Narrative and Expressive Writing Therapy

Narrative therapy is an empowering and collaborative approach where you and your therapist work towards uncovering or identifying a problem at a deeper level

This therapy is an approach to counseling that positions you as the expert in your own life.

My job as your narrative therapist is to help you find your voice so that you can tell your story in your own words. According to the philosophy behind narrative therapy, storytelling is how we make meaning and find purpose in our own experience. ( I have 3 decades of experience with this perspective.)

This therapy tends to identify your problem or issue as a separate entity to you. It suggests that your learned skills, lived experience, and mindset will assist you to make the necessary and relevant changes to reduce problems in your life.

I have found that collaborating with most clients to actively help them find their own responses and answers using written activities. Activities like clustering, mapping, and planning exercises can be both rewarding for the client and act as a measurement tool for gauging progress over time.

For many, the writing down of the problem in story form serves to transform the effects of the issue/s by providing space between themselves and the words. This enables them to see the issue in a different light, or more specifically, objectively. The person is then more likely to see how a particular concern can be harming them and to what extent.

However, not all clients will respond to written activities. I do encourage clients to bring a notebook and often suggest that they might like to jot down a few things during our talk therapy.

Note: Hindsight is always a wonderful thing. Whilst it may be difficult to consider that personal growth and wisdom can come from traumatic experiences, it is never easy when we are going through them. Nevertheless, after the storm has passed, we can usually see where we experienced tiny positive changes although it didn’t seem like it at the time.

What Clients Says

Learning about my strengths has been a valuable exercise for me. I had no idea of what my strengths actually were, let alone how I could use them to create a more fruitful and balanced life for myself. Thank you for sharing this amazing information with me. I know now that I can develop new strengths at different stages of my life and that nothing is 'fixed'. I am in my 60s and now realise that I have been asleep for many years. I am not prepared to waste another minute. Thank you, Paulette.

G. Robinson

I have sat in front of more therapists than I care to remember, but I have never felt so listened to than when I sit with Paulette. She has guided me through some very dark situations that I would have preferred to not think about, but she explained to me how I can turn these circumstances into valuable experiences. I am so grateful. Paulette, you are amazing.

D. Blackmore

I can't imagine life without Paulette's amazing guidance now. She is incredible and just knows what I need to learn to keep me moving forwarding. I have learnt so much about myself in such a short time. Thank you, Paulette.