Genetic counseling facilitates psychological and social adaptation in clients and families. Two psychotherapeutic approaches, narrative and family therapy foster client adaptation to adverse situations and may enhance the genetic counseling process. This scoping review aimed to describe the applications of narrative therapy and family therapy in genetic counseling, and to document the actual and perceived value of these approaches in a genetic counseling setting. Nine original research articles and six commentary articles met the study inclusion criteria. Original articles reported on positive client attitudes when these approaches were applied to hereditary cancer and Huntington disease settings. Five studies applied either approach in group sessions, where safety was key to positive outcomes, including sharing lived experiences and coping strategies. Balanced utilization of structured and open elements in group sessions maximized a sense of control, while also allowing for opportunity to self-disclose. Narrative therapy interventions were time efficient and were reported to foster connection with others and shape a new adaptive narrative centered around strengths. Family therapy approaches, based on experiential family therapy, the intersystem model, object relations family therapy, and the social ecology model, required a greater time commitment, but promoted disclosure of complex feelings and diffused tension. Family therapy genogram tools were feasible in practice, easy to implement, and effective at identifying communication barriers. Commentary articles highlighted the alignment of both approaches with genetic counseling goals and their potential value in practice. Utilization of psychotherapeutic approaches can improve counselors\' ability to shape sessions, enhance insight and optimize efficacy, and flexibility in moving between models can maximize impact. This review highlights the paucity of studies investigating the efficacy of these psychotherapeutic approaches in the genetic counseling context and the need for more outcomes-based research on the utilization of narrative or family therapy in genetic counseling practice.

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.

The transition from the family home to a nursing home can be an emotionally stressful experience for older adults. This study aimed to examine the feasibility and effects of a narrative therapy combined with a solution focus (NTCSF) program on the psychological adjustment, depression, and self-efficacy of nursing home residents. A non-random concurrent controlled trial was conducted in Fujian, China that involved 81 participants (intervention = 41, comparison = 40) from four separate nursing homes. The control group received routine institutional care, while the intervention group underwent a three-week NTCSF program in addition to receiving routine care. In the variance analyses, significant differences were found in \"psychological adjustment\" (T = 4.007, P < 0.001) and \"self-efficacy\" (T = 3.204, P = 0.002), compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in \"depression\" (t = -1.550, P = 0.125) between the groups at the baseline, but the experimental group showed a significant decrease in depression (t = -2.204, P = 0.033) after the intervention. The NTCSF program was found to be effective in improving the psychological adjustment of nursing home residents. Trial registration This study was registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registration No: ChiCTR-2100042767).

Background: Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is a recommended intervention for people with multiple trauma histories; however, research is lacking into its use with people experiencing psychosis, many of whom report multiple trauma histories.Objective: This study aimed to explore experiences of NET in early intervention in psychosis (EIP) services.Method: Eight clinicians and four experts with lived experience (experts by experience) of psychosis and multiple trauma were interviewed on a single occasion using two versions (clinician and expert by experience) of a semi-structured interview schedule. Data was analysed using thematic analysis.Results: Five overarching themes were generated, relating to fear and avoidance of memories, importance of trust, organizing memories and making new meaning, reconnecting with emotions, and considerations when delivering NET in EIP.Conclusions: Directly addressing the impact of multiple trauma in people experiencing first episode psychosis is frightening and emotive, but helps to address painful memories and organize them into a personal narrative. Increases in distress and anomalous experiences were carefully considered by clinicians, but typically outweighed by the benefits of NET. Challenges were comparable to those described in non-psychosis research. Implications for clinical practice and future research are outlined.
Many people experiencing psychosis report multiple trauma histories. Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is a recommended intervention for people with multiple trauma histories, but research into its use with people experiencing psychosis is limited.This qualitative study found that clinicians and experts by experience in early intervention in psychosis services valued NET for its effect on organizing memories, reducing their emotional impact, and making new meaning around experiences, and that challenges of NET were similar to those described in non-psychosis research.Some participants described experiencing distress and dysregulation during NET, including an increase in anomalous experiences. Although this was typically temporary and outweighed by NET’s benefits, careful assessment before and flexibility during the intervention are considered important for building engagement and trust.

