Constructivism And Narrative Therapy Theory Analysis

EDCO 541: Final Paper
Introduction
The theory that I chose to analyze for this paper is the constructivist approach with a dual use of both the Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) and Narrative Therapy. In my own personal philosophy, I am optimistic that every student is capable of discovering a solution that best fits in solving their problem and that everything we do in life is interconnected to helping us accomplish our ideal goals. I plan to work with first generation college students after completing the Educational Counseling program at USC and see the Constructivist approach to best accommodate the needs of first generation college student population. I see ever student as independent actors with their unique stories on life and treat every

Firstly, through narrative therapy the therapist tries to externalize the problem which is a technique that a therapist makes the problem become the opponent and makes it a separate entity, not a characteristic of the individual; counters the assumption that the client is the problem. Sharf (2015) mentions in chapter 12 how a therapist can then deconstruct a problem or story and then reconstruct or reauthor a preferred story (492). In the “Constructivist Assessment in Career Counseling” article, it stated that for many first generation college students it is difficult to seek out possible solutions for their problems when they have depicted themselves as a villain in their own story (Pamelia, Brott 2004, 194). After their problem is externalize, providing questions about the future allows for the client to view the change taking place and look into the future at potentially positive new stories. Through externalizing the problem technique mirrors the SFT technique of asking the student a “miracle question”, which asks the client to view their life without their problem (00). The question allows for the client to layout goals for change through a positive narrative that allows a student to lie out goals for

M. (2015) article “The psychosocial experiences of latina college graduates who received financial and cultural capital support: A constructivist grounded theory ”, many first year experience programs at community colleges allow for quick rapport building between student and counselor (24). Some examples the study provides are due to more mandatory counseling appointments that a student must complete in an academic semester, through workshops/career related courses, and in social events, such as an academic field trip (00). One of my personal philosophies is to provide a traditional form of counseling but be able to understand the student population I am servicing as a whole and individually in a social setting as to not become totally subjective when counseling a