ABSTRACT

The Handbook Narrative Psychotherapy for Children, Adults and Families combines philosophical, scientific and theoretical insights in the field of narrative psychotherapy and links them to sources of inspiration such as poetry, film, literature and art under the common denominator 'narrative thinking'. Sections on theoretical issues alternate with a large number of case histories drawn from different therapeutic contexts. The reader can browse at will through the many examples of therapeutic sessions, in some cases including literal transcriptions, in which narrativity in all its forms is the point of departure. What language does the body speak? What messages do seemingly random slips of the tongue convey? How can a painting help a client to find words for his or her story? The discussion of the 'logic of abduction' demonstrates the importance of metaphor, and special attention is given to the processes of creating a therapeutic context and defining a therapeutic framework.

part I|203 pages

Aspects of Narrative Thinking

chapter One|29 pages

Nomadic thought: thought on its travels

chapter Two|34 pages

The house of language

chapter Four|29 pages

Narrative space: the "third space"

chapter Five|21 pages

Abduction and the logic of metaphor

chapter Seven|31 pages

Developing a therapeutic framework

part II|109 pages

Narrative in Action

chapter Eight|25 pages

Finding a therapeutic script

chapter Ten|23 pages

Birth stories: listening to children

chapter Eleven|12 pages

Blended families

chapter Twelve|12 pages

Fatherly love

chapter |4 pages

Epilogue

chapter |1 pages

Afterword