Narrative therapy with an adolescent who self-cuts: a case example

Abstract

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence identifies educational psychologists as appropriate specialists to deliver interventions to promote the emotional well-being of children and families. A role for practitioner educational psychologists in providing specific therapeutic interventions has also been proposed by commentators. The present study reports an evaluative case study of a narrative therapy intervention with a young person who self-harms. The analysis of data suggests that the narrative therapy intervention was effectively implemented and resulted in attributable gains in emotional well-being, resilience and behaviour for the young person. The authors discuss the role of the educational psychologist in delivering specific therapeutic interventions within a local authority context and school-based setting. Consideration is also made of the development of the evidence base for the effectiveness of narrative therapy intervention with young people who self-harm.

Keywords:

• narrative
• therapy
• self-cutting
• adolescent
• educational psychologist

Notes

1. The Macmillan Dictionary of Psychology (Sutherland, 1995, p. 468) defines “therapy” as “Any treatment for an illness or disorder undertaken with the intention of ameliorating or curing it”. The term is widely understood to transcend the medical context (MacKay & Greig, 2007), and it is associated with concepts of “happiness”, “quality of life” and “making happier” (Indoe, 1995, p. 4).

2. The Goth youth subculture began in the UK during the 1980s. It has a dark aesthetic, influenced by nineteenth century Gothic literature and later horror films. Goths are often distinguished by their distinctive clothing, make-up and tastes in music (Young et al., 2006).