Stories Of Empowerment Summary

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Overview: The article “Stories of Empowerment” by Lindsey Phillips from the Counseling Today magazine explains how powerful storytelling can be used as therapy. In the article they talk about a Nigerian woman Chimamanda Adichie who spoke about the dangers of the “single story” in her TED talk. She explained how we are vulnerable to confining places and people to a single story and nothing beyond that. For example, Americans hear many stories about how Mexicans hop the border and are all part of huge drug cartels, but we overlook is their beautiful cultures and hard working people. She empathises to avoid stereotyping people and places based on a single story because we are all made up of many stories. Above all storytelling can be inspiring …show more content…
Stoltz advises counselors who may struggle with the new construct because they don’t see instant feedback that “You’re not looking for movement. You’re looking for insight or awareness, the aha moment.” When practicing narrative therapy counselors must have excellent listening skills and refrain from judgment in any given situation. The counselor's job is to let the client know that no matter what their background, culture, or past choices are, they are valid. Letting the client know what their strengths and good qualities are also had an impressive positive impact on people. “People start creating negative self-stories, and they start to believe the negative images, and then forget about the strengths that they have,” states professor Don Redmond from Mercer University. One of the most important parts is to make sure that the counselor doesn’t create their own interpretation of a client's story. The counselor is only there to assist the client in writing the next chapter in their lives. “The person holding the pen is the one who controls the story”.