Clients‟ experience of counselling within a narrative framework

 
Construct: fighting containment - freedom 
In this entry there is opposition in her desire to take care of herself and her inability to say no 
when this would aid her care of herself. It is as if she wants to contain herself by caring for 
herself and saying „no‟ but still feels unable to make this happen. She appears to desire the 
freedom to trust the group at college but at the same time is unable to take the risk. It is as if 
there is a battle within her internal world. Perhaps she needs the upheaval of the movement 
caused by fighting herself to create the friction that might engender change. 
 
Week 10. 
Line 1.
Felt good, tired but also a
Line 2.
little rail - roaded.
Line 3.
Many people appear to feel the 
Line 4.
need to motivate me. Why?
Line 5. 
I just feel tired + am taking 
Line 6.
time for myself. 
This next short entry seems to suggest that the client took time for herself in the session (line 6). 
Something about it felt good (line 1), as if she was able to use the time to feel where she is within 
herself, despite feeling rail-roaded (line 2) by others who try to motivate (line 4) her. This 
powerful image of being rail-roaded perhaps images her present condition of feeling forced into 
situations or experiences that she does not want. It is possible that she felt rail-roaded by the 
counsellor. Perhaps the many people (line 3) represent all the different parts of her that stop her 
from saying no and taking care of herself. But she also questions why others try to motivate her 
so perhaps she is also wondering what to do next about this. It seems she might want to motivate 
herself within the counselling. Twice she notes that she is tired (lines 1, 5) as if she is getting in 
touch with how she feels (line 5) and responding to these feelings by taking time for herself (line 

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6). However she may also be opting out of doing the work by feeling tired.