Page 45 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 7
P. 45
Foundational Discussions in Christian Psychology
Sam Berg
Can Christians do
Narrative Therapy?
Original Goodness instead Sam Berg,
D.Min., is a Re-
of Original Sin as the gistered Mar-
riage and Fami-
Starting Point for Therapy ly Therapist in
and Theology Canada, and a
Clinical Fellow
and Approved Supervisor in the American
Association of Marriage and Family Thera-
pists. He currently serves as the Director of
THE VALUE OF PERSONS Counselling Services at The Caring Place,
a faith-based counselling center in Regina,
I was first introduced to the practices of narra- SK. Previously, he was the Co-ordinator of
tive therapy by someone who wasn’t an enthu- the Marriage and Family Counselling pro-
siast. At a workshop in Ottawa in the 1994, the gram at Briercrest Seminary at Caronport,
presenter whose name I have forgotten gave SK. He has served the counselling profes-
what seemed a very cerebral description of the- sion in several board positions. He enjoys
se ideas. The only thing I remember is that Sue travelling with his wife, playing golf, and
Johnson, the developer of emotionally focused visiting with his grandchildren.
couple’s therapy (EFT) asked the question,
“Where’s the affect in narrative therapy?” I don’t sberg@briercrest.ca
recall the answer.
Then, in 1996, I attended a workshop in Sas- ted for him, and which he had to some extent
katoon where the presenter was David Epston, internalized. In a subsequent letter to David,
who together with Michael White was one of this young man said, “Once you’ve decided to
the foremost developers of these therapeutic change, it’s not so hard.” (!)
practices. I was impressed profoundly by two The second was the humility with which the
things. The first was his deep respect for the cli- therapist worked in relation to the client. The
ents with whom he worked. He presented in a client’s agency, the client’s language, and the
video his work with a young pre-pubescent boy client’s story, were all things which the thera-
who had been held in a secure facility because pist held in greatest regard. Along with this, the
of his violence. No previous therapist had lasted therapist’s own assessments, theoretical gui-
longer than ten minutes, David said, because delines and any other aspects of his powerful
the boy became violent. But David’s first que- knowledge were held in check as he conversed
stion wasn’t about any of those things. He as- with his client.
ked first of all, “What does Dr. (the name of his
psychiatrist) think about you?” I don’t know if Narrative therapy is described in several ways.
David had some prior knowledge of what the One helpful one is provided by Freedman and
good doctor thought, but the boy answered, Combs (1996, p. 22):
“He thinks I’m a pretty good guy.” On the basis 1. Realities are socially constructed.
of this evaluation by a person who mattered to 2. Realities are constituted through language.
him, David constructed a conversation in one 3. Realities are organized and maintained
hour in which this young boy’s personal nar- through narrative.
rative identity conclusions were re-authored
to such an extent that he simply saw himself as This approach to therapy takes into account the
different from the picture that had been pain- social context in which the client lives, the lan-
44
