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Narrative therapy

Narrative therapy

You are not the problem; the problem is the problem. Separating the two and rewriting the story you tell about yourself.

Schedule an appointment Therapists who use it

7 of our 62 therapists use this approach.

Everyone lives inside a story about who they are, and sometimes that story has been written by the worst things that happened or by other people's judgments: the anxious one, the failure, the one who always gets left. Narrative therapy treats that story as a story, one version among many, and helps you find and strengthen the others.

Its signature move is externalizing: talking about "the anxiety" or "the anger" as something that acts on you rather than something you are. That small shift opens up room to look at how it operates, when it doesn't, and what you'd rather be the author of.

What we use it for

Is it a fit?

A good fit if a label or a history has come to define you, if you're carrying shame, or if you want a respectful, non-pathologizing approach. Often used alongside other methods rather than alone.

What the evidence says

Narrative therapy has a growing evidence base, with studies supporting its use for depression, grief, trauma and self-esteem in adults and adolescents, and it's widely practiced in family and school counseling. Several of our clinicians use it as part of an integrative approach.

Common questions

Is this just reframing?

It goes further. Reframing changes how you see one situation; narrative work changes the larger story that keeps producing those situations, and it builds the evidence for the new story from your own life.

Where to find it

Based on our clinicians' current specialties, this approach is offered at five locations:

Closer to Surfside Beach, Forest Acres, Irmo, Greenville, Anderson or online? Call (843) 894-0000; the right therapist may be available by video, or we'll suggest the nearest office with the right fit.

Ready when you are.

Call us or submit a short intake form. A Patient Account Representative will match you with a therapist, and most new clients have their first appointment within a few business days.

Schedule an appointment Call (843) 894-0000