ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors begins by outlining some of the key ideas and practices of narrative therapy and then consider what opportunities narrative therapy may offer in therapeutic work with adults with intellectual disabilities. They provide a brief overview of the key theoretical ideas and practices in narrative therapy. Narrative therapy was initially developed by Michael White and David Epston and has evolved from a synthesis of diverse influences. The ideas of various social sciences theorists and poststructuralist philosophers, in particular Foucault, have been instrumental in the development of narrative theory. Narrative therapy's challenge of dominant discourses and taken-for-granted realities makes it an appealing approach for therapeutic work with people who collectively have been marginalized and stigmatized like few others. The authors conclude by addressing some questions that the reader might have about using this approach and offer some personal reflections on the effects of incorporating narrative therapy into our own work.
