Narrative therapy or, what do you DO exactly?

The most common question my patients ask me when I first meet them is, "so what does a hospice social worker do?" A lot of people get nervous if I describe myself as a counselor or a therapist so I'm careful in how I describe my work to my patients. I tell people I'm a part of the hospice team, another set of eyes, support for them and for their families. The actual clinical work I do is more in depth than what I describe; it involves some education about disease process, a knowledge of family systems, narrative therapy, and even some mindfulness. Sounds pretty thorough, right? But I have a confession to make: until recently, I wasn't sure how to name the theoretical approach I use in my work.

It was when I started supervising my MSW student that I started considering naming the approach I've been using in my clinical work. My student was deep in her practice class and we often reviewed what theory she was studying and how it would be useful or not in her hospice practice. She mentioned narrative therapy and I thought, that sounds familiar... (Graduate school was a long time ago, after all). 

So I did some research (my go-to when I'm feeling insecure about my skills). Narrative therapy fits me as a clinician. It's about telling the story of your life. The therapist's role is to partner with the client, objectifying the problems they're experiencing and reframing them in a larger context. It's about autonomy and personal drive. It meets the client where they are, as we're told to do in school, while also helping to move them forward. 

It works beautifully with hospice patients, who are often examining the meaning in their lives, and I believe it also works beautifully in supervision. So much of this work is about self-reflection and self-awareness. Narrative therapy within the context of supervision encourages the social worker to tell the story of his or her work and identify the strengths and areas of improvement that shape that work. 

So tell me: do you have a theoretical approach to your work? 

Starting out!

I have been a practicing social worker for seven years. This year I was fortunate to supervise an MSW student during her field internship. Penn School of Social Policy and Practice (SP2) generously offered a training course for first-time supervisors that was enormously helpful to me in this new role. This experience--and my experience of offering informal supervision to my peers--has led me here. Supervising has opened a whole new chapter of learning for me that I am deeply humbled by and grateful for. I am so excited to begin this journey.

Supervision is a lifelong process and I continue to seek it myself, to grow my skills and work through the personal stuff that comes up in my practice. Because I continue to work in the field full-time, I have a unique understanding of the joys and challenges of healthcare social work. You can find my areas of expertise in the About section. 

Thank you for visiting my site and getting to know me! I hope to connect with you soon. For today, I leave you with this from the National Association of Social Workers: "Supportive supervision is underscored by a climate of safety and trust, where supervisees can develop their sense of professional identity." Wherever you are in your practice, I look forward to being a part of your development.