Solution-Focused
Therapy: The Masters Speak
Elliott Connie, MA, LPC
Linda Metcalf, Ph.D., LPC, LMFT
Saturday, November 15, 2008
9:00am-10:15am
November 15, 2008 Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association
Solution Focused Therapy: The Masters Speak
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Introduction
• What are your best hopes for attending this
presentation?
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• How rebellious are you?
• How much fun do you like to have in your
work?
• Do you like freedom in your work?
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• What we hope to accomplish during our time
together:
• Linda’s story
• Elliott’s story
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• Video Clip
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“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.
It takes a touch of genius, and a lot of courage, to move in the opposite
direction.”
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what we were curious about…
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Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
• What is it about this
model that draws people
to it?
• What do the people that
are drawn to it have it
common?
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• Who is the solution focused therapist?
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The “Masters” we chose to talk to…
•
Alasdair MacDonald
•
Sara Smock
•
Harry Korman
•
Yvonne Dolan
•
Eve Lipchick
•
Thorana Nelson
•
Alison Johnson
•
Tracy Todd
•
Chris Iveson
•
Debbie Hogan
•
Ron Warner
•
Cynthia Franklin
•
Therese Steiner
•
Brian Cade
•
Rayya Ghul
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The Questions
•
How did you first learn about Solution Focused Therapy? (What setting,
and with whom?)
•
How did you discover that Solution-Focused Therapy was the model that
seemed to “fit” with your way of working with clients?
•
What characteristics of this model drew you towards it?
•
How has utilizing Solution Focused Therapy impacted your work with
clients? (Please mention if you utilized a previous model and the difference
you noticed in clients and yourself after switching to Solution Focused
Therapy.)
•
How would your clients describe your work with them? Have any of your
clients who might have experienced another model of therapy commented
on the difference (if any) that they perceived when working with you?
•
What is it about SFT that makes it so effective?
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•
Describe one of your favorite cases and how it impacted your work as a
therapist.
•
Has the use of Solution Focused Therapy impacted you in your personal
life? If so, please explain.
•
What are some key personality traits that you think are shared amongst
Solution Focused Practitioners?
•
What are some common mistakes that therapists “trying on” the model
make most often? If you had a chance to guide them differently, how would
you do so?
•
What are some things you notice students doing while “trying on” this
model that lets you know this model may fit them?
•
If you were training therapists in the Solution Focused Therapy model, what
strategies would you use to train them and how would you present the
material?
•
If you could pick a pioneer Solution Focused Therapist who impacted your
work, who would you name and why?
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What we learned
• Most respondents were
trained in other
therapeutic approaches
prior to discovering
SFBT.
Cynthia Franklin
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• The SFT community
has been remarked as
being very accepting of
newcomers.
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• Once the shift was made to using SFT in their
work, that work became more fun.
• Therese Steiner
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• The theory became a way of life, not just a way of
working with clients.
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• Once SFT was discovered it
was like “coming home”, a
name to what “I was already
doing”.
• Chris Iveson
• Brief Therapy
Practice-London
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• There is a flow or a
“poetry” to the way the
respondents told their
stories.
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• There is a passion for
this model.
• Rayya Guhl
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• People enjoyed being a
part of the project and
queries were often
responded to quickly.
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• SFTers constantly
search for discovery
with in uses of the
model. Still students.
• Allison Johnson
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• SFTers have a determination to add to the evidence
base of this model with different types of research.
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• Most of the questions
were hard to answer.
• Tracy Todd
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• Mentors and trainings
were very important in
the ability to learn this
model.
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• Quotes had meaning in the responses.
• Thorana Nelson
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• SFTers are creative and
energetic.
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• Many have been
directly impacted by
Steve deShazer and
Insoo Kim Berg.
• Yvonne Dolan
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Conclusion
• Which traits do you identify with?
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model connected the sfbt to life, personally.
• The sfbt always notices that the conversations remind them
some of how their grandmother talked, or others talked to them.
• SFBT connected their lives together…sort of made it all make
sense.
• They talk of an underlying theme that has been running in their
lives before and now they have a name for it.
• Someone finally gave them permission to do different things in
therapy and that was thrilling.
• They are quote people.
• There is poetry to their descriptions, narratives and therapy.
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• Everyone in the SFBT culture remarks on the
openness of the culture.
• The SFBT never backs down because it becomes who
they are, they live it and the clients are so pleased with
the results. That’s what makes it worthwhile….the
clients.
• They receive pleasure from the work.
• They respond quickly to each other’s queries and with
questions….not advice.
• They enjoy being part of a project or offering help.
• They are accepting.
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for positions.
• They are passionate and emotional about the model.
• They don’t recognize boundaries of the model. The
SFBT expects sft should go beyond therapy and
should be applied everywhere…occupational
therapists, schools, etc.
• There is always a vision and it is never
impeded…where shall we go? Everywhere.
• They are creative.
• There is a greater sense of quality of living.
• There is less stress, less burnout.
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To summarize
• This is a theory for living life.
• This is a way to be with people.
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