ABSTRACT
Many health and social professionals report that the environments in which they work make it hard to adopt narrative-based practice. Typical constraints include reduced time for each encounter, the imperative to record consultations meticulously, the distracting presence of computers, and the need to follow protocols or guidelines. Many practitioners report being aware of displaying habits that inhibit their clients from developing helpful narratives. Many also appear to have a preference for targeting strong emotions or seeking psychological explanations without realising that this can also impair narratives. This chapter examines some common hindrances to narrative flow, and offers guidance about how to overcome these. It presents examples that demonstrate the kinds of hindrances that practitioners have reported, or that we have observed in videos, role play or training exercises. These examples are fictional ones, compiled for training purposes only.
