Table of Contents

Foreword by John McLeod
An Overview of Narrative Therapy
Ideas Informing Narrative Therapy
Assisting the Person to Describe the Problem
Encouraging a Wider Perspective on the Problem
Asking Questions
Therapeutic Documents
Telling and Re-Telling
Examples of Narrative Practice I: Counselling for Depression, and for Recovery from Abuse
A Fresh Look at Assumptions in the Therapy Culture
Examples of Narrative Practice II: Counselling for Post-Traumatic Reactions, and in Working with Couples
Appendix: An Exercise in Co-Supervision Using Narrative Therapy Practices

About the Author

Martin Payne is an independent counsellor working mainly in GP surgeries. During his previous career in Further and Adult Education he found his work was increasingly focussed on assisting students who were experiencing problems in their lives. He trained in counselling at Colchester Institute of Higher Education and gained their Diploma in Counselling. He has completed Intensive Training in Narrative Therapy with Michael White in Adelaide, South Australia, and is the author of Narrative Therapy: an Introduction for Counsellors (Sage Publications: Second edition, 2006).

Reviews

Comments on the first edition: ′On reading Martin Payne′s account I instantly had a sense of being understood. I found this particularly refreshing, as so much that is written in the name of narrative therapy doesn′t at all fit with my understanding of its philosophical, ethical and political considerations. He has succeeded in representing his own voice in this, which really makes for engaging reading and accessibility of these ideas′ - Michael White ′There is much here which feels of immediate relevance to the stories our patients tell us every day ... this is a wonderfully supportive and stimulating book′ - Family Practice ′As a practitioner I found this book a good review of the area and most usefully, of the theory which underpins it′ - Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy