Cinema narrative therapy: utilizing family films to externalize children's 'problems'

摘要

Parents frequently bring children to therapy with the notion that their child has a problem'. Children can begin to internalize these labels and negative attributes created by others. This article introduces a method for marriage and family therapists to integrate cinematherapy and narrative techniques. The method provided is to be utilized after a family has viewed a film chosen conjointly by the family and the therapist. This article includes suggestions as to how the family can externalize the movie character's problem, instances when the character defeats the problem and the qualities the character demonstrates while overcoming the problem. A case example has been included demonstrating the effectiveness of the method and clinical implications for future application.