Clients‟ experience of counselling within a narrative framework

Construct: desire for containment - freedom 
The counsellor is perceived as good and the client wants to see herself as good. There seems to 
be a real desire for a likeness between them which suggest the client‟s desire for containment. 
There is also a strong sense of energy and power as if she wants the freedom to feel taller and 
lighter rather than being blocked by intellectualising. It feels as if she desires her own feelings 
for they are part of her and can talk to her. 
Week 25. 

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376 
Line 1. 
Change:- A mutually agreed 
Line 2.
+ progressive change, bringing about 
Line 3.
personal growth for myself. 
Line 4.
Otherwise, change ie separation, 
Line 5.
new beginnings. 
Line 6.
Change of my view of myself. 
Line 7.
Doing things differently + being 
Line 8.
powerful rather than remaining 
Line 9.
powerless, emotionally cripples 
Line 10.
+ unmotivated. 
She seems to infer by the way she starts this entry that it is all about „change:-‟ (line 1) and she 
appears to attempt to demonstrate this through the rest of the entry. She describes it as a mutually 
agreed (line 2) change as if different parts of herself are in communication. Of course she may 
also be referring to the counsellor as if this was discussed between them but in the context of her 
inner world she is perhaps beginning to be aware of more aspects of herself. She also sees the 
change as progressive (line 2) and about personal growth (line 3) so she perhaps defines it as 
being internal by referring to „myself‟ (line 3) in this this way. She goes on to suggest that the 
change has to do with separation (line 4) as if she is aware that she is becoming more of an 
individual who can be separate as opposed to being merged or too close to others. This also 
seems to herald „new beginnings‟ (line 5) so perhaps she is also aware of the possibilities that 
being separate presents her with as this may enable relationships to change and develop. She 
appears to have a different view of herself (line 6) as if she is looking at herself from a new 
standpoint. She seems to feel that she is doing things differently (line 7) which enables her to be 
powerful (line 8) as opposed to being powerless (line 9). And perhaps seeing how she used to be 
powerless also helps her to see that she has been emotionally crippled and unmotivated (line10). 
Yet the tone of this entry is in opposition to what is written for it feels almost dead as if she may 
be intellectualising, using her mind to block her feelings (week 24; lines 7,8). The words 
„emotionally cripples‟ are also in the present tense which may suggest that this is how she is in 
the moment of writing.