Narrative perspective

People have stories about each other and about themselves. These stories are and are nourished by their histories, their interactions with each other and others. Stories provide coherence and meaning to random events and thus make the influence of the events stronger. Images and stories influence the way people live their lives and how others interact with them. Stories give identity to people. Individual and family identities are created in the ongoing exchange between people. These identities are constantly formed, confirmed or changed in relationships with others. Identities can also be obstructive and cause a problem story to arise. Stories in which a problem gives coherence and meaning to an event or events have an impoverishing effect on feelings, thoughts and way of life.

Therapy can be understood as creating constructive stories that also provide a different meaning. Life consists of many stories and together with the therapist we look for moments and points of reference to bring forward the stories that are suppressed by the problem story. The client remains the author of his own story, but he can see the stories or ingredients offered by the therapist in his own new story to be “written”.