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Narrative therapy is aligned with government priorities for learning disabilities as it promotes inclusion and seeks to empower. While research on narrative therapy in learning disability services is emerging, it has not been critically evaluated. The purpose of this paper is to identify, summarise and critique the extant literature that has explored narrative therapy for adults with learning disabilities, and consider the implications for research and clinical practice.

A literature search identified seven relevant case studies that described individual narrative therapy interventions for adults with learning disabilities. A qualitative review of these studies was carried out.

Overall, the reviewed studies offer tentative evidence for the short-term usefulness of narrative therapy for difficulties with anger and qualitative benefits for ritualistic behaviour, social anxiety and stealing behaviour.

A number of methodological issues are identified, particularly concerning the use of outcome measures and the generalisability of findings. The research is limited due to a reliance on case study evidence and outcome measures that lack validity and reliability. Both larger scale and more robust research, and high quality practice-based evidence, are required.

Learning disability services could consider providing narrative therapy for people with learning disabilities experiencing anger problems and other psychological difficulties. Clinical practice suggestions are identified, such as choosing relevant metaphors and including the individual’s wider system.

This paper provides an up-to-date, comprehensive review of the literature on narrative therapy for people with learning disabilities that will be of use to clinicians providing therapeutic support and to people commissioning such services.

Narrative therapy has been suggested as particularly relevant to people with intellectual disability (ID), with group formats potentially offering additional benefits. This paper aims to critically review studies which evaluated narrative group interventions for people with ID.

The seven papers identified for review were critically appraised for their quality using a quality appraisal tool appropriate to their design, along with additional factors including adaptations made to improve accessibility.

The studies suggest that there may be some small benefits of narrative group therapy for those with ID. However, alongside issues limiting the studies’ evaluations, it is noted that the research paradigms used in the studies conflict with narrative approaches.

The limited evidence base suggests the need for further research. The randomised controlled trial would ordinarily be seen as the gold standard for such research. However, narrative interventions may require a different approach to evaluation.

This is the first review of published literature on the evaluation of narrative therapy groups for people with ID.

Narrative Therapy offers thinking and practices which can support the development of narratives of desistance and recovery. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the two ways in which collective narrative practice has been used in a Low Secure Forensic Recovery Service: The Tree of Life and the Knowledge Group, including the evaluation of the Knowledge Group.

The therapeutic approach taken was collective narrative practice. The evaluation design for the Knowledge Group was service user led, resulting in a qualitative approach: a focus group that was thematically analysed.

Collective narrative practice offered service users the opportunity to enhance their narratives of strength and desistance, and to contribute socially by sharing this with others. This encouraged the development of identities beyond the “patient” and “offender” identities. It gave service users the opportunity to take a position of expertise and power where they were listened to and respected.

There is a wide range of possibility for the creative use of these strategies in forensic settings. They are a useful addition to the forensic practitioner’s toolkit.

There is a wide range of possibility for the creative use of these strategies in forensic settings. They are a useful addition to the forensic practitioner’s toolkit.

Collective narrative practice positions service users as taking social action, for example sharing their experiences with other services users, in educational contexts and for wider social understanding.

The therapeutic interventions described offer a promising approach which has not yet been fully exploited for use in forensic mental health services, including a novel approach to collective narrative practice.

This case study presents and evaluates the effectiveness of a psychological intervention based on a narrative therapeutic approach. Paul is a man with a mild learning disability who was referred for treatment for anxiety and anger. Following difficulties in engaging him in a cognitive behavioural intervention, a narrative approach was initiated. By placing Paul as an expert in his own life, the approach was intended to assist him to access his strengths and resources and encourage him to view himself as separate from the problem he labelled ‘Anger’. Quantitative data indicated that there was a reduction in feelings of anxiety and increased feelings of well‐being. Subjectively, Paul reported making steps towards achieving five therapeutic goals, including feeling more in control of ‘Anger’. It was concluded that, with modifications to standard techniques, a narrative therapeutic approach offers a promising alternative to CBT for people with learning disabilities.

This paper is a commentary inspired by Laura McKenzie-Smith’s review paper.

This commentary provides a personal perspective on the intersections of narrative practice and the support of people with a learning disability.

This commentary highlights some further possibilities of narrative ideas beyond therapy. This paper explores examples of record keeping and research as sites for story construction about lives and identities.

This is a personal perspective of a systemic psychotherapist and academic working with people with a learning disability.

