Finding Unique Outcomes (Exceptions to the Problem Story)
Surface moments when the problem did NOT dominate — these are the seeds of an alternative story.
Why it works
A dominant problem story is kept alive by selective attention: events that fit the story are remembered and amplified; events that contradict it ("exceptions") are ignored or explained away. Unique outcomes are those exceptions. By deliberately surfacing them and asking "How did you do that? What does that say about you?", therapy recruits evidence that an alternative, more capable self-story already has factual grounding. This works because a new belief needs evidentiary scaffolding — it cannot simply be asserted.
How to do it
- Ask: "Has there been a time — even a small one — when [Problem] could have taken over but didn’t?"
- When an exception is named, slow down: "Tell me more about that. How did you do it?"
- Ask what that exception says about who the person is or what they value.
- Link multiple exceptions into a pattern: "What do these moments have in common?"
- Invite the person to name the quality these moments reveal.
Evidence
The concept draws on solution-focused therapy’s "exceptions" research and social constructionist theory. Qualitative studies show clients find unique-outcome exploration meaningful; RCT evidence for narrative therapy overall is modest. (observational)
Unique outcomes as an isolated technique have not been RCT-tested; observational and qualitative research supports the approach within the broader narrative framework.
Common mistake
Finding the exception and moving on too quickly — the power is in dwelling on it long enough to recruit it as genuine evidence, not just acknowledging it and continuing.
Practice this with IX Coach
7 days free, then $40/month (~$1.30/day).
More practices for Narrative Therapy: Rewriting the Stories That Define You
- Externalizing the Problem
Separate the person from the problem by talking about it as if it exists outside them.
- Re-Authoring the Alternative Story
Build a preferred story of identity by thickening the exceptions into a narrative with a plot.
- Definitional Ceremonies and Outsider Witnesses
Invite meaningful others to witness and retell the new story — being known differently by others consolidates the new identity.
- Therapeutic Letters
A therapist’s written letter to a client between sessions — documenting alternative-story gains before they fade.
- Landscape of Identity and Action Questions
Use two question types to map both what the person DID (action) and what that reveals about who they ARE (identity).
- The Absent But Implicit: What Problems Reveal About What We Value
Every problem story implies a violated value — surfacing that value reveals the person’s strengths, not just their struggles.
Related concepts
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Made Practical
The core techniques, the mechanisms, and where the evidence is strongest
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Made Practical
The core ACT processes, the mechanisms behind them, and an honest read on the evidence
- Internal Family Systems (IFS), Made Practical
The parts model, the mechanisms behind it, and an honest read on an emerging evidence base