Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-dwq4g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-29T10:11:15.908Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Counselling Support for People with Intellectual Disabilities: The Use of Narrative Therapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2012

Stuart Wark
Stuart Wark*
Affiliation:
School of Rural Medicine, University of New England and The Ascent Group, Armidale, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Stuart Wark, School of Rural Medicine, University of New England, Armidale NSW 2351, Australia. E-mail: swark@ascentgroup.org.au
Get access

Abstract

This article uses a descriptive case study design to examine the potential of narrative therapy as a direct intervention for adults with moderate-to-severe intellectual disabilities, autism and/or severe communication limitations. Archival clinical data on four individuals who received a form of social constructionist narrative therapy are examined for goal attainment. The data were analysed qualitatively with specific input from individuals, their families and carers. Findings indicate improvements in quality of life through reductions in situational and environmental anxieties, and in coping with grief and loss. The results suggest that narrative therapy techniques can be beneficial in assisting individuals with severe intellectual disability to achieve meaningful and persistent improvements in their life.

Keywords

narrative therapycounsellingintellectual disabilityautismcommunication
Type
Articles
Information
The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling , Volume 18 , Issue 1 , July 2012 , pp. 37 - 49
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Auslan. (2009). Welcome to Auslan. Retrieved from http://www.auslan.org.au/Google Scholar
Bender, M. (1993). The unoffered chair: The history of therapeutic disdain towards people with a learning difficulty. Clinical Psychology Forum, 54, 7–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bigby, C. (2010). A five-country comparative review of accommodation support policies for older people with intellectual disability. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 7 (1), 3–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biggs, H.C., & Hinton-Bayre, A. D. (2008). Telling tales to end wails: Narrative therapy techniques and rehabilitation counselling. The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 14 (1), 16–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bleechmore, K. (2010). A History of Challenges and Achievements. Armidale, Australia: The Ascent Group.Google Scholar
Brisenden, S. (1986). Independent living and the medical model of disability. Disability, Handicap & Society, 1 (2), 173–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, M., Duff, H., Karatzias, T., & Horsburgh, D. (2011). A review of the literature relating to psychological interventions and people with intellectual disabilities: Issues for research, policy, education and clinical practice. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 15 (1), 31–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Butz, M., Bowling, J.B., & Bliss, C.A. (2000). Psychotherapy with the mentally retarded: A review of the literature and the implications. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice, 31, 42–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooper, S.-A., Smiley, E., Morrison, J., Williamson, A., & Allan, L. (2007). An epidemiological investigation of affective disorders with a population-based cohort of 1023 adults with intellectual disabilities. Psychological Medicine, 37 (6), 873–882.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Costello, H., Bouras, N., & Davis, H. (2007). The role of training in improving community care staff awareness of mental health problems in people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 20 (3), 228–235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deb, S., & Weston, S. N. (2000). Psychiatric illness and mental retardation. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 13, 497–505.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dodd, P., Dowling, S., & Hollins, S. (2005). A review of the emotional, psychiatric and behavioural responses to bereavement in people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 49 (7), 537–543.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Einfeld, S.L., Ellis, L.A., & Emerson, E. (2011). Comorbidity of intellectual disability and mental disorder in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 36 (2), 137–143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Emerson, E., Dickson, K., Gone, R, Hatton, C., Bromley, J., & Caine, A. (2012). Clinical Psychology and People with Intellectual Disabilities. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emerson, E., Moss, S., & Kiernan, C. (1999). The relationship between challenging behaviour and psychiatric disorders in people with severe developmental disabilities. In Bouras, N. (Ed.), Psychiatric and behavioural disorders in developmental disabilities and mental retardation (pp. 38–48). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Foster, C., & Banes, J. (2009). Use of a narrative therapy approach with a man with a learning disability: an alternative to cognitive behavioural therapy? Advances in Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, 3 (1), 52–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzherbert, A. (1718). The new natura brevium of the Most Reverend Judge, Mr. Anthony Fitzherbert (6th ed.). Retrieved from http://books.google.com.au/books?id=TXIFr1HpwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Sir+Anthony+Fitzherbert+,+new+natura+brevium&source=bl&ots=i9OCBOpJZr&sig=jG8EUurT7Nunv_7jTWD7lCz2I7A&hl=en&ei=DHI6TNuFKoqrcdbG1PsO&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=idiot&f=false.Google Scholar
