<aside>
We live through stories — about who we are, what's possible, and how the world works. But not all of these stories serve us. Narrative therapy recognizes that human experience is fundamentally organized through the stories we tell ourselves and others about our lives. These narratives, often inherited from family systems, cultural contexts, or forged through trauma responses, become the invisible frameworks that shape our identity, relationships, and sense of possibility.
The therapeutic process involves identifying and deconstructing unskillful stories that limit our potential, reinforce shame, or perpetuate destructive patterns. Rather than viewing problems as inherent character flaws or pathological conditions, narrative therapy externalizes difficulties as stories that can be examined, questioned, and ultimately rewritten.
</aside>
The Social Construction of Reality: Our understanding of ourselves and our world is not objective truth but rather constructed through language, culture, and social interaction. The stories we live by are learned, not innate, which means they can be unlearned and reconstructed.
The Person is Not the Problem: Traditional therapy often focuses on what's "wrong" with someone. Narrative therapy operates from the premise that people are separate from their problems. The issue lies not in who someone is, but in the stories they've come to believe about themselves.
Preferred Identity Claims: Beneath problematic narratives lie preferred ways of being that reflect our deepest values, dreams, and authentic aspirations. The therapeutic work involves uncovering and strengthening these preferred identity claims.
Externalization: Problems are separated from the person experiencing them. Instead of "I am depressed," the language shifts to "depression has been influencing my life." This linguistic shift creates space between identity and experience, allowing for more mobility in the new possibilities of interpretation to emerge.