Do you experience persistant parent-child problems that won’t go away?

Perhaps narrative therapy, which is an effective way of reducing parent child conflict, is the therapeutic support you need.

Case study

Jane and Pete are parents to three children whose ages range from 8 to 16. They live on 400 acres 45 minutes from town, where the children go to school. They are concerned because their 16 year old, Jake, has been exhibiting defiant behaviour and hanging out with a new group of friends who engage in substance abuse.

What is narrative therapy?

Narrative therapy sees that problems are created in social, cultural and political  contexts. (Etchison & Kleist, 2000, p.61) Jane and Pete believed that in order to understand their child, they must examine the stories Jake heard, what he has created in his own mind, and the stories he told. (Seligman, 2006, p.246)

How does narrative therapy work?

Rather than tackling all the issues at once, a counsellor supported Jane and Pete to identify and target behaviours which affected the family relationship the most. They decided to reduce the specific behaviour of talking back and set an objective measure.

Then externalization was used to speak about the problem so it is separate from the individual. By defining the behaviour as the problem and not Jake being the issue, the feeling of blame Jake may be experiencing is reduced and open discussion occurred.

Next, the technique of relative influence was used to explore how the problem affects Jake and how he influences the issue.

Of course, there are times when there are exceptions to his behaviour and Jane and Pete were ready for this by identifying the times this happened. An example, is discussion around the fact that Jake was often acting as a positive role model to the younger children.

Discussion of unique descriptions meant that new meaning was attached to the behaviour and Jake felt like he could adjust and change it.

Finally, assignments were issued, giving Jake the opportunity to try out more positive behaviours while his parents gave encouraging comments. Rather than arguing, all parties worked in cooperation.

Does narrative therapy work?

Yes. Besa (1994) examined the effectiveness of narrative therapy in reducing parent-child conflict and found a range of 88% to 98% decrease in conflict. (Etchison & Kleist, 2000, p.61)

What are the benfits of narrative therapy?

The counsellor walks beside the individuals rather than taking charge. Participants experience respect for taking the step towards engaging in healthy relationships. They learn new tools which are useful in all aspects  of their lives. Finally, by working collaboratively, participants are recognised as the expert of their own lives.

References

Etchision,M. Kleist, DM, 2000. Review of Narrative Therapy: Research and Utility in The Family Journal: Counselling and Therapy for Couples and Families. Pp61 – 66.

Seligman,E. 2006. Theories of Counselling and Psychotherapy, Pearson, New Jersey.