Experiential and Narrative Family Therapy
Experiential and Narrative Family Therapy
The Smiths, a family of five, present with their 14-year-old male son, Joshua, who is identified as “the patient.” Almost immediately, the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner notices the subtle struggle between the parents to be heard first, often talking over one another. Joshua finally blurts out, “You see, you two are crazy, and you think it’s me.” Joshua’s father immediately becomes angry, and Joshua’s mom is quick to rush to Joshua’s side. She begins to argue with her husband about his treatment of their son.
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The Smiths and other clients like them may be candidates for both experiential therapy and narrative family therapy, and it is important to note that these are distinctly different therapeutic approaches. Experiential therapy examines experiences of the “here and now,” whereas narrative family therapy focuses on retelling one’s story to understand why one behaves in certain ways. When assessing client families and selecting one of these therapies, you must not only select the one that is best for the clients, but also the approach that most aligns to your own skill set.
This week, you compare experiential family therapy and narrative family therapy.
Learning Resources
Required Readings
American Nurses Association. (2014). Psychiatric-mental health nursing: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
- Standard 5B “Health Teaching and Health Promotion” (pages 55-56)
Nichols, M., & Davis, S. D. (2020). The essentials of family therapy (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
- Chapter 7, “Experiential Family Therapy” (pp. 105-118
- Chapter 12, “Narrative Therapy” (pp. 189-201)
Wheeler, K. (Ed.). (2014). Psychotherapy for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse: A how-to guide for evidence-based practice. New York, NY: Springer.
- “Genograms” pp. 137-142
Required Media
The approximate length of this media piece is 115 minutes.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2013b). Hernandez family genogram [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 3 minutes.
Accessible player –Downloads– Download Video w/CC Download Audio Download Transcript
Credit: Provided courtesy of the Laureate International Network of Universities.
Psychotherapy.net. (Producer). (n.d.). Narrative family therapy [Video file].
The approximate length of this media piece is 111 minutes.
Optional Resources
The approximate length of this media piece is 61 minutes.
Assignment: Experiential Versus Narrative Family Therapies
Although experiential therapy and narrative therapy are both used in family therapy, these therapeutic approaches have many differences in theory and application. As you assess families and develop treatment plans, you must consider these differences and their potential impact on clients. For this Assignment, you compare Experiential and Narrative Family Therapy.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Compare experiential family therapy to narrative family therapy
- Justify recommendations for family therapy
To prepare:
- Review this week’s Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide on experiential and family therapies.
The Assignment
In a 2- to 3-page paper, address the following:
- Summarize the key points of both experiential family therapy and narrative family therapy.
- Compare experiential family therapy to narrative family therapy, noting the strengths and weakness of each.
- Provide a description of a family that you think experiential family therapy would be appropriate, explain why, and justify your response using the Learning Resources.
Note: The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The sample paper provided by the Walden Writing Center provides examples of those required elements (available at http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/57.htm). All papers submitted must use this formatting.
Part 2: Family Genogram
Develop a genogram for the client family you selected. The genogram should extend back at least three generations (parents, grandparents, and great grandparents).
By Day 7 of Week 4
Submit your Assignment in Week 4.
Submission and Grading Information
To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:
- Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK3Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
- Click the Week 3 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
- Click the Week 3 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
- Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK3Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
- If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
- Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 3 Assignment Rubric
Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity
To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:
Submit your Week 3 Assignment draft and review the originality report.
Making Connections
Now that you have:
- Compared experiential and narrative family therapy
Next week, you will:
- Continue exploring family therapy as you examine structural and strategic family therapies and their appropriateness for client families