Solution Focused Therapy and Narrative Therapy

RESOLUTION OF PROBLEMS VS. CONSTRUCTION OF NARRATIVES

In recent years, both solution-focused and narrative therapies have been used extensively to help diverse populations address their psychological problems (Stalker, Levene, & Coady, 1999; Vodde & Gallant, 2002). Unlike traditional approaches that classify patients into objective and pre-determined categories, these two therapies acknowledge the uniqueness of the predicaments of the patients and address their situation at an individual level (Lee, 2003; Arciero & Guidano, 2000). Even more significantly, they shift away from the privileged position of therapists in order to forge a collaborative relationship with their patients (Lee, 2003; Freedman & Combs, 1996). Moreover, both types of therapies utilize exceptional moments or unique outcomes in their clients' lives as openings for re-orienting their clients' perspectives and moving away from their problem-focused points of view or narratives. However, there are clearly significant differences in their approaches. Solution-focused therapists tend to adopt a highly pragmatic and goal-oriented approach. In contrast, narrative therapists encourage clients to create preferred narratives that are not only detailed and action-oriented, but also rich and meaningful (Miller & de Shazer, 1998; Freedman & Combs, 1996).

This paper will be divided into several sections in order to elabo

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-oriented exceptions elicited in solution-focused therapy. However, narrative therapy also highlights the importance of the landscape of consciousness. Only when clients delve below the surface of the landscape of action to explore the meanings of the stories, along with their feelings and beliefs, will they recreate new self-images to help them reauthor and live out new stories. The acknowledgement of the dual landscapes is thus an integral part of narrative therapy (Freedman & Combs, 1996, pp. 96-8). In contrast, solution-focused therapists limit their emphasis to behavior. To them, emotions or any internal processes must necessarily be represented in outward behavior. Therefore, the objective of solution-focused therapy is to focus on the behavior of the clients, which will in turn affect their interaction with others as well as the latter's response them (Miller & de Shazer, 1998). Apart from the direct experiences of the clients' lives, the impact of the larger societal context on the clients is also considered to be an integral part of the therapeutic session. Unlike solution-focused therapists who want to limit the focus on the client's presenting problem, narrative therapists believe that societal values, ins
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