Question 1

As clients are talking, narrative therapists listen for ________________________.

Accepted Answer

Narrative therapists focus on identifying and understanding the problem-saturated story that clients tell about their lives, which often dominates their narrative and influences their identity.

Question 2

Narrative therapists use _______________ to help clients build different relationships with their problems.

Accepted Answer

Narrative therapists use externalizing questions to help clients view their problems as separate entities rather than internalizing them as personal flaws. This helps clients to distance themselves from their problems and approach them more objectively. Internalizing questions, conventional questions, and paradoxical questions may also be used, but they are not the primary tool used by narrative therapists to build different relationships with problems.

Question 3

If a group of teenagers creates a subculture with different beauty standards, sexual norms, vocabulary and friendship rules that are found in the adult culture, this is an example of a __________________________.

Accepted Answer

A local discourse refers to a subculture or a group that creates their own unique set of rules, beliefs, and practices that are distinct from the dominant or mainstream culture. In this case, the teenagers have created their own subculture with different beauty standards, sexual norms, vocabulary, and friendship rules, which is an example of a local discourse.

Question 4

Instead of replacing the problem story with a problem-free story, narrative therapists help their clients to ________________________________.

Accepted Answer

Narrative therapists assist their clients in shifting their perspective and understanding of the problems in their lives by redefining the role of problems, finding new ways to interact with them, and changing how they respond to them. This allows the client to take control of the problem and see it as an opportunity for growth and change.

Question 5

According to narrative therapy, we create the meaning of life events using available _________________, such as societal stories, sociocultural practices, assumptions, and expectations about how we should live.

Accepted Answer

Narrative therapy emphasizes that people construct the meaning of life events through dominant discourses, which are the prevailing societal stories and cultural norms that influence how individuals interpret their experiences.

Question 6

Therapists may ask any of the following questions to meet the client apart from the problem EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The question "When did the problem first enter your life?" is related to the problem and not to the client as a person. The other options are all potential questions to get to know the client outside of their presenting issue.

Question 7

A narrative therapist is working with a 17-year-old client, Amy, and her mother regarding Amy's struggles with an eating disorder. As therapy has progressed and the therapist has worked with Amy to separate the problem from herself, the therapist might phrase a middle phase goal in therapy in which of the following ways?

Accepted Answer

The goal aligns with narrative therapy's focus on externalizing the problem and empowering the client to resist the influence of the problem, in this case, anorexia.

Question 8

A common goal of narrative therapy is to increase a client's sense of _________, the sense that they influence the direction of their lives.

Accepted Answer

Narrative therapy often focuses on helping clients recognize and challenge the dominant narratives that contribute to their problems and instead develop alternative narratives that highlight their abilities and agency in shaping their lives. By fostering a greater sense of agency, clients may feel more empowered and capable of making positive changes.

Question 9

All of the following are phases of narrative therapy EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Narrative therapy focuses on separating the person from the problem, not connecting them.

Question 10

"What effects does the anxiety have on your life and relationship?" is an example of a/an _________________________.

Accepted Answer

Externalizing questions are used to separate the person from the problem, helping them to see the issue as something outside of themselves. This question asks about the effects of anxiety, treating it as an external factor impacting life and relationships.

Question 11

The role of the therapist in narrative therapy is often described as ____________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The role of the therapist in narrative...

Question 12

Clara, a 13-year-old girl who typically cuts herself when she feels anxious, decides one night to call a friend instead of cut. When she tells this to her therapist, her therapist labels this as an example of _________________.

Accepted Answer

Clara's decision to call a friend instead of cutting is an example of a unique outcome, as it goes against her usual approach to dealing with anxiety. This is a positive change that her therapist can explore and encourage her to continue. Option A (problem-saturated story) refers to the belief that a person only has negative stories about themselves and their experiences, while option C (gender discourse) is not relevant to the scenario. Option D (an exception) is similar to the correct choice but does not accurately describe the positive nature of the behavior change.

Question 13

______________________ exist in our heads, our closer relationships, and marginalized communities.

Accepted Answer

Local discourses exist in our heads, closer relationships, and marginalized communities as they pertain to specific, context-dependent ways of understanding and communicating within particular groups or communities.

Question 14

___________ help clients to further "unpack" their stories to see how they have been constructed, identifying the influence of dominant and local discourses. These typically target problematic beliefs, practices, feelings, and attitudes.

Accepted Answer

Deconstructive questions help clients to analyze and break down the stories they have constructed about themselves or their problems, identifying the influence of dominant and local discourses. They aim to challenge or reframe problematic beliefs and attitudes. Constructive questions focus on building towards a desired outcome, externalizing questions help clients separate themselves from their problems, and conventional questions are standard or typical questions.

Question 15

Externalization can have which of the following beneficial effects?

Accepted Answer

Externalization can be beneficial as it encourages people to view the problem as separate from the individual and to work together to overcome it, rather than blaming the individual for the problem. This can unite people in a common struggle against the problem and reduce blame on the client. Choices A, C, and D suggest negative effects of externalization that are not supported by research.

Question 16

Similar to solution-based therapists, postmodern therapists optimistically focus on ____________________________.

Accepted Answer

Postmodern therapists focus on client strengths and abilities, rather than solely on fixing problems. They believe that the client is the expert in their own life and help them build on their strengths to create solutions that work for them.

Question 17

Relative influence questioning is composed of two parts: mapping the influence of the problem and mapping the influence of the persons.

Accepted Answer

Relative influence questioning involves mapping both the influence of the problem and the influence of the persons involved.

Question 18

In narrative therapy, the process or intervention of separating the person from the problem is known as _______________________.

Accepted Answer

The process or intervention of separating the person from the problem is known as externalization in narrative therapy. This involves viewing the problem as separate from the individual and exploring how the problem has impacted the person's life, rather than seeing the person as the problem itself. This shift in perspective can help individuals to gain more power and control over the problem, rather than feeling overwhelmed by it.

Question 19

From a narrative perspective, _______________ are not the problem; problems are the problem.

Accepted Answer

This statement emphasizes the fact that the focus should be on the problem itself, rather than blaming or demonizing any particular group or individual. While families, symptoms, and cultures may be factors that contribute to a problem, they are not inherently problematic in and of themselves.

Question 20

Narrative therapy includes a set of predefined goals that can be used with all clients.

Accepted Answer

Narrative therapy is a client-centered and collaborative approach that does not follow a set of predefined goals for all clients. Instead, it focuses on the client's unique experiences and challenges and works to empower them to reshape their own story in a way that promotes positive change.

Quiz 13: Narrative Therapy