Postmodern Approaches in Therapy | Olive Tree Shade Mental Health Blog

Postmodern approaches in therapy are a group of counseling styles that focus on collaboration, respect for each person’s unique experience, and the idea that people can change the way they see themselves by changing their personal stories. These therapies move away from traditional methods that try to “fix” a person or dig into the past. Instead, they focus on possibilities, strengths, and the present moment.

Postmodern therapy is based on the belief that there is no single truth. Instead, people create their own realities based on their culture, language, values, and relationships. The therapist’s job is not to label or diagnose, but to help clients reframe their lives in ways that support growth, healing, and self-understanding.

How postmodern therapy started?

Postmodern therapy became more popular in the 1980s and 1990s as an alternative to medical or problem-focused approaches. Two important approaches developed during this time are solution-focused brief therapy and narrative therapy—and each was created by influential therapists.

Solution-focused brief therapy

Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg developed solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). They believed that therapy doesn’t need to be long or focused on the past. Instead, they encouraged clients to focus on what’s already working in their lives and build on that. Rather than asking, “Why is this happening?” they asked, “What do you want to change?” and “What would it look like if things were better?”

Their approach is practical and hopeful. Clients set small, clear goals and take steps toward them. It’s called “brief” because many people find improvement in just a few sessions.

Read more about Solution-Focused Brief Therapy here.

Narrative therapy

Michael White and David Epston, from Australia and New Zealand, created narrative therapy. Their work focused on the stories people tell about themselves. They believed that people are not the problem—the problem is the problem. By looking at their own stories in a new way, people can see themselves as capable, strong, and more than their struggles.

Narrative therapy helps clients step back from harmful or limiting beliefs and discover alternative stories that highlight resilience and personal values. White and Epston encouraged clients to talk about moments when they stood up to the problem or acted in ways that reflected their hopes and strengths.

Feminist therapy

Feminist therapy is a social justice–based approach that focuses on how social, cultural, and political forces shape a person’s identity and well-being. It encourages clients to explore how issues like gender roles, power imbalances, discrimination, or societal expectations affect their mental health. Rather than seeing problems as personal weaknesses, feminist therapists view them in context—often as understandable responses to inequality or oppression.

This approach is collaborative and empowering. The therapist and client work as equals, with the client seen as the expert of their own life. Feminist therapy supports self-awareness, choice, and advocacy. It helps clients challenge limiting beliefs, reclaim their voice, and make changes that align with their values—both personally and in their relationships and communities.