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Narrative Therapy: The Miracle Question Techniques

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Dialogue
Therapist: Mr. and Mrs. Olivares, I am going to ask you a question you may think is strange in nature. Is that okay with you?
Mr. and Mrs. Olivares: (in unison) Yes.
Therapist: Suppose that tonight, while you are both asleep a miracle occurs and the problems you have shared with me today are now solved. What would you notice that is different, that lets you know a miracle has happened? (The Miracle Question Technique)
Mr. Olivares: We would wake up and I would have a job to go to in the morning that pays well. The job allows for me to provide for my family and I no longer have to work long hours to make ends meet. I only have to work the typical forty-hour work week so that I have more time to spend with my wife and children.
Therapist: …show more content…
It is a non-blaming or non-labeling form of therapy that helps the client to change the effects of the problem on their lives. It’s a concept that essentially removes the client from the problem. According to Freedman and Combs (1996), “the person is not the problem, but the problem is the problem” (p.47). The technique of deconstructive listening could benefit the Olivares family as it would allow the family to hear each other’s stories and possible meaning for their actions. In the scenario, Mr. Olivares worries about being laid off again and not being able to provide for his family. He works long hours and wants to relax and enjoy a beer on weekends when he has free time. Additionally, the family has experienced difficulties since coming to the States. Through deconstructive listening, the vagueness of the Olivares’s family circumstances could be filled in. “People must search their experience to find details that fill the gaps, and as details are added the shape of the narrative changes” (Freedman & Combs, 1996, p.47). For the Olivares family and any family in therapy, narrative family may be preferred over a solution- focused approach as it is a non-blaming or non-labeling form of therapy. By blaming the problem rather than a family member for their actions, the family can move forward with addressing the presenting problem instead of experiencing hurtful feelings from family

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