A Primer on SolutionFocused Therapy
Jeff Chang, Ph.D, R.Psych.
Associate Professor
Graduate Centre for Applied Psychology
Athabasca University
May 6, 2014
A Primer on Solution-Focused
Therapy
O Assumptions
O Video demo: Process
O Five useful (kinds of) questions
O Relationship patterns
O Resources
Assumptions
O Attempting to understand the cause of a
problem is not a necessary step toward its
resolution;
O Successful therapy depends on knowing
where the client wants to get to;
O However fixed the problem pattern seems to
be, there are always times when the client is
already doing some solution building;
O Problems may or may not represent
underlying pathology or deficits;
Assumptions
O Sometimes only the smallest of changes is
needed to set in motion a solution to the
problem;
O It is the counsellor’s task to:
O Discover how clients can cooperate with
counselling (the concept of resistance is
considered unhelpful)
O Listen carefully for when things are better (or
not as bad)
O Carefully craft your responses to amplify when
things are better
Video demo: Process
Matthew Selekman
O Hypothetical solutions: The Miracle Question
O Real-life exceptions: “Is a little bit of this
happening already?”
O Describing and amplifying solutions
O In session
O Between sessions
O
Jeff
Five Useful Questions
O Miracle Question
O Exception Questions
O Relationship Questions
O Coping Questions
O Scaling Questions
O Progress
O Motivation
O Optimism
Video demo: Process
Jeff Chang
O Looking for openings/listening for change
O Accepting client ideas
O Regrouping
Three Relationship Patterns
O Visitor-Host
O Complainant-Listener
O Customer-Seller
Visitor-Host
O Compliments only
Complainant-Listener: Tasks of
observation and prediction
Increase client's recognition of solution patterns:
When the client cannot identify exceptions/doesn’t
have well-formed goals:
O "pay attention to what’s happening in your life that
tells you the problem can be solved”
O The Formula First Session Task
When the client can identify exceptions, but they
are random:
O “pay attention to what’s going on when things are
better”
O "See if you can tell whether it's a normal version of
the problem or a clinical version of the problem.”….
O Predict and Reconcile Task
O “What are you doing when you overcome the urge to
____?”
Customer-Seller
Tasks of action: Increase the enactment of
solutions:
When the client has a clear miracle picture but
cannot identify exceptions:
O "Pretend the miracle happened.“
When the client is highly motivated, but does not
have well-formed goals:
O "Do something different”
When the client has well-formed goals and
deliberate exceptions
O “Continue to do more of what works."
When clients are motivated, but have different
ideas about the solution
O Coin Flip Task or The Surprise Task
Resources
O Linda Metcalf
O Michael Durrant
O John Murphy