
Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) This treatment helps individuals establish a coherent life narrative in which to contextualize traumatic experiences. It is known for its use in group treatment with refugees. Narrative exposure therapy is a treatment for trauma disorders, particularly in individuals suffering from complex and multiple trauma.
What is narrative exposure therapy?
Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) This treatment helps individuals establish a coherent life narrative in which to contextualize traumatic experiences. It is known for its use in group treatment with refugees. Narrative exposure therapy is a treatment for trauma disorders, particularly in individuals suffering from complex and multiple trauma.
What is the difference between CBT and narrative therapy?
Therapists using CBT take an educational approach to therapy and work with the client to assist him in recognising negative patterns of thought, behaviour and mental imaging. Narrative therapists focus on the stories people tell about their lives and assist clients in finding the positive, often untold, stories that are also true for their lives.
What is a chronological narrative in therapy?
With the guidance of the therapist, a patient establishes a chronological narrative of his or her life, concentrating mainly on their traumatic experiences, but also incorporating some positive events. It is believed that this contextualizes the network of cognitive, affective and sensory memories of a patient’s trauma.
What is the psychotherapeutic approach of net?
In technical terms the psychotherapeutic approach taken by NET includes elements of: prolonged exposure and repeated imaginative reliving of the traumatic situation in order to activate and modify the corresponding fear structure;

What theory is narrative exposure therapy based on?
Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is a treatment for trauma-spectrum disorders in survivors of multiple and complex trauma. NET builds on the theory of the dual representation of traumatic memories (Elbert & Schauer, 2002).
What type of therapy is narrative therapy?
Narrative therapy (or Narrative Practice) is a form of psychotherapy that seeks to help patients identify their values and the skills associated with them. It provides the patient with knowledge of their ability to live these values so they can effectively confront current and future problems.
What kind of technique is exposure therapy?
Exposure therapy is a technique used by therapists to help people overcome fears and anxieties by breaking the pattern of fear and avoidance. It works by exposing you to a stimulus that causes fear in a safe environment. For example, a person with social anxiety may avoid going to crowded areas or parties.
What is narrative exposure therapy psychology?
Narrative exposure therapy is a treatment for trauma disorders, particularly in individuals suffering from complex and multiple trauma. It has been most frequently used in community settings and with individuals who experienced trauma as result of political, cultural or social forces (such as refugees).
What are the different CBT techniques?
Some of the techniques that are most often used with CBT include the following 9 strategies:Cognitive restructuring or reframing. ... Guided discovery. ... Exposure therapy. ... Journaling and thought records. ... Activity scheduling and behavior activation. ... Behavioral experiments. ... Relaxation and stress reduction techniques. ... Role playing.More items...•
Is narrative therapy a humanistic approach?
Yes, narrative therapy can be considered as humanistic therapy.
What are the three types of exposure therapy?
These include:In vivo exposure: Directly facing a feared object, situation or activity in real life. ... Imaginal exposure: Vividly imagining the feared object, situation or activity. ... Virtual reality exposure: In some cases, virtual reality technology can be used when in vivo exposure is not practical.More items...
Is CBT prolonged exposure?
Exposure is an intervention strategy commonly used in cognitive behavioral therapy to help individuals confront fears. Prolonged exposure is a specific type of cognitive behavioral therapy that teaches individuals to gradually approach trauma-related memories, feelings and situations.
Is EMDR exposure therapy?
EMDR therapy sets up a learning state that allows these experiences to be stored appropriately in the brain. This is the main difference between exposure therapy and EMDR; in other words, the individual is not re-exposed to the trauma.
Who does narrative therapy work best for?
Narrative therapy allows people to not only find their voice but to use their voice for good, helping them to become experts in their own lives and to live in a way that reflects their goals and values. It can be beneficial for individuals, couples, and families.
Is there a difference between narrative therapy and narrative exposure therapy?
Narrative Exposure Therapy is not part of Narrative Therapy. Instead it is guided by the principles of testimony therapy and behavioral exposure and rooted in the neuroscience of traumatic stress.
Is narrative therapy good for anxiety?
In addressing anxiety, narrative therapy has also shown to be effective. In another study, women were given a questionnaire before and after narrative therapy interventions regarding generalized anxiety disorder and found that the women after treatment reported improved symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
Is narrative therapy an intervention?
Narrative therapy interventions focus on the lived experiences and stories within a person's life, which separates an individual or family from their problems. Narrative therapy also helps people see that they can at any time re-navigate their story through therapy.
Is narrative therapy postmodern?
Narrative therapies, in particular, bear the marks of significant shaping by notions of knowledge and power that are given particular form through a process of postmodern critique.
What is an example of narrative therapy?
An example of how Narrative Therapy would help Tom rewrite is story is by first separating The Anxiety from Tom. Instead of Tom saying, “I have anxiety, I am a loser,” he would say, “The Anxiety tricks me to think I am a loser.” Why does Narrative Therapy do this?
What is a narrative approach?
This approach involves conceptualizing the individual in terms of an overarching life story, or personal narrative. Narrative theories posit that self-concept is constructed of life stories, and that these stories are complete with characters, plots, and themes.
What is the purpose of cognitive re-evaluation and reinterpretation of the trauma narrative?
cognitive re-evaluation and reinterpretation of the trauma narrative in order to correct false thoughts and negative beliefs generated by the trauma which affected the healthy processing of memory.
What are the elements of trauma therapy?
In technical terms the psychotherapeutic approach taken by NET includes elements of: 1 prolonged exposure and repeated imaginative reliving of the traumatic situation in order to activate and modify the corresponding fear structure; 2 active reconstruction of the autobiographic memories of the trauma through the process of completing a comprehensive, meaningful, and consistent testimony of what happened; 3 cognitive re-evaluation and reinterpretation of the trauma narrative in order to correct false thoughts and negative beliefs generated by the trauma which affected the healthy processing of memory.
