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Narrative therapy
Professional narrative therapy counselling that helps reframe life stories, restore personal meaning, and support lasting, meaningful change.
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Is this you?
Do you ever feel like the problems in your life are starting to take over your story?
Would it help to talk to someone in a non-blaming way who sees you as the expert in your own life?
Do you want a therapy session that helps you find your voice, make sense of your experiences, and create new, more positive stories about your life?
yes?
Narrative therapy is a type of therapy developed in the 1980s by Michael White and David Epston, and it’s been used widely through the Dulwich Centre. What’s great about it is that it focuses on your life story instead of seeing you as the problem. It helps you step back from problem-saturated stories and notice the skills, strengths, and positive experiences that are already there in your life.
No waitlists. In-person in Barrie, Orillia, Newmarket, or online across Ontario.
Open now — a Matching Specialist can take your call
Phone line closed — leave a message and expect our call the next business day morning
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Help us find your match. We’ll contact you the next business day.
View profiles & book online
Sometimes life can feel heavy, and it seems like problem stories are taking over your life. Narrative therapy is a form of therapy that helps clients see problems as separate from themselves and explore alternative stories about their lives. It’s about making meaning of what’s happened, noticing your skills, capacity, and knowledge, and taking small steps to lessen the influence of problems so you can feel more in control. Most clients find it helpful, whether it’s for individual support, family challenges, or community work.
In a narrative therapy session, the therapist and client work together using techniques from narrative practice, like externalization, re-authoring, or the unique outcomes technique. This therapeutic approach centres people as the experts of their own lives, helping clients find their voice, retell the stories of their lives, and notice events that really matter. Narrative therapy helps you see problems differently, strengthen your social and emotional skills, and move forward in ways that feel meaningful for your present and future.

A story like yours
Emma had been feeling stuck for months. Work was stressful, her relationships were tense, and it felt like problem stories were taking over her life. She wanted to feel more in control and figure out a way forward, so she decided to use narrative therapy to help rewrite her life story.
Starting narrative therapy felt like a relief. The sessions focus on seeing problems as separate from people and exploring alternative stories that highlight strengths, skills, and values. Through narrative practice, Emma noticed unique outcomes in her life, recognized events that are privileged, and used her voice to re-author dominant stories that had been holding her back.
Even after just a few sessions, she began to see changes. Narrative therapy allows people to reduce the influence of problems, build social and emotional skills, and feel more confident about the present and future. Techniques and exercises used in narrative therapy help clients come to be known as the experts in their own lives, and the effectiveness of narrative therapy is well supported by research and professional experience.
Now, Emma feels more hopeful and empowered. Narrative therapy helped her re-author her life story, notice what really matters, and make meaningful change, showing how this approach works to help people take control of their lives and relationships.
Our team

Founder & Clinical Director
Registered Social Worker, Founder and Clinical Director
Founder of Family TLC, Sue Cook has pioneered “The Family TLC Method”, training all our therapists in this unique approach. Her dedication to exceptional client care sets a new standard in the counselling industry.
Your roadmap
1
Knowing what to expect
Your therapist makes sure you are fully informed about counselling, understand what to expect from Family TLC and the Family TLC Method, and have the information you need before moving forward.
2
Understanding what is happening
Together you explore what brought you to counselling and what you want to be different. Your therapist notices patterns and connections and works with you to develop a Care Plan with your concerns, goals and the approaches that may help.
3
Working directly on the goals
You and your therapist put your Care Plan into action. Your therapist uses therapeutic modalities, strategies and interventions based on your needs and what emerges in the work, reviewing what is helping and adjusting when needed.
4
Maintaining and building on your progress
Once your goals are achieved, appointments become less frequent. You use what you have learned independently while you and your therapist check how progress is holding up, reinforce what is working and decide if new goals have emerged.
5
Staying connected after active counselling ends
When you and your therapist agree that regular appointments are no longer needed, active counselling comes to an end. You remain connected with Family TLC and can reconnect with counselling in the future if support is needed again.
FAQ
A narrative therapist can really help you step back and look at your life story in a different way. Instead of just focusing on problems, sessions hold space to notice events that are privileged and think about the ways challenges have affected people’s lives.
Ideas and practices used: Therapists use narrative ideas and guided reflection, and narrative exposure therapy to help you discover patterns and imagine changes that feel easy and doable.
Your role in the session: You come to therapy ready to share your experiences, reflect on what matters to you, and explore new ways to understand your story.
Evidence it works: Theory and practice in counselling and community work show that narrative therapy seeks to assist clients to change how problems impact their lives.
Narrative therapy helps you see that problems aren’t who you are and encourages you to explore alternative stories that highlight your strengths and skills. It can uncover parts of people’s lives that often get overlooked.
Ideas and practices used: Therapists may use narrative exposure therapy, reflection exercises, and conversations about unique outcomes to help clients shift the effects of problem-saturated stories.
Your role in the session: You reflect on experiences, recognize your strengths, and use your voice to shape your story in a way that feels right for you.
Evidence it works: Counselling and community work, along with randomized clinical trials, show that narrative therapy helps people feel more confident and capable in directing the stories of their lives.
A narrative therapy session feels collaborative and safe. It gives space to explore people’s lives, notice patterns, and look at problems separately from the person, using a non-blaming approach.
Ideas and practices used: Therapists use narrative ideas, reflective exercises, and discussions about alternative stories to help clients see new possibilities.
Your role in the session: You share experiences, notice moments of strength, and practice using your voice to understand your life in ways that feel empowering.
Evidence it works: Theory and practice in counselling and community work show that narrative therapy seeks to assist clients to change the way problems affect their lives.
Narrative therapy to help clients focuses on separating the person from the problem. It encourages noticing strengths, skills, and small successes in people’s lives rather than just analyzing what’s wrong.
Ideas and practices used: Therapists guide conversations, use narrative ideas, and narrative exposure therapy to help you minimize the influence of problem-saturated stories.
Your role in the session: You explore experiences, notice positive events, and use your voice to reframe challenges in your life story.
Evidence it works: Theory and practice in counselling and community work, supported by clinical experience, show that narrative therapy helps clients feel more capable and in control.
Narrative therapy may help anyone experiencing trauma, stress, or problem-saturated stories in their life. It’s offered in therapy centres, counselling and community work, narrative family therapy, and community work, which centres people as experts in their own lives.
Ideas and practices used: Sessions use narrative ideas, reflective exercises, and discussion of alternative stories to assist clients in changing how they relate to problems in their lives.
Your role in the session: You come to therapy ready to explore experiences, reflect on events that are privileged, and use your voice to guide meaningful change.
Evidence it works: Theory and practice, along with randomized clinical trials and clinical experience, show that narrative therapy seeks to make a real difference in people’s lives, helping them feel more hopeful and in control.
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Next step
You don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out. We’ll help you determine the next step that feels right for you.
Take the next step in whichever way suits you best.
Open now — a Matching Specialist can take your call
Phone line closed — leave a message and expect our call the next business day morning
Help us find your match. Our Matching Specialist will be in touch.
Help us find your match. We’ll contact you the next business day.
View profiles & book online
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