Narrative Therapy and Children with Hearing Impairments

Narrative approaches to psychology converge around the idea that therapy is essentially a special kind of conversation that elicits a client's strengths, competencies, and solutions. The psychologist is seen to assist in creating conversations that reveal the client's expertise and empower the client to change. The narrative approach is potentially valuable to psychologists working with children with good oral language who are deaf or hard of hearing. Just as important, while the psychologist and the client explore and explicate complex issues within the problem-solving process, the "balance of power" is changed and the child becomes better able to assume control of the problem. Two case studies are used to explore the narrative process of "externalization" with children with good oral language who are deaf or hard of hearing.