Life is made vivid by the telling of its good story.
About Monterey Peninsula Center for Narrative Therapy
Our Goal
Monterey Peninsula Center for Narrative Therapy provides compassionate and innovative counseling services for individuals, couples, and families throughout the Monterey Bay area. Our goal is to offer personalized care tailored to the unique circumstances that bring our clients into therapy.
A Holistic Approach
Our Approach to Mental Health
Many modern therapies focus on isolating individuals by assessing for skill, knowledge, or processing deficits, often leading to a wellness system that emphasizes personal inadequacies.
At MPC for Narrative Therapy, we take a different approach. We work from the perspective that our clients and their families are embedded within a broader social context which can have powerful effects on the shaping of their lives. Therapy is an opportunity to consider how these effects are realized in their lives through their actions. In an era where loneliness and isolation are at all-time highs despite increased connectivity, therapy is a chance to reflect on those aspects of life that may no longer serve their personal interests, relationship hopes or future aspirations.
With consent, therapists regularly include whoever is most relevant in the situation of concern, including family members, physicians, school personnel, clergy, and other important persons in the client’s support system.
MPC of Narrative Therapy Director
Brian Wainwright, MS, LMFT
My interest as a professional helper has always been a little unorthodox. As a Narrative Therapist I meet with people who often overlook much of what makes them extraordinary. As a result, my clients have a tendency to discover those aspects of their lives that support their ability to forge a pathway forward.
Working from a Narrative frame allows me to sit with my clients in a way that keeps me aligned with what’s important to them. I’ve participated in trainings, and conferences, facilitated consultation groups, workshops, taught social workers and professional clinical counselors through CSUMB and CSUSB respectively. I’ve had the honor of being mentored by David Epston and his contemporaries and spent over 14,500 hours sitting alongside people hoping against hope, reaching for more in their lives.
My clinical experience has taken me from working in a wide range of social and cultural contexts. Whether it was helping LGBTQ+ individuals navigate the hostilities of an unwelcoming social context, supporting homeless veterans achieve and retain housing while continuing the battle back against substance abuse and subdue the diminishing effects of trauma, or working with families to establish new foundations on which to connect in defiance of the rifts that have successfully divided them for years. In every instance, Narrative therapy has assisted me in connecting with, co-baring, and learning what else might be possible in the lives of those I meet with. And in every instance, I find myself reminded of the power of the innovation people are capable of when given the opportunity to witness their personal genius, ingenuity, and self-invention.
A Path to Support
How We Can Help
If you or someone in your family is struggling with life-impacting challenges, we encourage you to set up a consultation with us. We’ll take the time to understand what brought you to therapy, discuss fees, and explore any clinical concerns you or your family may be facing. In some cases, we may recommend consulting with a pediatrician, primary care physician, or psychiatrist if needed.
If you decide that our services are right for you, we’ll work together to make meaningful changes in your life.
Get Started
Contact us today to take the first step toward addressing the challenges that are influencing your life.
