The purpose of this research was to investigate how, or in what ways, the study and practice of narrative therapy affects the development of therapists and their practices of therapy. The following question was investigated: How, or in what ways, does the study and practice of narrative therapy affect the development of therapists and their practices of therapy? A modified, qualitative, narrative methodology was used that incorporated individual interviews. The stories of four narratively orientated therapists were considered as the data of this research. Seven themes emerged from the participmts' verified stories. The most robust emergent theme, changes as a therapist and as a person, was composed of; changes in depth of awareness, changes in practices of therapy, and changes in living as persons. The remaining emergent themes included; what it is about narrative therapy that works, the values and ethics of the participants, what it is about other therapeutic practices that does not work, the importance of community, personal attributes of the participants, and their challenges of integrating into practice the ideas that make up narrative therapy.

Thesis (Psy.D.)--Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, 2006. / Adviser: Shyamala Venkataraman. Includes bibliographical references.

The client of this case study was a twenty two year old female in her first year at university. The client had come into therapy because she had felt depressed, lonely and riddled with selfdoubt. The author used a Narrative Therapy approach with the client and was focussed on helping the client generate new meanings and stories that were more useful and empowering for the client. In this case study, the author was interested in exploring the process of change that the client underwent during the therapy process and he would rely on identifying innovative moments to track these changes. This interest informed the research question; what is the process of change in narrative therapy as tracked through the therapeutic dialogue? How does the change process in this case study track with the heuristic model of change put forward by Gonçalves and his colleagues? The author chose to use a pragmatic hermeneutic case study method in order to analyse the data and the results were organised into a coherent narrative. The data was collected from twenty two therapy sessions and these were grouped together into themes, namely a quick start, the beginning of change, thickening the innovative moments and lighting the fire. The results of this study reveal that despite being considered a good outcome case by the author, the process of change differed somewhat to that proposed by the heuristic model of change.

This thesis examines narrative practice in relation to identities of male youth (12-18) who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviours. To answer the following research question: How do male youth who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviours and participated in a treatment program narrate their experience of changes in their identity? I conducted semi-structured interviews, with male youth who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviours and are residing at Counterpoint House. I employ a narrative analysis and draw from White’s re-authoring map for categories of analysis. Results are examined through a Foucauldian lens and demonstrate that the participants experienced a shift in their identity. / Graduate / narrative practice / narrative therapy / jenniferflower@shaw.ca

Thesis (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Central Connecticut State University, 1998. / Thesis advisor: Judith Rosenberg. "... in partial fulfillment of the Master of Science in Counselor Education." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-80).

Thesis (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

This study aims to explore the use and relevance of Narrative approaches to psycho-social interventions in the South African context. The profession of psychology in South Africa has been in a state of discontentment since the country’s turn to democracy in 1994 which has been voiced from both those within the profession and those it aims to assist. The loudest call is for a psychology that is relevant to the South African context – culturally, socially, and politically. Narrative approaches to psychotherapy and psycho-social intervention are grounded in post-modern and social-constructionist thought and offer an alternative to mainstream psychological theory. Narrative practice aims to promote social justice and views therapy as a political act. It is also an approach that values local knowledges and sees all therapeutic engagements as cross-cultural encounters which are approached with curiosity and a not-knowing stance, rather than an interpretive, analytical lens. This study has investigated what the existing literature has produced regarding the use and relevance of Narrative approaches in South Africa context. The research process was implemented using a mixed methods research methodology whereby a sample of 58 journal articles (n=58) were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative content analysis. The common themes that emerged from the articles were ‘viewing people in context’, ‘listening to the telling of stories’, ‘theoretical constructs of a narrative approach’, and ‘social phenomena’.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Recreation Management and Youth Leadership, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MA(Psychology))-University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.