (Phipps & Vorster, 2015). Social constructionists believe in valuing clients' reality
without telling them if it is correct or logical. The meaning of an individual's life depends on the
social and cultural aspects they grew up around (Heywood et al., 2022). Postmodernism
believes there is no absolute truth (Phipps & Vorster, 2015). It shares that knowledge is
subjective. Additionally, hermeneutics attempts to understand the individual's behavior based
on their inner motivation and experience. With that, narrative therapy does not find problems
in the client and does not define people as problems (Hu et al., 2024).
The basic assumption of narrative therapy is that the client tells their story, and through
the story, the individual’s reality is revealed (Phipps & Vorster, 2015). Additionally, it refuses
absolute truth (Kam & Vriend Fluit, 2021). Narrative therapy believes that social, cultural, and
political aspects affect clients’ lives and cause issues. Narrative therapy is non-pathologizing and
sees individuals as separate from their problems. With that, different experiences influence the
individual, and it is possible to have two interpretations of similar experiences, which leads to
dominant and alternative stories. By helping clients uncover alternative stories, clients can
rewrite their lives.
Key Concepts
The basic concept of narrative therapy is that individuals story their experiences as a way
of expression and meaning-making (Phipps & Vorster, 2015). Through narrative therapy, clients
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 6
can better understand their experience. In family therapy, counselors explore the families
interpretations of experiences and meaning-making, and through that, clients can positively
restory their experiences. Because narrative therapy refuses the idea of absolute truth and that
the client is not the problem, it looks at the language clients use and identifies how it influences
their reality. Narrative therapy strives to help clients rewrite their stories and gain awareness of
how interconnected their stories are to others. In doing so, they can broaden their perspective
and better understand. By empathetically listening, being understanding, and collaborating with
clients to rewrite their stories, change can occur for the client.
Narrative therapy uses deconstruction and externalization to promote change (Kam &
Vriend Fluit, 2021). Deconstruction includes challenging negative narratives that reveal what
supports the problem. Externalization is a way for clients to separate themselves from the
problem instead of being the problem itself (Curtis, 2024). It reframes by having clients view
problems as separate from themselves. Instead of clients saying, “I am so anxious!” Clients
externalize the problem by saying, “I am struggling with anxiety.” In doing so, shame and guilt
lessen, and clients feel empowered to approach the problem as something separate from
themselves.
Techniques
Narrative therapy is not technique-based but instead prioritizes the carefree
conversations that occur through collaboration with the client (Kam & Vriend Fluit, 2021).
However, some techniques aid in the session to ensure a collaborative approach, especially in
family therapy involving multiple individuals, such as joining, story-telling, reauthoring, re-
membering, externalizing, and deconstructing. Many interventions are clever questions that
motivate the client to think and dig deeper. Counselors first probe into the family’s stories and
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 7
build rapport while actively listening and building rapport with them to become an ally and
collaborative individuals; this is the joining technique. Next, the counselor aids the clients in
externalization to help them view themselves as separate from the problem (Jagatdeb et al.,
2024). By externalizing the problem, clients can recall times when they have used specific skills
to aid with issues. Mapping the influence is another technique in which the counselor and client
explore how the problem affects the client and how they respond (Nichols & Davis, 2021).
Counselors also identify unique outcomes to uncover discrepancies in clients’ actions that
contradict the problem story. In doing so, clients expose their strengths and alternative stories.
Another technique is deconstruction, in which the client uncovers assumptions supporting their
issue (Kam & Vriend Fluit, 2021). By challenging the clients’ assumed beliefs, clients have a new
perspective on themselves, their skills, and the problem. When the client starts unraveling an
alternative story, counselors aid clients in re-membering or reinforcing the new story by
identifying other stories that support the new, alternative story. Asking preference questions is a
technique to ask clients about their desired outcome and how they would prefer to alter their
story. Doing so aids in having the client imagine an optimistic future in which they have the
power to rewrite their story. Relative influence questions facilitate conversation in a family
session that explores how the problem affects the client and their family and how well they
have controlled it (Nichols & Davis, 2021). Reauthoring is a technique that begins by asking
clients about their strengths and how they have overcome problems in the past. In doing so, a
new narrative forms, and the counselor and clients work together to identify values and
strengths, encouraging the new narrative and a future-focused outlook. Lastly, therapeutic
letters are a way to provide reflections for the clients and family (Heywood et al., 2022). The
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 8
letter highlights their new story and their strengths and informs clients of what the counselor
gleaned from observing the family.
Similarities and Dissimilarities
Looking at narrative therapy compared to other therapies, it can appear at first that
there are no similarities or that, due to its key philosophy, it is only similar to solution-focused
therapy. Although it is similar to solution-focused therapy regarding the collaborative,
nonpathologizing approach and focuses on language, it also relates to Satir’s human validation
process model in that it focuses on empowering the clients (Nichols & Davis, 2021).
