Narrative Therapy: What is this approach to Counseling?
Reclaiming your story: how Narrative Therapy can help you heal
So many of us carry stories that weren’t truly ours to begin with. Maybe you grew up in a religious environment that told you who you should be, what you should believe, and how you should live. Maybe you’ve been told that your LGBTQIA+ identity is “wrong” or “not enough.” Maybe you have never felt like you belong or that you’re “enough.” Over time, these messages can feel so heavy to carry, even if they don’t reflect who we really are. Narrative therapy is a counseling approach that helps you untangle those harmful stories and reclaim your own voice and true sense of self.
What is Narrative Therapy?
Narrative therapy was developed in conversation with indigenous forms of healing through community and story-telling, and is particularly effective in healing trauma rooted in systemic issues or generational trauma. It is also based on the simple but powerful idea: you are not the problem — the problem is the problem.
Instead of seeing you as “broken” or inherently flawed, narrative therapy views the struggles in your life as separate from your core identity. It recognizes that we all make meaning through the stories we tell ourselves and the stories others tell about us.
In therapy, we work together to:
Identify the stories that feel heavy, limiting, or rooted in shame
Explore where those stories came from (family, culture, religion, systemic harm, past experiences, etc.)
Notice the times you resisted those stories or lived outside them
Call attention to how you, and others, have helped you to survive and even thrive in the midst of oppressive or harmful stories
Create space for new, empowering narratives that align with your values and identity, while cultivating communal connection
Why Narrative Therapy can be healing for trauma, systemic harm, religious trauma, and LGBTQIA+ clients
If you’ve been harmed by rigid systems, you may have internalized painful messages: “I’m not worthy,” “I can’t trust myself,” or “Who I am isn’t enough.”
Narrative therapy helps you see those messages for what they are: stories imposed on you, not truths about you. Together, we can begin to deconstruct the harmful narratives that you have internalized and lift up your own lived experiences of resilience, courage, connection, and authenticity. Narrative therapy offers space to re-author stories in ways that celebrate identity, self-acceptance, hope, and community.
The power of re-authoring your story
Narrative therapy doesn’t erase the past, pretend you can rationalize your way to healing, or put a pretty bow on trauma. Instead, it helps you hold your experiences with compassion and choose how you want to carry your story as you move forward. You become the author of your own life, not the systems, voices, or beliefs that once left you feeling silenced or alone.
Ready to get started? I combine narrative and somatic practices to help you heal in an embodied and holistic way. Book now to start your journey of healing and growth.