You are not the problem. Re-author the story you've been living
Narrative Therapy
The way you tell your story shapes the life you live. And often, without realising it, we’ve come to tell stories about ourselves — ‘I’m anxious’, ‘I’m the difficult one’, ‘I don’t belong here’ — that keep us stuck. Narrative Therapy is a gentle, respectful approach that helps you notice those stories, question them, and re-author your life on your own terms. It’s not about pretending difficulties don’t exist. It’s about recognising that you are more than the difficulty, and taking your life back.
What is Narrative Therapy?
Narrative Therapy was developed in the 1980s by Michael White and David Epston, working with families and young people. It’s built on a simple but powerful idea: the person is not the problem, the problem is the problem. By separating you from the difficulty — a practice called externalising — Narrative Therapy makes space for you to work with it rather than against yourself.
Sessions are conversational and curiosity-driven. Your therapist will ask questions that help you notice the stories you carry about yourself, where they came from, and whether they still fit. You may find that some stories have been given to you by family, culture, school, or difficult experiences — and that you have more choice than you realised about which stories you continue to live by.
What Narrative Therapy can help with
Narrative Therapy can be particularly helpful for:
- Identity work — including questions about who you are and who you want to become
- Cultural, religious, and family stories that feel constraining
- Long-standing negative self-perceptions ('I'm anxious', 'I'm too much')
- Adjustment following diagnosis — including neurodivergence, illness, or other identity-shifting events
- Feeling defined by a difficulty (anxiety, depression, a life event)
- Working with difficult family or relational history
- Adolescents finding their own voice separate from family expectations
- People from marginalised backgrounds working on internalised messages
- Feeling stuck in a story that no longer feels like yours
Narrative Therapy doesn’t ask you to change who you are. It helps you notice what belongs to you and what you’ve picked up along the way — and choose more consciously how you want to live.
Narrative Therapy for adults
Many adults come to Narrative Therapy at a turning point — a life transition, a diagnosis, a relationship ending, or simply a sense that they’ve been living someone else’s story. Sessions are unhurried and reflective. There’s no push to fix or perform. Your therapist will ask questions you might not have been asked before, and give you space to think out loud.
Narrative Therapy for children and young people
Narrative Therapy works beautifully with children and adolescents. It respects them as authors of their own lives — not as problems to be fixed. Externalising the difficulty (‘the worry’, ‘the anger’, ‘the not-enough feeling’) can be transformative for young people who have started to identify themselves as broken.
For children and adolescents navigating identity questions — including sexuality, gender, cultural identity, or neurodivergence — Narrative Therapy provides a genuinely respectful space. Parents and carers can be involved where useful, and always with the young person’s understanding.
What happens in a session
Your first appointment (90 minutes)
The first appointment is unhurried and conversational. Your therapist will ask about what's brought you to therapy, but also about you as a person — what matters to you, what you're proud of, what you'd like more of in your life. Narrative Therapy starts by seeing you as the expert on your own life.
Ongoing sessions (50 minutes)
Follow-up sessions are 50 minutes and typically fortnightly. Sessions are reflective conversations — your therapist will ask questions that help you look at your story from different angles, notice moments when the problem didn't get the last word, and imagine what a different chapter might look like. Between sessions, you might notice or record moments that surprise you, but there's no formal homework
How long does Narrative Therapy take?
Twelve to twenty sessions is typical, though this varies. Some clients use Narrative Therapy for a focused period around a specific life transition. Others use it as a longer space for reflection alongside a period of significant change. Your therapist will review with you regularly.
How we deliver Narrative Therapy
Narrative Therapy can be delivered virtually (via secure video) or in person at 10 Harley Street. Both work well for the conversational style of this approach.
Session Fees
Session type
VIrtual
In-Clinic
Initial appointment (90 minutes)
£230
£280
Ongoing session (50 minutes)
£150
£190
Fees are the same for adults and for children and young people. We accept self-pay clients and are recognised by all major UK health insurers including Vitality, BUPA, AXA, Aviva and Cigna.
Ready to talk to us?
Reaching out to a therapist you haven’t met yet takes courage. Our admin team is here to make the first conversation as easy as possible. Whether you’re ready to book or just want to explore whether Narrative Therapy would suit you, please get in touch.
Related therapie
Depending on what you’re working with, one of these approaches may also fit
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
If self-criticism or shame is central to your experience
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
For values-based work and mindfulness
Systemic Individual Psychotherapy
for individual therapy that looks at the wider relationships shaping your life
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
For a more structured, skills-based approach
Narrative Therapy FAQ
- Is Narrative Therapy right for me?Narrative Therapy is often chosen by people who want a therapy that's respectful, reflective, and doesn't reduce them to a diagnosis. It suits people at transitions, people working on identity, and people who've felt misheard in other therapies. If you're looking for something more structured and skills-based, CBT or ACT may be a better fit.
- How is Narrative Therapy different from other therapies?Most therapies focus on symptoms and how to reduce them. Narrative Therapy focuses on your relationship with those symptoms — treating the person as separate from the problem. It's less structured than CBT, more conversational than ACT, and doesn't have a fixed protocol. The therapist follows your lead.
- Is Narrative Therapy evidence-based?Narrative Therapy has a strong practice base built over decades and increasing research evidence, though the research base is smaller than for CBT or EMDR. It's widely used in NHS mental health services, particularly in CAMHS and family work. It's often chosen for its respectful, values-driven approach as much as its outcomes.
- Do you work with young people affected by identity questions?Yes. Narrative Therapy is particularly well-suited to supporting young people exploring identity — including sexuality, gender, cultural or religious identity, and neurodivergence. Our therapists work in a respectful and affirming way.
- Do I need a referral from my GP?No. You can book directly with us as a self-pay client, or through your health insurance if you have cover.