Additionally, it relates to Bowen’s family systems therapy model because it highlights the
interconnectedness of families and how behavior affects each other (Puhlman et al., 2023).
Narrative therapy uses relative influence questions to explore how the problem affects the
family, while Bowen’s model utilizes genograms to highlight generational patterns. Additionally,
it is like cognitive-behavioral therapy regarding how it looks at negative beliefs (Curtiss et al.,
2021). Narrative therapy deconstructs the beliefs by inquiring about the meaning through the
story, while cognitive-behavioral therapy challenges cognitive distortions.
Looking at the differences between narrative therapy and other therapies, narrative
therapy views the therapeutic relationship as a collaboration in which the counselor asks
probing questions, but other theories, such as Satir’s human validation process model, view the
counselor as an individual who models communication and is more confrontational (Nichols &
Davis, 2021). It also differs from psychodynamic family therapy in that the therapist provides
interpretations based on what they observe and hear from the family (Antichi et al., 2022).
Additionally, narrative therapy differs from structural therapy in that families are organized in
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 9
subsystems and hierarchical order to achieve the best functionality, whilst narrative therapy
believes that the family members’ stories are what shape their lives, utilizing meaning-making
(Jiménez et al., 2019).
New Knowledge Acquired
A few aspects of narrative therapy were surprising, such as how David Epston personally
wrote letters to clients and how relatively new this therapy is. Considering it was developed in
the late 1980s, learning how anthropology influenced this therapy and how one of the leading
figures, David Epston, was an anthropologist when he discovered David White's work was
surprising (Nichols & Davis, 2021). It is fascinating to learn about narrative therapies'
nonpathologizing approach and how they view problems as separate from clients. It is
fascinating how the simple change in verbiage from the client saying, "I am anxious" to "Anxiety
is heavily following me today" affects the client's perspective and aids in reducing shame and
guilt (Curtis,
2024).
Integration
My faith is important to me and guides me in my daily life. As a Christian and future
counselor, it is imperative to remain ethical and avoid imposing personal values and beliefs
(American Counseling Association, 2014, Section A.4.b.). Narrative therapy focuses on the
client’s stories, and in the same way, the biblical metanarrative is a story that displays His love
for the world. God reveals His plan for the world through the fall, creation, redemption, and
restoration. There are many Bible stories where God aided his people in rewriting their stories
and teaching them that God equips the called and provides them with the necessary resources
they need; all they need to do is trust in Him and His Word. Rahab and Paul are individuals
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 10
whom God used for the kingdom but, at first, were not living for Him. In the same way, God can
do that for His people here on earth today, and it is possible with narrative therapy and
integrating it with Christianity.
With integrating Christianity and narrative therapy, some aspects of narrative therapy do
not align with my faith. However, that does not mean it is impossible to integrate the two.
Because narrative therapy has the perspective of distancing the client from the problem, it
brings up how it views sin. It can cause the client not to take personal responsibility, and no
amount of distancing from the problems negates that we need Jesus for redemption. The Bible
explains in Romans 3:23 that everyone is a sinner and needs Jesus (English Standard Version
Bible,
2001/2016). Operating from a Christian worldview, I know that I am a sinner, and I cannot
externalize the fact that I am a sinner because sin is an issue of the heart, and repentance is
necessary.
Gülcan Çakmak (2022) shares how counselors can use some narrative therapy
techniques from a Christian viewpoint in family therapy. Looking at externalization and how it
separates clients from the problem, incorporating a Christian approach by adding how the issue
affects their relationship with God allows the client to think deeper about their problem from a
personal and spiritual perspective. It also enables the clients to not solely define themselves by
their mistakes. With re-authoring, the counselor and clients can work together to identify
certain Scriptural truths and how God aided them in overcoming past problems. Regarding
deconstruction, counselors can inquire about the client’s beliefs about God and faith-related
aspects. In doing so, clients challenge their thoughts around God and potential destructive
thoughts that may be legalistic or lies about God and who He is. With the technique of unique
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 11
outcomes, clients identify scenarios in which some experiences do not align with their problem,
such as times when God helped them or moments of God’s grace, and what it meant to them.
Remembering conversation from a Christian standpoint would benefit clients by inquiring about
how God might perceive their theme of resilience at the moment, or how they identify with a
Bible character, and how, in the same way, God helped them, He can help the client as well.
Lastly, with therapeutic letters, clients could write letters based on how they believe God sees
them, weaving in aspects of their new narrative that they learned, and include reflection from
the family sessions and encouragement for the client to look back on.
