In narrative therapy, raising dilemmas is used to get people to examine possible aspects of a problem before the need arises.

In narrative therapy, raising dilemmas is used to get people to examine possible aspects of a problem before the need arises.

• A. preventative saturation
• B. predicting setbacks
• C. raising dilemmas
• D. influencing the individual on the problem

Answer: (C)

Raising dilemmas in narrative therapy is a proactive, exploratory technique. It invites clients to imagine multiple possible meanings and futures of a problem, rather than accepting a single, fixed interpretation. By presenting a dilemma and asking questions like what would happen if the problem showed up in a different context or what alternative actions might look like, the therapist helps the client examine and weigh different aspects of the situation before it becomes an urgent crisis. This approach supports the core goals of narrative therapy: externalizing the problem, showing that there are many ways to respond, and strengthening the client’s sense of agency to re-author their own story. When clients consider these alternate possibilities ahead of time, they gain flexibility and readiness to handle future challenges, rather than being driven by a single problem-saturated narrative. Other terms don’t capture this specific practice. Preventative saturation isn’t a standard narrative-therapy term; predicting setbacks focuses on forecasting rather than exploring multiple, hopeful possibilities; and advising or manipulating someone toward the problem runs counter to the collaborative, client-led stance of this approach.

Raising dilemmas in narrative therapy is a proactive, exploratory technique. It invites clients to imagine multiple possible meanings and futures of a problem, rather than accepting a single, fixed interpretation. By presenting a dilemma and asking questions like what would happen if the problem showed up in a different context or what alternative actions might look like, the therapist helps the client examine and weigh different aspects of the situation before it becomes an urgent crisis.

This approach supports the core goals of narrative therapy: externalizing the problem, showing that there are many ways to respond, and strengthening the client’s sense of agency to re-author their own story. When clients consider these alternate possibilities ahead of time, they gain flexibility and readiness to handle future challenges, rather than being driven by a single problem-saturated narrative.

Other terms don’t capture this specific practice. Preventative saturation isn’t a standard narrative-therapy term; predicting setbacks focuses on forecasting rather than exploring multiple, hopeful possibilities; and advising or manipulating someone toward the problem runs counter to the collaborative, client-led stance of this approach.