Solution-Focused Therapy

1. Solution-Focused Therapy Chapter 12

2. The Case of Kelly 22-year-old single Caucasian male Complains of problems managing his temper Increased anger Easily offended Short fuse

3. Positive view of human nature Constructivist Change is constant Basic Philosophy

4. Basic Philosophy Traditional Therapy Always a cause for a symptom Insight is necessary for change Removing symptoms is useless Symptoms serve functions Clients are ambivalent about change True change takes time Where is the pathology?

5. Solution-Focused Therapy Clients have strengths and resources to resolve complaints Change is constant Therapist’s job is to facilitate change Don’t need to know a lot about a problem to solve it Solution-Focused Therapy Don’t need to know the cause/function of a problem to resolve it Small change is change Clients define what they want to change Fast change is possible There is no one right way Focus on what is possible and changeable Basic Philosophy

6. Human Motivation Solution-focused therapists are not concerned with factors that motivate human behavior

7. Central Constructs Exceptions Change Talk Solutions Strengths and Resources

8. Theory of the Person Solution-focused therapy is a theory of counseling Solution-focused therapy does not have a theory of personality development

9. Psychological Health and Dysfunction No attention to health versus dysfunction

10. Nature of Therapy Assessment Role of the counselor Role of the client Goals of therapy Change what the client is DOING Change how the client is VIEWING the problem Mobilize the client’s RESOURCES and STRENGTHS

11. Process of Therapy Create a solvable complaint Therapist joins with the client Reconstruct the complaint Get the client to do “more of the same” that works!

12. Process of Therapy Therapeutic Techniques Questions Presuppositional questions Miracle question Scaling questions Fast-forward questions Asking about the problem Normalizing the Problem Compliments Prediction Tasks

13. Process of Therapy Therapeutic Techniques First session formula task Generic task Altering the performance of the complaint Surprise task Write, read, and burn Structured fight Do something different Solution-oriented hypnosis

14. Evaluation Qualities Precision Testability Empirical validity Research Support Outcome research Theory-testing research

15. Pros Collaborative relationship Counselor constructs the view of the problem with the client Brief Future orientation Focused on solutions rather than problems Cons Individualistic Does not attend to the power of stereotypic gender roles Issues of Individual and Cultural Diversity