Inviting New Stories: Narrative Ideas in Family-Centered Services

Home-based family therapy and family-centered services have become a new way of working with “difficult to engage” families. This article examines the “fit” between family-centered services and narrative approaches to therapy. It outlines the core values and basic assumptions of family-centered services, provides a basic overview of narrative therapy, and explores ways to adopt a narrative stance in home-based work with families. The article applies a narrative metaphor to family therapy sessions, concrete services to families, work with larger systems, and program design.