Clients ’ andTherapists ’ Stories about Psychotherapy

This article provides an overview of the emerging field of research on clients ’ stories about their experiences in psycho-therapy.The theory of narrative identity suggests that individuals construct stories about their lives in order to provide the self with a sense of purpose and unity. Psychotherapy stories serve both psychological functions. Focusing on the theme of agency as a vehicle for operationalizing purpose and coherence as a way of operationalizing unity, this article will describe the existing scholarship connecting psychotherapy stories to clients ’ psychological well-being. Results from cross-sectional qualitative and quantitative studies as well as longitudinal research indicate a connection between the stories clients tell about therapy and their psychological well-being, both over the course of treatment and after it is over. In addition, a preliminary analysis of therapists ’ stories about their clients ’ treatment is presented. These analyses reveal that the way therapists recount a particular client’s therapy does not impact the relationships between clients ’ narratives and their improvement.The article concludes with a discussion of how this body of scholarship might be fruitfully applied in the realm of clinical practice