4. CLINICAL PRACTICES AND SUMMARY
One of the benefits of STAIR Narrative Therapy is that it provides intensive work in skills practice in emotional awareness and emotion regulation. It also pairs up behavioral exercises in social skills with changing relationship models so that intellectual understanding or insight can be partnered with real and skilled changes in behavior. The treatment is flexible so that therapist and client can work together in the selection of skills that are tailored to the patient. While the SNT protocol is organized into 16 sessions, the work from each ‘protocol session’ can be extended as needed over actual session time or therapist and client can cycle back to old skills and exercises as needed. But, as is hopefully demonstrated in this case presentation, the working through of the meaning of the traumas is invaluable to revisions in sense of self and in relational dynamics. For SGM individuals, SNT provides a program that recognizes the importance of and helps manage ongoing minority stressors as well past traumas, leading to increased resilience and a more positive sense of self.
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Table 1. Michael’s Symptom Scores at Pretreatment and Postreatment