Journal December 2025 Release - Flipbook - Page 101
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Quentin as Steven: Yes.
Mauricio: Steven, can you share with me what it is you admire and respect about
Quentin?
Quentin as Steven: That he’s been there for me and keeps encouraging me no
matter what.
Here, Quentin begins to recognize himself beneath the masks he has grown used
to wearing. Through his friend’s eyes, he starts to recognize the kind of friend he
was and comes to understand these descriptions as reflections of choices he
made, grounded in his values and what he stands for in life. I made a note to
revisit this part of his narrative in future conversations, but at that moment, I
chose to trust my instincts and continue exploring through Internalized Other
questions and time-travel dialogue.
Mauricio: I see. Thank you. Now if it’s okay, let’s travel in time again. Time has
passed, maybe six years. Steven, what do you think about what has been
going on in Quentin’s life?
Quentin as Steven: Ummm, I feel sad actually. I feel sad for what’s happened.
Mauricio: Steven, what specifically makes you feel sad about what’s happened in
Quentin’s life?
Quentin as Steven: He had a lot of other ideas about where his life was gonna go.
Mauricio: Steven, what sort of ideas did Quentin have about where his life was
going that you might wish for him to seek out again and revive in his
everyday life?
Quentin as Steven: Definitely not what’s happened. Playing football somewhere.
Be a college graduate.
Mauricio: Steven, did you ever imagine what’s actually been going on in Quentin’s
In the Company of Awkwardness: Counterstorying Toughness in Therapy
Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy, December 2025 Release, p. 88 -106.
www.journalnft.com
