Overview of Frameworks
Those who join the clinical practice field face no shortage of theoretical perspectives to address the psychological and developmental needs of their constituents. Initially, therapists trained primarily in one theory (Jones-Smith, 2012; Nichols, 2017); however, since the mid-twentieth century, practitioners have increasingly relaxed their sole allegiances to embrace the additional insight and knowledge other psychological schools offer. Single frameworks have the inherent risk of having blind-spots or insufficiencies in meeting the unique needs of a client, as no single theory is comprehensive enough to the extent of accounting for all aspects of human psychological development. Integrative psychotherapy addresses this
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Narrative therapists recognize that problems are internalized social constructions and by extension people define their lives according to mainstream social narratives and values (Gurman, 2015, p.271; Lebow, 2008, p.182). People have their own unique filters by which they process messages from society. Constructivist and anti-oppressive models aim to reduce the effects of social hierarchies and structural inequities. One such approach includes “deconstructing” ill-fitting dominant narratives and “reconstructing” them in a manner that are not stifling and making room for new possibilities (Nichols, 2017). While narrative therapy reconstructs one’s understanding of their problem, solution-focused therapy is not concerned with pathology or the etiology of problems, because solutions are not necessarily found in the problem description rather exceptions and solutions (Nichols, 2017; Sharf, 2012). Both solution-focused and narrative therapy promote portray optimistic outlook unified in by their spirited belief in the possibility and opportunity for