What is a core focus of narrative therapy in youth counseling?

• A. Emphasizes internalizing problems and past diagnoses.
• B. Externalizing problems and re-authoring stories to empower clients.
• C. Reliance on pharmacological interventions.
• D. Strict behavioral conditioning without narrative growth.

Answer: (B)

Narrative therapy in youth counseling centers on viewing the problem as separate from the person and helping the child re-author their story in ways that empower them. This means externalizing the issue—talking about “the problem” as something the child can face and negotiate with—so the child maintains a sense of agency rather than being defined by the symptom or diagnosis. By co-creating a preferred narrative, young clients see themselves as capable of change and growth. This approach contrasts with styles that emphasize internalizing diagnoses, rely on medications, or focus solely on behavioral change without weaving in the empowering storytelling and shifting of meaning that narrative therapy promotes.