Narrative Therapy As a Postmodern Therapy in Social Work

The main aim of this paper is to discuss theoretical foundation and techniques of narrative therapy and to make its potentials visible for social work. Social work quintessentially grounds on modernism. Thus, it can be stated that theories, perspectives and practices in social work are mainly based on modernist paradigm. However, narrative therapy is a postmodern therapy. Its theoretical foundation derives from social constructionism and post-structuralism. In classical social work practices and psychotherapies, pathological view dominates the practice and the problem is generally seen as a part of the person. However, in a social constructionism based narrative therapy, the therapist focuses on social and cultural qualities instead of pathology or shortcomings. The main important technique in narrative therapy is the externalization technique which helps person to be separated from the problem. Narrative therapy is mainly based on deconstructing problem-saturated dominant narratives of the person and reconstructing a new narrative from their alternative life events. Thus, narrative therapy challenges the taken-for-granted knowledge and opens some doors for social work