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Narrative therapy is not well-studied, and it may not be as effective in treating mental health conditions when compared with evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy. Some small studies do show that depressed and anxious individuals who were treated with narrative therapy reported improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms.

Narrative therapy is less structured when compared with psychoanalysis, for example. Narrative therapy is more open-ended and may not be limited to a set number of sessions. It is common for clients to be in therapy for a few months, and sometimes a year or longer. Patients see their therapist one to two times a week, though the exact schedule and timeline may vary depending on a person’s challenges and progress. Individuals can also practice the principles of narrative therapy after treatment has ended.

Narrative therapy can help a person manage or reduce symptoms of conditions like depression or anxiety. This type of therapy encourages a person to reflect on the moments of their life when their particular problem was not at the forefront of their minds — perhaps life celebrations, achievements, and other successes. The individual is encouraged to rewrite their storyline as if their particular problem was not part of their life. This therapy may offer benefits that are hard to measure.

Narrative therapy is person-centered or client-centered, and the health professional pays more attention to the subjective narratives that are constructed by the client, as opposed to other objective measures. The therapist privileges the individual’s perspective over all others. This open form may feel frustrating for individuals seeking a more structured approach; certainly, no one therapy type will work for every individual.