Group Therapy Using a Narrative Theory Framework: Application to Treatment of Depression

Externalizing Conversations: Single Session Narrative Group Interventions in a Partial Hospital Setting

“…Indeed, it has been argued that narrative therapy is particularly suited to group work, a context in which participants share problematic stories, and subsequently revise them with feedback from the group (Dean 1998;Laube 1998). It has also been argued that the reverse is true: group work is well suited to narrative therapy because the group serves as an audience for developing preferred narratives (Laube and Trefz 1994). In narrative therapy, such an audience plays a vital role in validating, shaping, and solidifying new stories as they are constructed (White and Epston 1990).…”

“…While literature specifically on externalizing as a group intervention remains sparse, some authors have identified externalizing as a meaningful way for groups to work with participants' stories (Dean 1998;Laube and Trefz 1994). Most articles that discuss externalizing do so in the context of multi-session or ongoing therapy groups (Dean 1998;Gilbert and Beidler 2001;Laube 1998;Laube and Trefz 1994;Vassallo 1998), sometimes in conjunction with motivational interviewing (Knight et al 2003;Weber et al 2006). When stages of group development are considered, externalizing is seen as particularly relevant in the initial stages of group formation, leading to the identification of unique outcomes that can be developed into preferred narratives during subsequent developmental stages (Laube 1998;Vassallo 1998).…”

“…Therapists facilitate externalizing conversations in groups in much the same way as in individual or family therapy: through careful selection of language that encourages the separation of persons from problems, and models the exploration of relative influence (Behan 1999;Laube and Trefz 1994). Specifically, therapists encourage group members to view problems from alternate positions, explore the mutual influence of persons and problems, express their preferences vis-à-vis the problem, and recognize their similarities with one another (Laube 1998).…”

“…Instead, participants are seen as experts on their own problems, and authors of their own stories. Other participants, as the audience, contribute by highlighting aspects of a story that stood out to them (Nasim 2007), asking questions that invite further clarification, and suggesting alternative perspectives the person might not have considered (Laube and Trefz 1994). When participants have similar problems, each participant's story is shaped by the perspectives that emerge in others' stories (Laube and Trefz 1994).…”

Therapeutic Document in Group Counseling: An Active Change Agent

“…Rallied by the power of language and narrative, theorists and clinicians are inventing methods to coconstruct new narratives with clients. One method uses the narrative approach while conducting the session (Clare & Grant, 1994;Johnson, 1994;Laube & Trefz, 1994), and another method uses therapeutic letters as an adjunct to the session. The therapeutic letter (White, 1995;White & Epston, 1990) recently has emerged as a written form of re-authoring therapy.…”