Narrative Therapy in Saskatoon
Rewrite your story and discover new possibilities.
Narrative Therapy is one of the approaches we offer to help individuals, couples, and families reconnect with their values, clarify what matters, and take ownership of the direction their lives are heading.
What Is Narrative Therapy?
Narrative Therapy is a collaborative, empowering approach that helps you explore the stories you hold about yourself, your life, and your challenges. These stories shape how you see the world, relate to others, and understand your identity. Sometimes, those stories become limiting or painful. Narrative Therapy invites you to step back, re-examine those narratives, and imagine new ways of seeing yourself and your experiences.
Narrative Therapy asks:
What stories have you inherited or internalised?
Whose voice is influencing how you see yourself?
What strengths and values have been overshadowed?
Through guided reflection, conversation, and storytelling, Narrative Therapy helps you examine the dominant narratives in your life—and create space for alternative ones that are more aligned with your values, hopes, and preferred identity.
It’s not about denying difficulty or rewriting history. It’s about reclaiming authorship of your own story in a way that fosters agency, meaning, and resilience.
Who Can Narrative Therapy Help?
Narrative Therapy is flexible and inclusive, making it a powerful approach for people of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. It’s especially helpful for those who feel stuck in self-critical patterns or overwhelmed by external labels and expectations.
Narrative Therapy can support people experiencing:
Grief, loss, or life transitions
Identity and self-esteem issues
Chronic illness or pain
It’s also a great fit for anyone looking to explore who they are, reframe a difficult experience, or live more in line with their values and purpose.
Narrative Therapy works well with individuals, couples, and families—and can be especially effective for adolescents and young adults seeking to understand themselves in a complex world
How Does Narrative Therapy Work?
Narrative Therapy is less about diagnosis or symptom tracking, and more about dialogue and discovery. It’s conversational, reflective, and often creative, inviting you to explore the layers of meaning behind the experiences you’ve had—and the stories you carry.
Here’s what you can expect:
1. Separating the Person from the Problem
One of the foundational principles of Narrative Therapy is externalisation. Instead of seeing the problem as part of who you are, we view it as something outside of you—something you can examine, challenge, and respond to differently.
For example:
“Anxiety is taking up space in my life,” rather than “I am anxious.”
“The grief shows up most when I’m alone,” instead of “I can’t handle grief.”
This simple shift creates distance, allowing you to see the problem more clearly—and begin to regain your sense of agency.
2. Exploring Dominant and Alternative Stories
We all have “dominant” stories—narratives shaped by our upbringing, society, culture, or painful events. Sometimes these stories become narrow, one-sided, or disempowering.
Narrative Therapy helps uncover alternative stories—moments of resilience, courage, kindness, or clarity that may have been overlooked. These become building blocks for new understandings of who you are and what you’re capable of.
3. Naming Values, Strengths, and Intentions
Narrative Therapy focuses on your strengths and values—not as vague affirmations, but as deeply personal truths. What do you stand for? What matters most to you? When have you acted in line with those values, even in difficult times?
Reclaiming these parts of your identity helps you feel more grounded and aligned with the life you want to live.
4. Re-authoring and Meaning-making
This is where the heart of Narrative Therapy lies: in re-authoring your story. Together, you and your therapist explore new ways of making sense of your experiences—ways that are compassionate, coherent, and empowering.
This might include written reflections, metaphors, journaling, or even letter-writing to yourself or others. There’s room for creativity here—because your story is yours to tell, shape, and own.
Why Choose Narrative Therapy with Us?
Our therapists who use Narrative Therapy understand that your story is personal and sacred—and we’ll never impose a framework or interpretation on your experience. Instead, we walk alongside you as co-authors, collaborators, and compassionate listeners.
With us, you’ll find:
A respectful, culturally sensitive, and inclusive space
A non-judgemental approach that sees you as more than a diagnosis or label
Deep exploration of your values, strengths, and identity
Creative, collaborative tools for self-expression and reflection
A focus on empowerment, healing, and meaning-making
We believe that the stories you tell—and live—matter deeply. Let’s uncover the ones that help you thrive.
If you’re feeling stuck, silenced, or weighed down by a story that no longer serves you, Narrative Therapy offers a way forward. It’s an invitation to rediscover your voice, your values, and your sense of possibility.
These are our team members who offer Narrative Therapy:
Ready to Reclaim Your Story?
Connect with us for a free consultation or look at the other counselling services we offer in Saskatoon and online.
