Feature by Nikita Fernandes

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Narrative Therapy has emerged as one of the most powerful types of therapy to support minority communities. It has gained popularity in 2022 along with the rise of movements such as the Black Lives Matter and the focus on mental health after the pandemic. Narrative therapy is relatively new. It was developed in the 1980's by Michael White, an Australian social worker, and David Epston, a family therapist from New Zealand. It gained traction in the United States in the 1990's.

Narrative therapy is a nonpathologizing, empowering and collaborative experience for clients who hold minority identities. The empowering nature of this therapy can be experienced through nudging clients to reframe their past experiences, gain control over their present and shape a better future. Narrative therapy uses prompts to have client reflect over the stories they tell themselves about their life. For example, a therapist might ask a client to write about their past struggles and highlight what helped keep them afloat. This strengths based approach can help remind clients that they are much more resilient than they believe.

Feature by Nikita Fernandes

Richard Schwartz created the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model to work with clients who held conflicting views of themselves. He explained these conflicts as having various parts within ourselves. As human beings, we are made up of different parts that serve specific functions. Internal Family Systems is a powerfully transformative, evidence-based model of psychotherapy. The mind is considered to be naturally made up of multiple sub-personalities or families within each individual’s mental system. These sub-personalities take on different roles, such as an inner critic or inner child, and consist of wounded parts and painful feelings like anger and shame.

Feature by Nikita Fernandes 

Mahatma Gandhi writes that ​“The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane.” There is power in acknowledging our humanity. To be human means that we make mistakes, say the wrong things, trust people who hurt us and feel emotions deeply. Being human also allows us to feel a great capacity of love, compassion and empathy. A humanistic therapist engages in humanistic therapy when they hold space for their client to sit with their humanness. In sitting with this, we are able to access grace and kindness for ourselves and for our past.