Looking at the role of a counselor, with the narrative approach and family therapy,
counselors collaborate with the clients and remain curious as they uncover their story and make
realizations. Many verses remind Christians to walk with others. The Bible explains in Galatians
6:2 that Christians are to encourage others and help them carry their burdens with love and
compassion. In the same way, as a counselor seeking to operate out of a narrative therapy
approach, I can continue being curious with them, provide the space for them to unload their
burdens, rewrite their story, and feel empowered and know who they are in Christ.
SYMBIS Assessment
Looking at the Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts (SYMBIS) report, which depicts my
marriage mindset, it reveals that I have a resolute mindset. With this mindset, I am highly
motivated to get married and believe in and desire a strong marriage. I agree with these
statements and think this mindset is necessary for a strong marriage. However, I disagree with
the statement that I want to have children. At this point in my life, and likely well into
adulthood,
I will not have children. This area of the SYMBIS report is the only aspect I disagree with.
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 12
Looking at the dynamics of love, attitude, communication, gender differences, and
conflict, I find that trust, respect, and commitment are the top words I use to define love. Trust
is vital for a relationship, and respect is just as important. If you do not trust your partner, you
question everything are constantly concerned about whether they are lying or telling the truth.
Respecting your partner displays love, which is about considering them and their opinions. This
area includes making decisions together.
With the dynamic of attitude, I highly agree with the result and the defining words they
used, such as thorough, precise, and analytical. After reading the report, I reflected on the
section about how my partner may perceive me under stress. My results describe me as picky,
pessimistic, and worrisome, and I also agree with this. However, it did make me realize how
unkind I can be under stress and that this is an area I need to work on. As a way of gaining
control, I can be picky and pessimistic.
With the dynamic of communication, I realized that I am a slow communicator because I
want to ensure I am understood, and it is difficult for me to be vulnerable. To improve my
communication skills, I need to work on being ready to apologize and identify and express my
feelings. I knew vulnerability was difficult, but I did not realize how difficult it was to express my
feelings and how slow I was to open up in conversation, which can be frustrating for others.
While they may feel ready to talk and resolve the situation, I often have to sit with my feelings
longer than usual and build up the strength to be vulnerable.
Regarding gender dynamics, I realized I value affection and admiration. I know my love
language is words of affirmation, and I did not realize how that could translate to needing
affection and admiration. I also realized how easy it is for me to put myself down. Despite liking
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 13
words of affirmation from others, I often do not give myself that love language, and I need to
work on that.
Lastly, I am the deliberating spouse with conflict dynamics, and I agree with the
description. I also highly agree with the challenges I face when faced with conflict, such as
becoming overly defensive when I feel threatened and my tendency to stay quiet and not
verbalize my feelings, especially if staying quiet means no conflict. I recognize these limit my
ability to manage conflict healthily, and I need to work on not being as defensive, especially
when I am in the wrong, as well as verbalizing feelings and recognizing that I am allowed to
state my feelings.
To ensure my future marriage is God-honoring and Christ-centered, I will continue with
my journaling, reflections, and praying. Additionally, I want to start praying for my future
husband. I have heard of other women doing this and have yet to commit to it, but this
curriculum made it apparent how crucial it is to think about marriage aspects prior to getting
married. I plan to pray for my future husband and our marriage. Additionally, I will continue
attending church on a more regular basis. I could do better in this aspect, and I desire to
continue attending church weekly and serving in the church when I get married. Forming that
habit before marriage will set me and my future husband up for success. In the next month, I
plan on attending church each week. Lastly, I want to be able to study the Bible with my future
husband regularly. To do that, I need to ensure that I am studying the Bible prior to getting
married. I will start with more devotionals next week to get into the habit of studying the Bible.
The SYMBIS can be an effective tool with narrative therapy by going through the SYMBIS
report with a partner. Together, partners can explore and uncover the stories they bring into the
relationship, including the dynamics of love, attitude, communication, gender, and conflict
FAMILY COUNSELING APPROACH 14
based on their upbringing and experiences, and work on re-authoring aspects of their stories.
With that, weaving in the metanarrative of the Bible into the couple’s stories provides an
understanding of God’s plan, purpose, and how all along He had a plan for the world, in the
same way, that He has a plan for the couple, and all they need to do is trust Him.
Conclusion
Narrative therapy is a theory that prioritizes clients’ stories and helps them rewrite their
stories by viewing their problems as separate from the client, which empowers them. Narrative
therapy has a rich history and is a relatively new theory. Integrating narrative therapy and
Christianity is possible despite certain aspects not aligning with the Bible. Counselors can use
many narrative therapy techniques from a Christian standpoint. Lastly, the SYMBIS assessment
provided insight into better preparation for future marriage by highlighting strengths and
growth areas.
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