Narrative therapy is a form of psychotherapy with an approach to helping people that was developed during (and has evolved since) the 1970's and 1980's, in good part by Australian Michael White and his friend and colleague, David Epston , of New Zealand. Their seminal book, "Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends" (1990, New York: W.W. Norton & Co.), provides an excellent introduction to the theoretical background as well as therapeutic practices of narrative therapy.

Although different narrative therapists work somewhat differently (for example, David Epston relies on letters to his clients, though this particular practice is not essential to narrative therapy), there are several common elements that might lead one to decide that a psychotherapist or social worker was working "narratively" with clients. These elements include:

• An understanding of textual practices and, in particular, narrative as constitutive of reality, as when a client's presenting concerns are described as the "dominant narrative" in the client's life;
• An appreciation for the power of texts, especially in therapy, as when a client is given "A Graduation from Depression Certificate";
• An "externalizing" emphasis, such as by naming problems as if they were alive and separate from the client, as in "What does Depression want your life to look like?";
• A "solution" focus, such as by seeking to identify "exceptions" to a client's story about a problem besetting them.