BACKGROUND: Personal narratives play an essential role in children\'s social and academic development. However, children with Down syndrome have ongoing challenges with constructing and communicating personal narratives.
METHODS: Using a single-case multiple-probe across participants design, we examined whether a targeted intervention could improve both micro- and macro-structural aspects of personal narratives from Chinese adolescents with Down syndrome.
RESULTS: All three participants demonstrated high treatment effects in two macrostructural narrative outcomes (i.e., narrative element complexity and narrative coherence) in response to the intervention and moderate to high treatment effects in the microstructural narrative outcomes (i.e., the mean length of utterance in words and the number of different words). However, all participants demonstrated limited improvements in narrative cohesion. These effects were maintained and generalised in a different narrative condition.
CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of the personal narrative intervention incorporated with self-monitoring strategies for adolescents with Down syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The research on posttraumatic growth (PTG) promotion programmes, particularly narrative therapy (NT), for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains limited. This pilot study aims to develop an NT programme to promote PTG and evaluate its feasibility, preliminary effectiveness, participants\' experiences and improvement suggestions.
METHODS: The NT programme was initially developed through literature review, interviews with IBD patients and expert panel discussions. A randomized controlled pilot trial was conducted to assess the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the programme. Participants in the NT group received five consecutive weekly sessions of the programme, while the control group received standard care. Outcomes including PTG, anxiety, depression and quality of life were measured. Qualitative interviews were conducted to explore participants\' experiences and suggestions for programme modifications.
RESULTS: The NT programme was developed with scientific rigour. The recruitment rate and retention rate were 62.5% and 96.7%, respectively. A significant reduction in anxiety levels was observed, and manifestations of PTG were reported in the NT group. Suggestions for improvement of the NT programme were received from the participants.
CONCLUSIONS: The NT programme was constructed to promote PTG in IBD patients in this study, further offering preliminary evidence for its feasibility and potential positive psychological change. However, large-scale research is needed to validate its effectiveness for broader applications.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation had a devastating effect on well-being. Veterans were among the most vulnerable given their high rates of military trauma-related conditions. Research supports that dogs can provide veterans with a sense of purpose, social support, and stress management. Digital storytelling provided a unique perspective with focus on a recognized hero, the veteran\'s dog, and an opportunity for engagement with other veterans during COVID-19. The purpose of the study was to assess the feasibility of this digital storytelling intervention based on Story Theory framework and tailored to encompass components of cross-generational collaboration in combination with individual and group virtual sessions as a mechanism to promote social engagement. The research was conducted using a descriptive exploratory design. Veterans (N = 8) were paired with a trained student and grouped in sets of four. There were eight guided 1-hour weekly virtual sessions to create their digital story. Demographic and pre-post intervention survey data were also collected. Based on eight established criteria, this article systematically evaluates the feasibility of the digital storytelling intervention for veterans. The findings suggest practical considerations to ensure viability of digital storytelling as a therapeutic intervention for veterans and other populations at-risk for suboptimal well-being.

