Narrative therapy is a more recent approach that provides a unique therapeutic context for clients to tell their life story and reflect on their experiences. In Christian therapy, one’s story can be recontextualized in relationship with Christ and his involvement with us. Ganzevoort (cited in Klaasen, 2020) claims that a story not only conveys information but lends itself to analysis and interpretation. Life stories are almost universally woven together with identity, social, and cultural contexts, personal agency, moral dynamics, and religious traditions. In this workshop, psychologists, licensed mental health professionals, and ministry leaders will learn about Christ-centered narrative therapy, how trauma narratives are analyzed and interpreted through the lens of Christ and his story. Important therapeutically relevant questions arise through proper assessment, especially assessing for trauma. Participants will learn vital faith-based techniques to help recontextualize trauma memories utilizing the story of Jesus. Furthermore, spiritual practices such as prayer will also be examined for their use in mental health functioning. In this workshop different types of prayer will be discussed that can be utilized to build alternative narratives and shape imagination.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will be able to:

• Describe the ways that narrative contributes to human wellbeing can be reflected in various assessments, such as the Adult Attachment Interview
• Identify the unique features of narrative therapy
• Contrast Christ-centered therapy from other religious or spiritual forms of therapy
• Define and explain trauma and traumatic life experiences
• Identify the embodied, psychological processes involved in the resolution of traumatic memories
• Apply therapeutic techniques that can recontextualize traumatic episodes from one’s story in the light of the sacrifice of Christ
• Classify and apply different types of prayer suitable for trauma therapy
• Identify the ways that trauma can undermine and destabilize a client’s faith
• Utilize different Christian spiritual practices (e.g., prayer, Bible reading, and meditation) as part of treatment for trauma
• Recognize when a history of spiritual abuse would make explicit reference to Christianity contra-indicated.