As clinicians, recognizing our clients' need for human connection and meaning-making is more important than the depth of professional knowledge and perceived expertise we bring to the treatment space. We need our stories. We need to feel like our stories matter. In clinical work with clients, research shows that the therapeutic alliance is the most significant predictor of healing & therapeutic success. "There is consistent evidence that the quality of the therapeutic alliance is linked to the success of psychotherapeutic treatment across a broad spectrum of patients, treatment modalities, presenting problems, contexts, and measurements" (Stubbe, 2018). Central to the trust borne of this alliance is the clinician's ability to hold the client's story in a non-judgmental way, creating a safe space in which they can express themselves authentically. Using a narrative framework in therapy fosters a sense of human connectedness in a way that helps clients realize that their stories are important. They are empowered to discover self, relationship, and a vision for the future that extends beyond their experiences of trauma and fear; "[…] people's lives and relationships are shaped by the stories they develop to give meaning to experiences (Etchison & Kleist, 2000). In addition, invisibility and othering are prevalent in non-dominant peoples, so we must strive to see, accept, and honor the person in front of us, within the authentic cultural, ethnic, and communal experiences that have shaped them, before we see them through a treatment lens. This presentation will consider the importance of authentic storytelling and a lived experience perspective, to trust and healing in the treatment space, as evidenced in excerpts from three clinical cases.