Background: Individuals suffering from PTSD following childhood abuse represent a large subgroup of patients attending mental health services. The aim of phase-based treatment is to tailor treatment to the specific needs to childhood abuse survivors with PTSD with a Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) phase, in which emotion dysregulation and interpersonal problems are targeted, and a trauma-focused phase.Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare STAIR + Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) vs. STAIR + Narrative Therapy (NT) as treatments for PTSD following childhood-onset trauma in a routine clinical setting.Method: Sixty-eight adults were randomly assigned to STAIR/EMDR (8 STAIR-sessions followed by 12 EMDR-sessions) or STAIR/NT (8 STAIR-sessions followed by 12 NT-sessions). Assessments took place at pre-treatment, after each treatment phase and at 3 and 12 months post-intervention follow-up. Primary outcomes were interviewer-rated and self-reported symptom levels of PTSD. Secondary outcomes included symptom levels of depression and disturbances in emotion regulation and interpersonal skills.Results: Multilevel analyses in the intent-to-treat sample indicated that patients in both treatments improved substantially on PTSD symptom severity (CAPS: d = 0.81 to 1.29; PDS: d = 1.68 to 2.15), as well as on symptom levels of depression, anxiety, emotion regulation, dissociation and interpersonal skills. Effects increased or were maintained until 12-month follow-up. At mid-treatment, after STAIR, patients in both treatments improved moderately on PTSD symptom severity (PDS: d = 1.68 to 2.15), as well as on symptom levels of depression (BDI: d = .32 to .31). Symptoms of anxiety, emotion dysregulation, interpersonal problems and dissociation were not decreased after STAIR. There were no significant differences between the two conditions on any outcome.Conclusion: PTSD in adult survivors of childhood interpersonal trauma can effectively be treated by phase-based interventions using either EMDR or NT in the trauma-processing phase.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01443182..
The study directly compares Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) followed by either EMDR or Narrative Therapy in the trauma-processing phase in routine clinical setting.The brief phase-based treatment was found to be effective in reducing both symptoms of PTSD as well as emotion regulation and interpersonal problems in survivors of childhood abuse.Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in adult survivors of childhood interpersonal trauma can effectively be treated by phase-based interventions using either EMDR or Narrative Therapy in the trauma-processing phase.

Understanding and processing life experiences are essential in the treatment of personality disorders to promote personal recovery and psychological wellbeing. In this qualitative case report, drafted in co-creation between the client, clinical psychologist, and art therapist, individual treatment consisted of two psychotherapeutic interventions, \"An Empowering Story\" and life-story-focused art therapy, in 12 parallel sessions for 24 weeks. Hilda, 68 years of age, had been diagnosed with an unspecified personality disorder and various traits of borderline personality disorder. She experienced emotional exhaustion following long-term mental health problems rooted in a traumatic early childhood. This affected her ability to manage her emotions and social relations, resulting in the sense that her life had no meaning. Hilda was invited to reconstruct her life experiences, divided into the past, turning point, and present/future, in a written and a painted life story. This allowed for the integration of traumatic as well as positive memories, enhanced self-compassion, and meaning making. She developed self-reflection and integration of internal conflicts leading to a better emotional balance and self-understanding. Art therapy emphasizes bottom-up regulatory processes, while narrative psychology supports top-down regulatory processes. The combined approach effectively integrated bottom-up, experiential, sensory experiences with top-down, cognitive emotion-regulation processes. The results suggest that psychotherapeutic interventions involving a multi-pronged, complementary, and thus more holistic approach can support personal recovery in personality disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the intervention effects of narrative nursing on the reproductive concerns of cervical cancer patients of childbearing age undergoing surgical treatment.
METHODS: Patients undergoing cervical cancer surgery with moderate to severe levels of reproductive concerns, treated between January and December 2023 at a tertiary Grade-A oncology hospital in China, were selected as the research subjects. Patients were randomized into an intervention group and a control group, each consisting of 33 patients. The control group received standard nursing care, while the intervention group received a narrative nursing intervention in addition to standard care. The changes in the levels of reproductive concerns, post-traumatic growth, and quality of life scores before and after the intervention were compared between the two groups.
RESULTS: After the intervention, the reproductive concerns scores of the cervical cancer patients in the intervention group (32.53 ± 4.77) were significantly lower than those in the control group (59.29 ± 3.24), with a statistically significant difference (t = 26.143, p < 0.001). The post-traumatic growth scores in the intervention group (86.78 ± 3.52) were significantly higher than those in the control group (68.06 ± 6.24), with a statistically significant difference (t = -14.595, p < 0.001). The quality of life scores in the intervention group (149.00 [IQR = 8.75]) were significantly higher than those in the control group (129.00 [IQR = 13.00]), with a statistically significant difference (z = -5.799, p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Narrative nursing can effectively alleviate reproductive concerns in cervical cancer patients undergoing surgical treatment, promote positive psychological changes post-trauma, and improve patients\' quality of life.