Contemporary Narrative Therapy: Maps and Methods for Collaborative Clinical Practice

Drawing on contemporary thinking, practices, and real-world applications, this essential guide offers practical guidance and new frameworks of narrative therapy to help clinicians navigate cultural issues and common challenges.

Illustrating the nuanced and advanced aspects of narrative therapy combined with contemporary systemic, relational, and cultural thinking, this book equips narrative therapy clinicians with the resources they need to foster agency, empowerment, and decentered change in their clients’ lives, while re-enlivening narration. Grounded by Lev Vygotsky’s concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) as a foundational and theoretical teaching tool, Dr Lindsey Hampson and Dr Chris Hoff provide structured maps and clear frameworks to progressively lead practitioners to develop their own creative and innovative approaches. The inclusion of scaffolded learning experiences and practical case examples demonstrates how practitioners can navigate this zone, ensuring a deeper understanding and application of contemporary narrative therapy principles in addressing current social and relational challenges. This book offers narrative techniques that address current issues such as social injustice, identity, the possibilities and impact of medicalization, trauma, neoliberalism, working with and within systems, and the impact of an accelerating culture on our lives. Complete with transcripts and photocopiable appendices, this book includes resources to support easy implementation and accessible pedagogy in therapy practice, teaching, and supervision.

This book is intended for mental health practitioners and counsellors of all levels such as marriage and family therapists, psychologists, systemic family practitioners, and clinical social workers.

Lindsey Hampson, D. Clin. Psy., is a clinical psychologist, systemic family practitioner (intermediate), and accredited UKASFP solution-focused practitioner. She has over 27 years’ experience of working as a psychologist both in the National Health Service and the private sector. Lindsey is a visiting lecturer at the Lancaster University Doctorate in Clinical Psychology training course where she lectures on narrative therapy.

Chris Hoff, PhD, LMFT, is a narrative therapist, educator, and founder of the California Family Institute in Orange County, CA. He is host of The Radical Therapist podcast and teaches widely on post-structural, relational, and creative practices in therapy. His current work explores chronotopes and futuring as new resources for navigating liminal spaces and composing lives otherwise.