Danger up ahead: Or, Questions about Narrative Therapy that you Might not Want to Ask

[tasha18]

If you're looking for a well-researched, intellectually sound paper, this ain't it. This is me, in an admittedly cynical place, after having attended a narrative therapy salon. The list of points below is

Comments

[siderea]

*nods sagely* The problems you identify are all ones of invalidation. The paradigm of validating and invalidating communications is pretty key to the variety of CCT I was initiated into and practice. The sort of oblivious invalidation by a clinician you describe is, indeed, powerfully iatrogenic. In addition to the obvious problems, there's plenty of non-obvious ones, too. A classic is that invalidation is core to abuse -- indeed, it is my contention that it may be the defining characteristic of abuse -- and thus invalidating communications, even well-meant ones, run the risk of triggering trauma sequelae. Because most people have no awareness of validation or invalidation in communications, the patient is very unlikely to know what it was about the interaction with the counselor which triggered them, or even to realize they've been triggered by something external. This leaves them feeling crazy that they're having symptoms in reaction to "nothing". Good way to accidentally gaslight your patients

[amor_demi_alma]

This is confuzzling, haha. But I got parts of it. Particularly the bits about how impairment needs not to be discounted. Looking forward to the next bit!

[tasha18]

Thanks for reading