ABSTRACT
Narrative Enhancement and Cognitive Therapy (NECT) is a manualized, group-based intervention that is directed towards helping people who have been labeled with a psychiatric diagnosis recover their sense of value and decrease internalized stigma. It relies heavily on psychoeducation, cognitive behavioural techniques, and personal story-telling, or “narrative enhancement” exercises. In this chapter we describe the rationale for NECT and its curriculum, followed by an illustration of a fictional group to demonstrate its application, before reviewing the current body of research supporting its effectiveness. Finally, we discuss how NECT relates to self-reflectivity, awareness of the other, decentration and mastery as core aspects of metacognition.