Is exposure therapy evidence based?
Exposure is an effective evidence-based treatment for fear. This information handout describes the key principles of Exposure Therapy. Clients who are ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-is-exposure-therapy/
Can a therapist record a patient's autobiography?
The therapist can record the results as a testimony that can be used for documentary purposes. In each subsequent session the autobiography is briefly repeated, details corrected, and further events are processed. This process is repeated until the patient’s life span has been covered.
How are CBT and narrative therapy related?
1. How Problems are Formed. Both CBT and narrative therapy seek to change a client's negative thought patterns. It is the belief of practitioners of both of these therapy techniques that negative thought patterns lead to negative behaviours and a self-defeating attitude toward life.
What is narrative therapy?
Narrative therapists focus on the stories people tell about their lives and assist clients in finding the positive, often untold, stories that are also true for their lives. Both CBT and narrative therapy seek to change a client's negative thought patterns. Therapists using CBT take an educational approach to therapy and work with ...
What is CBT therapy?
Therapists using CBT take an educational approach to therapy and work with the client to assist him in recognising negative patterns of thought, behaviour and mental imaging. 2. Restructuring and Reframing. CBT practitioners seek to restructure their clients' thought processes through goal-oriented assignments.
How does CBT work?
CBT operates on the premise that thoughts, behaviours and feelings are three points on a triangle, and changing either one of these points will change the other two. Narrative therapists seek to reframe the problem by exploring with the client the client's stories about their lives and finding positive and unexcavated perceptions of the events of the stories.
Why do narrative therapists use Socratic questions?
Narrative therapists use Socratic questions to help the client find alternative ways of viewing an event, leading to reframing and creation of new -- and positive -- stories. Narrative therapists and CBT practitioners use Socratic questions to assist the client in discovering a new reality.
How does narrative therapy help with mental health?
Both cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) and narrative therapy techniques help a client break out of these negative patterns and find positive ways of viewing themselves and their world, which reduces symptoms of mental disorder and increases positive behaviours. 1. How Problems are Formed.
Why do people seek therapy?
Clients often seek therapy because they are stuck in a positive feedback loop and cannot break a cycle of negative thinking. Negative thinking typically leads to poor choices, negative coping strategies, identity issues and relationship problems. Both cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) and narrative therapy techniques help a client break out ...
How does cognitive behavioral therapy help overcome oppression?
Instead of trying to avoid and forget about the problem, cognitive behavioral therapy seeks to empower the client to face and overcome it. One must accept that although the traumatizing incident happened, he will overcome it. The narrative approach, on the other hand, seeks to change the negative story that a client may have about their self into a positive one. The client is reminded of the unique capabilities that can be used to overcome oppression.
What is the goal of cognitive behavior therapy?
The choice of cognitive behavior therapy and the narrative approach means that the goal is to ensure that the patient plays a critical role in the intervention process to overcome their fears and mental trauma. The use of cognitive behavior therapy will involve helping patients face the fears in their lives, while the narrative approach will involve them making a concise decision to redefine their purpose and path in life.
What is the best theory for assessment of patients?
The most preferred theories for assessment of patients are Cognitive Behavior Therapy and the Narrative Approach. The integrated approach is critical when handling traumatized patients because it enables the counselor and the patient to play a critical role in assessing and addressing the underlying problem. When it is possible to use the two ...
What is a mental health approach?
It is an approach that focuses on enabling clients to rediscover themselves. When used effectively, it helps patients to use their strength, knowledge, experience, and beliefs to address their mental problems.
What is evidence based approach?
It is an evidence-based approach that has been tried and tested for years and many experts are in agreement that it is an effective tool. It seeks to empower clients by enabling them to avoid unhelpful thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior to overcome their condition.
When using cognitive behavioral therapy, should one take into consideration the religious beliefs of a patient?
When using cognitive behavioral therapy, one should take into consideration the religious beliefs of a patient to avoid suggestions that they may find offensive. The gender, age, and sexual orientation of a person should also define the therapeutic approach language used.
Why is the theory of social construction criticized?
Some have criticized it for the lack of empirical and clinical studies to support its validity.
What is a NET therapy?
Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is a treatment for trauma-spectrum disorders in survivors of multiple and complex trauma. NET builds on the theory of the dual representation of traumatic memories (Elbert & Schauer, 2002). It is thought to contextualize the particular associative elements of the fear network, the sensory, affective and cognitive memories of trauma to understand and process the memory of a traumatic event in the course of the particular life of a client. Therefore, in NET, the patient, with the assistance of the therapist, constructs a chronological narrative of his life story with a focus on the traumatic experiences. Fragmented reports of the traumatic experiences will be transformed into a coherent narrative. Empathic understanding, active listening, congruency and unconditional positive regard are key components of the therapist’s behavior. For traumatic stress experiences the therapist asks in detail for emotions, cognitions, sensory information, physiological responses and probes for respective observations. The patient is encouraged to relive these emotions while narrating without losing their connection to the “here and now”: using permanent reminders that the feelings and physiological responses result from memories, the therapist links the experiences to episodic facts, i.e., time and place. In this way reprocessing, meaning-making and integration is facilitated. At the end of treatment the recorded autobiography may be used for human rights advocacy.
Does PTSD have a dose response?
There is a dose-response relationship between experience of traumatic events and PTSD. Several studies demonstrate that the prevalence of PTSD correlates with the number of traumatic events experienced in adults, as well as children (Schauer et al., 2003; Neuner et al., 2004; Catani et al., 2008). Although the evidence base is strong for using treatment such as trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT) with patients who have had up to a few traumas, the evidence is much less clear for patients with multiple traumas.
