Engaging and involving clients in open note-taking practices in narrative therapy

Abstract

PHOTO CREDIT: Jamie CoulthardNarrative therapists empower others, both in relation to dominant negative stories that are told about their lives, and within the therapeutic relationship itself. They try to correct the inevitable power imbalance between therapist and client by adopting a ‘decentred’ stance, eschewing technical jargon, and by using idiosyncratic externalised language. This article proposes that the way in which we take notes matters for these power-relationships. By asking permission, writing notes openly, and engaging clients in their co-production, we resist disempowering them by appropriating their personal information. Moreover, these practices support externalisation, open creative possibilities, and invite new perspectives on therapeutic work.