Lecture Notes: Narrative Therapy and the Tree of Life Project

Introduction to Dr. Danielle Crane

• Clinical psychologist
• Uploaded a popular video on narrative therapy and the Tree of Life project seven years ago.
• Received widespread feedback and inquiries globally.
• Plans to re-record and expand on the video content.

Overview of Narrative Therapy

• Narrative Therapy Concept:
  • Everyone has personal narratives that shape their experiences and beliefs.
  • Dominant narratives influence self-perception and response to situations.
• Therapeutic Stance:
  • Non-judgmental and curious approach.
  • Exploration of alternative narratives (e.g., Survivor vs. Victim narrative).
  • Clients are experts of their own life experiences.
  • Emphasis on strengths, skills, and externalizing the problem (e.g., "I have anorexia" vs. "I am anorexic").
• Systemic Perspective:
  • Individuals are part of broader systems (e.g., family, culture).

The Tree of Life Project

• Concept:
  • Visual metaphor using a tree to represent different life aspects.
• Components of the Tree:
  • Roots: Past experiences and life events.
  • Ground: Present life, including mental health symptoms, hobbies, and day-to-day interactions.
  • Trunk: Coping skills (helpful and unhelpful) and personal strengths.
  • Branches: Hopes and goals for the future.
  • Leaves: Important people in the person's life.
  • Flowers/Fruits: Gifts and qualities received.
  • Storms: Potential future difficulties and crisis management.

Delivering the Tree of Life Project

• Used in individual and group settings with various populations (e.g., children, eating disorder groups).
• Integration with other therapeutic techniques (e.g., CBT, motivational interviewing).
• Extensive resources available for structure and support.

Practical Steps and Activities

• Roots: Create a timeline of significant life events.

  • timeline of significant life events, both positive and negative.

  • The goal is to explore how these narratives have changed over time and impacted the client's approach to different situations.

• Ground: Explore current experiences

  • focuses on the client's current day-to-day life. The therapist will explore both the symptoms of the client's mental health difficulties and also their hobbies, interests, and relationships.
  • For example, if a client is anxious and avoids certain situations as a result, this step could help them understand how that avoidance provides temporary relief but worsens anxiety long-term.

• Trunk: Identify and develop coping mechanisms.

  • For the lower half (coping skills), the therapist begins by asking the client about the skills they currently use, both helpful and unhelpful. This could include things like listening to music to relax or engaging in self-harm as a way to cope. The therapist can then offer suggestions for additional or alternative coping skills, and teach the client how to use them effectively. Worksheets with various coping strategies are often provided as resources.

  • The upper half of the trunk focuses on abilities and strengths. The therapist will typically start by writing the client's name in the middle and then list their positive qualities around it. Since some people find it difficult to identify their strengths, the therapist might offer support by having the client collect compliment slips beforehand (asking friends and family to write three positive things about them). Reading these slips together in the session helps clients reflect on alternative narratives about themselves and consider different perspectives.

• Branches: Discuss future aspirations and motivational interviewing to navigate goals.

  • These might be things related to therapy (like wanting to manage mental health differently), or completely unrelated (such as pursuing a specific career or achieving other life goals). Each goal is written on a branch. This stage often incorporates elements of motivational interviewing, helping the client consider their current situation compared to their desired future, the steps needed to reach their goals, potential barriers, and how to overcome them. The therapist might use a scale (e.g., 1-10) to gauge the client's progress and identify small, achievable steps forward.

• Leaves: Address the influence of supportive figures and relationships.

  • Family sculpt exercise to explore relationship dynamics.
  • The "leaves" of the Tree of Life represent the important people in the client's support network. This can include friends, family, teachers, therapists, pets, people who have passed away, inspirational figures, or anyone who has had an influence on the client's life. When discussing each person, the therapist explores the nature of the relationship, the narratives surrounding those relationships, and the impact these individuals have had. Sometimes, the therapist might encourage the client to write a letter to someone important in their life; this can be therapeutic even if the letter isn't sent. Another exercise sometimes used is a "family sculpt," where the client uses objects to represent themselves and each important person, arranging them on a table to visually depict the closeness and dynamics of their relationships. This can also include an object representing the mental health difficulty itself and how it impacts relationships.

• Flowers: Recognize and celebrate personal gifts and strengths.

  • the "flowers" (or fruits/nuts, depending on client preference) on the Tree of Life represent gifts that the person has been given, both material and qualities. This could include things like their dad's sense of humor, a special necklace from their mom, or great hugs from a friend—anything considered a positive contribution to their life.

• Storms: Develop a crisis plan for potential challenges.

  • The "storms" section of the Tree of Life Project focuses on potential future difficulties or challenges the client might face. This is an opportunity to proactively develop a crisis plan. The therapist and client brainstorm potential challenges (e.g., relationship breakup, deterioration in mental health), and discuss strategies to manage these situations. This might involve reviewing and reinforcing coping skills, identifying important people to contact for support, and creating coping statements. Worksheets are often used to help structure this crisis plan. The goal is to empower the client with a proactive approach to managing future difficulties.

Conclusion

• Encouragement to use shared activities to ease therapeutic conversations.
• Group settings create a sense of community and support.
• Resources and further reading are provided for deeper engagement.
• Open invitation for questions and further discussions.
• Upcoming plans for a blog post and additional resources.