Gallagher, E. (2002). Adult clients with mild ‘intellectual disability’: Rethinking our assumptions. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 23 (4), 202–210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gustafsson, C., Jehagen, A., Hansson, L., Sandlund, M., Nystrm, M., Glad, J., . . . & Fredriksson, M. (2009). Effects of psychosocial interventions for people with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems: A survey of systematic reviews. Research on Social Work Practice, 19, 281–290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hassiotis, A., Serfaty, M., Azam, K., Strydom, A., Martin, S., Parkes, C., . . . & King, M. (2011). Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for anxiety and depression in adults with mild intellectual disabilities (ID): A pilot randomised controlled trial. Trials, 12, 95–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jess, G., Torr, J., Cooper, S.-A., Lennox, N., Edwards, N., Galea, J., & O'Brien, G. (2007). Specialist versus generic models of psychiatry training and service provision for people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 21 (2), 183–193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jokinen, N.S., & Brown, R.I. (2005). Family quality of life from the perspective of older parents. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 49 (10), 789–793.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kerker, B.D, Owens, P.L., Zigler, E., & Horwitz, S.M. (2004). Mental health disorders among individuals with mental retardation: Challenges to accurate prevalence estimates. Public Health Reports, 119, 409–417.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Locke, J. (1689). An essay concerning humane understanding. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10615/10615.txtGoogle Scholar
Matthews, B., & Matthews, B. (2005). Narrative therapy: Potential uses for people with intellectual disability. International Journal of Disability, Community & Rehabilitation, 4 (1).Google Scholar
Molony, H. (1993). Mental health services for people with intellectual disability: Current developments. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Developmental Disabilities 18 (3), 169–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, A. (2000). What is narrative therapy? An easy-to-read introduction. Adelaide, Australia: Dulwich Centre Publications.Google Scholar
NSW Council for Intellectual Disability. (2005). Submission to Senate Select Committee on Mental Health. Retrieved from http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/mentalhealth_ctte/submissions/sub341.pdf.Google Scholar
Piachaud, J. (1999). Issues for mental health in learning disability services. Tizard Learning Disability Review, 4 (1), 47–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rapley, M. (2004). The social construction of intellectual disability. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rich, R. (1999, September). Detoxifying anger: A narrative therapy approach. Paper presented at the Restoration for Victims of Crime: Contemporary Challenges conference, Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved from http://mooramoora.org.au/bobrich/psych/grief.htmlGoogle Scholar
Roberts, G., & Holmes, J. (1999). Healing stories: Narrative in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Robinson, L.R., Dauenhauer, J., Bishop, K.M., & Baxter, J. (2012). Growing health disparities for persons who are aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities: The social work linchpin. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 55 (2), 175–190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scope, . (2011). COMPIC. Retrieved from http://www.scopevic.org.au/index.php/yiiCart/frontend/product/product/path/1_17/id/9Google Scholar
Shea, P.B. (1999). Defining madness. Sydney, Australia: Hawkins Press.Google Scholar
Stoddart, K.P., Burke, L., & Temple, V. (2002). Outcome evaluation of bereavement groups for adults with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 15 (1), 28–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, J.L., Lindsay, W.R., & Willner, P. (2008). CBT for people with intellectual disabilities: Emerging evidence, cognitive ability and IQ effects. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 36 (6), 723–733.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. (2005). Management Guidelines Developmental Disability, version 2. Melbourne, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Thomas, G. (2011) How to do your case study: A guide for students and researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Tuffrey-Wijne, I. (2003). The palliative care needs of people with intellectual disabilities: a literature review. Palliative Medicine, 17 (1), 55–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Volkmar, F.R., & Cohen, D.J. (1991). Comorbid association of autism and schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 1705–1707.Google ScholarPubMed
Whitaker, S., & Read, S. (2006). The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among people with intellectual disabilities: An analysis of the literature. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 1 (4), 330–345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, M., & Epston, D. (1990). Narrative means to therapeutic ends. New York: Norton.Google Scholar
Willner, P. (2005). The effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions for people with learning disabilities: A critical overview. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 49 (1), 73–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization. (2000). Ageing and intellectual disabilities — improving longevity and promoting health ageing: Summative report. Geneva: Author.Google Scholar
Yin, R. (2009). Case study research: Design and methods (Applied Social Research Methods; 4th ed.) Los Angeles: Sage.Google Scholar