Main description:

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.

Contents:

Ithaka , Permissions , Foreword to the English Edition , Foreword , Preface , Introduction , Prelude , Aspects of Narrative Thinking , Nomadic thought: thought on its travels , The house of language , The language of the body: the role of the body in narrative psychotherapy , Narrative space: the "third space" , Abduction and the logic of metaphor , Creating and structuring a therapeutic context , Developing a therapeutic framework , Narrative in Action , Finding a therapeutic script , Stories from beyond the horizon: on dissociative attacks and on stories-as-yet-untold , Birth stories: listening to children , Blended families , Fatherly love , Epilogue , Conclusion The end of the journey: from modern to postmodern to diagonal , Afterword