Background: Narrative Therapy is an efficacious treatment approach widely practiced for various psychological conditions. However, few studies have examined its effectiveness on resilience, a robust determinant of one\'s mental health, and there has been no randomized controlled trial in sub-Saharan Africa.Objective: This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of narrative therapy for the resilience of orphaned and abandoned children in Rwanda.Method: This study was a \'parallel randomized controlled trial\' in which participants (n = 72) were recruited from SOS Children\'s Village. Half of the participants (n = 36) were randomly allocated to the intervention group and the rest to the delayed narrative therapy group. For the intervention group, children attended ten sessions (55 min each) over 2.5 months. Data were collected using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM) and analyzed using mixed ANOVA within SPSS version 28.Result: The results from ANOVA indicated a significant main effect of time and group for resilience total scores. Of interest, there was a significant time by group interaction effect for resilience. Pairwise comparison analyses within-group showed a significant increase in resilience in the intervention group, and the effect size was relatively large in this group.Conclusion: Our findings highlight the notable efficacy of narrative therapy for children\'s resilience in the intervention group. Therefore, health professionals and organizations working with orphaned and abandoned children will apply narrative therapy to strengthen their resilience and improve mental health.Trial registration: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry identifier: PACTR202107499406828..
The effect size of narrative therapy for resilience was relatively large in the intervention group.Narrative therapy is an efficacious approach for resilience elevation in orphaned and abandoned children.Close attention should be paid to the implementation of narrative therapy for strengthening children’s resilience as an everyday tool in foster care.

We present The Couple\'s Tree of Life (CTOL) as a new collective narrative methodology to strengthen couple relationships and prevent conflicts. The CTOL, based on the tree of life methodology (Ncube & Denborough, Tree of Life, mainstreaming psychosocial care and support: a manual for facilitators, REPSSI, 2007), aims to reinforce the identity and strengths of the couple. We explain the CTOL implementation process and illustrate it step by step with a group of 14 adult heterosexual Caucasian couples who belonged to Protestant churches in Madrid (Spain). As a way to assess its usefulness before applying the CTOL to other groups of couples, we conducted a pre-post evaluation using the Dyadic Adjustment Scale of Spanier(1976). We found an improvement in dyadic adjustment, quality, understanding of, and satisfaction with, the relationship. The results, though not generalizable at this stage, suggest that the CTOL could reinforce the couple\'s identity while maintaining individual identities. We also discuss the possible applications of couples therapy.
Presentamos El árbol de la vida de la pareja (CTOL, por sus siglas en inglés) como una nueva metodología narrativa colectiva, con el fin de fortalecer las relaciones de pareja y para la prevención de conflictos. El CTOL, basado en la metodología del árbol de la vida (Ncube & Denborough, Tree of Life, mainstreaming psychosocial care and support: a manual for facilitators, REPSSI, 2007), tiene como finalidad reforzar la identidad y las fortalezas de la pareja. Explicamos el proceso de implementación del CTOL y lo ejemplificamos paso a paso con un grupo de 14 parejas heterosexuales caucásicas adultas que pertenecían a iglesias protestantes en Madrid (España). Como forma de evaluar su utilidad antes de aplicar el CTOL a otros grupos de parejas, realizamos una evaluación previa y posterior utilizando la Escala de Ajuste Diádico de Spanier (1976). Hallamos una mejora en el ajuste diádico, en la calidad, en la comprensión de la relación y en la satisfacción con esta. Los resultados, aunque no son generalizables en esta etapa, sugieren que el árbol de la vida de la pareja podría reforzar la identidad de la pareja y a la vez mantener las identidades individuales. También explicamos las posibles aplicaciones a la terapia de pareja.
我们提出 \"伴侣生命之树\"(CTOL) , 作为一种新的集体叙事方法, 这种方法可以加强伴侣关系和预防冲突。CTOL以生命之树方法(Ncube & Denborough, 2007)为基础, 旨在加强个人的身份和力量, 也可以在加强伴侣的身份和力量。我们解释了CTOL的实施过程, 并通过一组14对成年异性恋白种人伴侣来逐步说明它, 这些伴侣都从属于马德里 (西班牙) 新教教会。作为评估其有用性的一种方式, 在将CTOL应用于其他伴侣群体之前, 我们使用了Dyadic Adjustment Scale(Spanier, 1985)进行了一个前-后评估。研究发现, 伴侣关系的调整、质量、对关系的理解和满意度都有改善。这些结果虽然在现阶段还不能推广, 但研究已经表明 \"伴侣生命之树 \"可以实现加强伴侣身份, 同时保持个人身份。文中还讨论了在伴侣治疗中的可能应用。.

