Through this approach, communities can build more positive and hopeful narratives that enable them to face the challenges and problems they encounter. Moreover, community narrative therapy encourages collaboration and teamwork, which helps individuals feel more connected and committed to their community.

Community narrative therapy also has the potential to foster empowerment and self-esteem in individuals. By focusing on strengths and personal resources, community narrative therapy can help individuals feel more confident and capable of facing challenges in their lives.

An example of community narrative therapy in action can be seen in the work done by Wikitoki in the “A Collective Tale” Residency. In this project, a group of elderly people living in a nursing home in Bilbao, Spain, was involved. The goal was to help the residents tell their stories and rebuild their identities as active and valuable elderly individuals in the community.
Through writing workshops, interviews, and reflections, a book compiling the residents’ stories and experiences was created. This project allowed the residents to share their stories and reflect on their lives meaningfully. It also enabled the local community to recognize and value the stories and contributions of the elderly.

Community social work has also benefited from the narrative practices approach. Community social work focuses on strengthening the community’s capacity to solve its own problems and improve its quality of life. Community narrative therapy can be a valuable tool for achieving this goal, as it allows individuals to connect with their own stories and feel empowered to create new, more positive narratives.

An example of community social work using the narrative approach is the work done by Karina Fernández D’Andrea López Cañizares with a local urban community. In this project, the “healing conversations” technique was used to allow community members to share their stories and reflect on their identity and values.

Through this technique, a new collective story was built that allowed the community to see its own strength and resilience. Work was also done on deconstructing dominant narratives that might be negatively affecting the community’s life, such as negative stereotypes about the migrant population.

Another method used in narrative therapy is the tree of life, a technique created by David Denborough. The tree of life is a visual tool used to help individuals tell their life stories. Through this process, individuals can recognize their strengths and personal resources, which helps them address problems and difficulties in their lives.