Integrated Past, Branching Future: A Narrative Tool for Having One Self and Many

Is counseling most effective when the self is treated as unified or as multiple? The answer for many counselors and clients is both, and to assist them in navigating this apparent paradox, we present a new narrative tool, based on the Me/I distinction of William James, for explaining why the self can be simultaneously unified and multiple—and when and how to guide the self into developing its unity and/or its multiplicity.