This paper argues that the stories we tell ourselves and others about our work and the people we support are powerful in ways of which we may not always be aware.

In common with person-centred planning, narrative ideas highlight the power of the stories circulating about a person and their network and the implications they may have for their lives and identities.

This commentary explores narrative practices beyond the context of therapy, highlighting organisational, administrative and research practices as story-constructing activities that co-create identities of persons with a learning disability, their networks of support and health and social care professionals.

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on “Narrative therapy in a learning disability context: a review”.

This commentary reflects on the use of Narrative therapy and considers it in the wider context of assisting people with learning disabilities to develop self-understanding. The commentary makes connections between the use of Narrative therapy and narrative approaches to research reporting.

The use of Narrative therapy can assist in the development of positive personal stories for individuals with learning disabilities. Case study research provides a useful reference point from which to develop future work. Reporting of case studies sometimes omits data that might be useful for others attempting to replicate findings.

This paper highlights the need for authors to ensure that the “small details” are included in research reporting. A narrative approach, rich in detail of research participants might enable authors to tell a “thicker” story, thus improving generalisability.

Explores how developments in the ground‐breaking field of narrative family therapy might be applied to organizational change efforts. After an introductory discussion of some of narrative therapy’s key orientations and practices (e.g. postmodern notions of language and power, influence mapping, problem externalization, unique outcomes, audiencing), an extended example is given where a narrative approach was used to effect change in a health‐care organization. The case is used to generate a series of research questions and directions.

Whilst there is a growing evidence base for the use of cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT) for people with intellectual disabilities, there may be challenges to using an approach that locates problems within people rather than as being generated and maintained through social relations and social discourses. The purpose of this paper is to present a cautionary case that demonstrates some of the potential dilemmas and challenges that can be experienced in therapy when applying this way of working to a client with intellectual disabilities.

The authors present a case example of work with Mark, a young man with intellectual disabilities who accessed services for support with his low mood and outline the challenges faced when using CBT in understanding his presenting problem.

There is evidence from the case example that there is the potential for therapeutic techniques used in CBT to promote questions that invite, generate and reinforce feelings of incompetence and inability in people with intellectual disabilities.

The use of narrative techniques is discussed as a means of avoiding locating the problem as being within clients with intellectual disabilities; the implications that this has for the use of CBT with this client group are considered.

Narrative therapy uses psychological thinking to help people reconnect with important aspects of their lives that have become subjugated by a dominant problem story. Collective narrative practices (CNPs) such as the tree of life (ToL) metaphor apply these principles to communities. Limited research suggests that ToL groups benefit service users and staff in inpatient settings. The purpose of this paper is to explore the utility of a pilot ToL group, run in an inpatient treatment ward.

Nine participants attended a seven-week ToL group. Eight service users and two facilitators contributed to the evaluation. Qualitative data were derived from interviews and questionnaires and analysed from a social constructionist perspective using inductive thematic analysis.

Three themes were generated: first, a sense of community – service user and staff relationships developed both inside and outside of the group, through sharing personal experiences. Second, rediscovering identity – participants reconnected with important aspects of their lives, which helped them to plan their recovery. Third, usefulness of the metaphor – service users and staff reflected on useful aspects of the ToL metaphor and how groups could be improved in the future. Data collection methods were key limitations of the study. Further groups should be conducted, whilst considering means of developing CNPs and their evaluation in this setting.

Few evaluations of ToL groups have been conducted in inpatient settings. This research outlines considerations for setting up and evaluating ToL groups and highlights their value for service users and staff.

This paper seeks to examine the value of teaching about mental illness through the use of literature.

Using the examples of two colleges in eastern USA that focus on educating students for healthcare careers, the paper examines two different course formats for using literature to teach about mental illness: a course that places the topic within the larger context of medicine and literature; and a freestanding madness and literature course.

While professional education tends towards specialization, it can lead to a monocultural vision that limits approaches to patients and problems alike. Courses integrating mental illness and literature were found to be effective means of counteracting this trend.

The study is limited to two healthcare‐centred colleges in eastern USA.

For mental health clinicians and healthcare professionals in general, literature broadens the scope of both perspectives and analytical tools for understanding mental disorders and responses to them.

While literature courses often contain such themes as mental illness, courses that truly integrate literature with mental illness meet a growing need for interdisciplinary education as a means of preparing more flexibly thinking healthcare professionals.