Externalizing Identities: An Integration of Narrative Therapy and Queer Theory

Narrative therapists appreciate the importance and power of language. Through language, they give privilege to alternative, life giving stories instead of to dominant stories that create misery for clients (White, 2011). Heterosexism (that is, being heterosexual is the “preferred” and “appropriate” sexual orientation) affects all individuals in the dominant culture. To challenge harmful social constructions of sexual orientation, narrative therapists dismantle these “normative” stories of privilege and liberate clients from the oppression of “Grand Narratives” (Doan, 1998). In this article, I will suggest an intervention idea, informed by queer theory, which these therapists can use affirmatively in narrative practice. This intervention can be used with sexual minority identities (LGB+) and heterosexual clients, as all members of society fall under the reign of heterosexism. I will start by describing the practice of externalization, one of narrative’s most notable techniques, followed by ways to utilize this process through the lens of queer theory. Also included is a discussion of the intervention itself, complete with a case study that demonstrates the applicability of the approach for marriage and family therapists.