You Are Not The Problem.
The Problem Is The Problem.
Narrative Therapy separates you from your story — and lets you rewrite it. Created by Michael White and David Epston, this compassionate, post-modern model helps you externalize what's hurting you, discover hidden strengths, and re-author a life story that feels more true, more free, and more yours.
Your Story Doesn't Define You. You Get To Write It.
Narrative Therapy starts with a radical idea: people are not their problems. The problem is the problem. Depression, anxiety, trauma — these are things that happen to you, not things that are you. Narrative work helps you step outside the "problem story" that has been dominating your life and look at it objectively.
Nigel practices narrative therapy with warmth, curiosity, and deep respect for your expertise in your own life. Together, you'll "map" the influence of the problem, find "sparkling moments" (times the problem didn't win), re-member forgotten strengths, and then re-write the story of your life — one that includes your power, your values, and the future you want.
Sometimes the only thing that needs to change is the story you've been telling yourself about who you are. Narrative therapy gives you a new pen, a fresh page, and someone who believes every word you write.
— Nigel EdokpoloExternalize. Deconstruct. Re-Author.
Narrative therapy isn't a formula — it's a way of listening. But three foundational practices show up in almost every narrative conversation.
Externalizing Conversations
The most famous narrative practice. Name the problem, personify it, map its tactics, and separate your identity from it completely.
Unique Outcomes & Sparkling Moments
Search for moments when the problem didn't win — no matter how small. These are the cracks where a new story can begin to grow.
Re-Authoring & Re-Membering
Build an alternative story from the evidence of your strengths and values. Re-member people and values who have always been on your team.
Anybody Carrying A Story That Feels Too Heavy.
Trauma & Complex Wounding
When you've absorbed other people's narratives about who you "are."
Life Transitions & Reinvention
When the old you isn't working anymore and the new you hasn't fully arrived.
Identity & Intergenerational Work
When you want to understand what's yours, what's inherited, and what to pass on.
4 Things Narrative Therapy Gives You That Regular Talk Therapy Often Doesn't.
True Expert Of Your Own Life
Nigel never "diagnoses" you. He doesn't know your story better than you. He's a curious, respectful collaborator with narrative tools.
Internalized Power Back
Externalization naturally reduces shame. The problem is outside you — and when you can see it, you can fight it — without fighting yourself.
Concrete, Creative Exercises
Tree of Life. Outsider Witness Letters. Absent but implicit. These are exercises you can revisit — not just conversations you forget.
Gains That Multiply
Once you re-author one story, you naturally start re-authoring others. The new story becomes a foundation, not a band-aid.
Inside A 50-Minute Narrative Session
Deconstruct The Story
What has the problem been saying about you? How has it been limiting your life? Name it specifically.
Find Unique Outcomes
When didn't the problem win? We'll dig for even 30-second exceptions — they're the seeds of the new story.
Thicken The Plot
What values do those exceptions show? What history? What skills? What people in your life have always known this about you?
Write The Next Chapter
One concrete, narrative action this week. A letter to the problem. A conversation. A ritual. One step in the new direction.
Narrative Therapy FAQ
Is Narrative Therapy just "positive thinking" in different clothes?
+Not even close. Narrative therapy doesn't ask you to "think positive" or ignore what's real. It asks you to think fuller. If your life has 10,000 moments and your problem story only uses the 200 worst ones, narrative therapy invites you to include the other 9,800 in the story. It's about completeness, not positivity.
Does Narrative Therapy work with trauma?
+Yes — beautifully. Trauma gets trapped in the body, but it also traps the story: "I am broken." Externalization ("Trauma did this to me") is one of the most powerful shame-reducers in the therapy world. Combined with re-membering and thickening alternative stories, it's a gentle but extremely potent model for trauma recovery without re-traumatizing exposure work.
How is this different from CBT or psychodynamic therapy?
+CBT asks: "What are you thinking, and is it accurate?" Psychodynamic asks: "What does this feeling mean, and where did it come from?" Narrative asks: "What story have you been living inside, and would you like to write a different one?" It's not opposed to other models — Nigel frequently combines narrative practices with CBT skills, DBT skills, and EFT attachment work. Narrative is a lens, not a box.
You Deserve A Life Story That Feels True, Not Trapped.
Your free 20-minute narrative therapy consultation is a chance to meet Nigel, tell him a little of the story you've been carrying, and hear exactly how re-authoring conversations would work for your specific situation. No pressure, no diagnosis, just respectful listening.