This paper discusses the inclusion of ideas from mindfulness, embodiment, and associated brain research in poststructural family therapies. Connecting research and practice across diverse fields is presented as enriching therapeutic work, increasing clinical effectiveness, and broadening options for families seeking our assistance. Ways of incorporating mindfulness and embodiment are described and offer distinctively novel practices not typically used in traditional forms of poststructural therapies. These innovative practices are illustrated by clinical work with a mother and her five-year- daughter who survived a dangerous health crisis and an extremely painful hospitalization. Therapeutic work with this family exemplifies how traumatic experiences are not always accessible through linguistic means alone. Working with interpersonal mind-body practices can uniquely contribute to relaxing the sympathetic nervous system and activating the social engagement branch of the parasympathetic nervous system. The inclusion of such practices can provide valuable opportunities to facilitate the emergence of preferred experiences of self for all family members.
Este artículo trata de la inclusión de las ideas de conciencia plena y personificación, y de la investigación neurológica asociada en las terapias familiares posestructurales. La conexión de la investigación y la práctica entre áreas diversas se presenta como un trabajo terapéutico enriquecedor que aumenta la eficacia clínica y amplía las opciones para las familias que buscan nuestra asistencia. Se describen las maneras de incorporar la conciencia plena y la personificación y se ofrecen prácticas distintivamente innovadoras que normalmente no se usan en las formas tradicionales de las terapias posestructurales. Estas prácticas innovadoras se ilustran mediante el trabajo clínico con una madre y su hija de cinco años que sobrevivieron a una emergencia de salud peligrosa y a una hospitalización sumamente dolorosa. El trabajo terapéutico con esta familia ejemplifica cómo no siempre es posible acceder a las experiencias traumáticas por medios lingüísticos solamente. El trabajo con prácticas interpersonales centradas en el cuerpo y la mente puede contribuir de manera única a relajar el sistema nervioso simpático y a activar la rama de la participación social del sistema nervioso parasimpático. La inclusión de dichas prácticas puede brindar oportunidades valiosas de facilitar el surgimiento de experiencias preferidas del yo para todos los miembros de la familia.
本文讨论了如何综合后结构家庭疗法中来自正念、具体化和相关大脑研究的观点。将不同领域的研究和实践联系起来，可以丰富治疗工作，提高临床效果，并为寻求我们帮助的家庭提供更多选择。本文描述了如何结合正念和具身化的方法到具体操作中去，并提供了在后结构疗法的传统形式中不太典型使用的独特新实践。一位母亲和她五岁的女儿经历了一场危险的健康危机和极其痛苦的住院治疗，针对她们的临床工作证明了这些创新做法。对这个家庭的治疗工作证明了创伤性的经历并不总是通过语言手段来获得。工作与人际身心练习可以独特地有助于放松交感神经系统和激活副交感神经系统的社会参与分支。把这些实践纳入治疗的措施中可以提供宝贵的机会来促进所有家庭成员偏好体验的出现。.

This article examines the interconnections between family therapy, specifically postmodern and poststructural approaches, and family-centered services. It introduces particular applications of family-centered services such as systems of care, wraparound, family-driven care, the recovery movement, and family group conferencing and then summarizes the heart of family-centered approaches as a shift in how services are provided to families. It examines the \"fit\" between the values and principles of family-centered practice and postmodern/poststructural approaches and then offers particular ideas and practices from these approaches that can help frontline workers inhabit a spirit of respect, connection, curiosity and hope in their work.