Constructivist - Solution-Focused, Narrative, and Collaborative Language Flashcards
Theorists of Solution-Focused:
- de Shazer
- Berg
- Weiner-Davis
- O’Hanlon
Major Concepts of Solution-Focused:
- There is no absolute reality, therapists should not impose their view of “normal” on client system.
- Co-construction and deconstruct problem-focused thinking
- De-emphasis on history and underlying pathology and focusing on the future.
- Finding exceptions
- Scaling questions, miracle question
Theory of Dysfunction in Solution-Focused:
- The meanings people attribute to behavior limits the range of alternatives they will use to deal with the situation.
- Focus remains on problem and restricted set of behaviors.
Theory of Change in Solution-Focused:
Solutions develop out of amplifying a pattern that already works while simultaneously de-emphasizing the problem or its cause.
Stages of Therapy in Solution-Focused:
- Initial session - attempted solutions, exceptions, miracle question, formula first session task
- Subsequent sessions - discuss how client views changes in the problem, find exceptions, assigning tasks
- Termination - reaching goal
Therapy is brief and can be with one person or entire family.
Stance of Therapist in Solution-Focused:
- Directive, in control
- Engaging
- Collaborative
Methods/Techniques of Solution-Focused:
- Complimenting
- Formula first-session task
- Scaling questions
- Miracle question
- More-of-the-same assignments
Diagnosis/Assessment in Solution-Focused:
- Identification of solution that includes goal
- Can family identify exceptions?
- Can family follow through on interventions?
- Degree of focus
What is the formula first session task?
Solution-Focused
Clients assigned to observe their lives between the first and second session to notice what they would like to continue to have happen.
Theorists of Narrative:
- White
- Epson
- Hoffman
- Anderson
Major Concepts of Narrative:
- Language is all important; emphasis is on meanings.
- Dominant story/cultural discourse, re-authoring, unique outcomes and sparkling events
- Hermeneutics (interpretation) and Objectification.
- Problem creates the system, problems are directional/relational. Symptoms are in the relationship between people, NOT in the person.
- How an event is constructed is how it is experienced.
- We can never know reality, we can only know our construction of reality.
Theory of Dysfunction in Narrative:
- Family members participate in the problem.
- Internalization of the problem.
- Family unable to distinguish problem in “time”
Theory of Change in Narrative:
- Family members realize participation in problem.
- Time is “collapsed” to allow conditions for new responses to develop.
- Family finds alternative solutions.
Stage of Therapy in Narrative:
- Externalizing the problem
- Charting relative influence (how contributing to the problem and learning to separate and control the problem)
- Collapsing time (coherent story of externalized problem, exceptions, and the roles family members play)
- Raising dilemmas (how would the problem continue)
- Setting Experiments
Therapy is short-term.
Stance of Therapist in Narrative:
- Co-creates system with family.
- Neither direct or indirect
- Allow clients a voice in the process of their treatment
Methods/Techniques in Narrative:
- Questions and summaries
- Externalizing/objectifying the problem
- Dilemma questions, landscape-of-action questions (find sparkling events), landscape-of-meaning questions (to encourage positive self-view)
- Escape meetings (outside of session, family working together to escape the problem)
- Note taking and sharing
- Therapeutic certificates and letters
Diagnosis/Assessment in Narrative:
- Family’s experience of the problem
- Language of the family
- Ways family members participate in the problem
Theorists of Collaborative Language Systems:
- H. Anderson
- T. Anderson
- Goolishian
- L. Hoffman
- M. C. Bateson
Major Concepts of Collaborative Language Systems:
- Problems are created through language, not fixed entities.
- Postmodern, philosophical stance; non-pathologizing
- Problem-determined system = people participating in focusing on the problem
- Problem-dissolving therapy - once the problem is dissolved, the system organized around the problem also dissolves.
Theory of Dysfunction in Collaborative Language Systems:
- Problems are maintained in language by a problem-determined system.
- The view of the problem hampers any successful means of resolution.
Theory of Change in Collaborative Language Systems:
- Generate new meaning about the problem.
2. Clients take new action to resolve the problem.
Stages of Therapy in Collaborative Language Systems:
Therapy is a continuous process.
- Focus on language and interaction.
- Dialogical conversation - collaboration of exchanging and discussing ideas, feelings, etc.
- Termination is mutually and collaboratively determined.
Stance of Therapist in Collaborative Language Systems:
- Multipartial, not knowing, honors clients’ reality
- Listener
- Responsive, compassionate
- Egalitarian partner, co-explorer
Methods/Techniques in Collaborative Language Systems:
- Conversational questions
- Not-knowing approach
- Reflecting team (T. Anderson)
- Shared inquiry
Diagnosis/Assessment in Collaborative Language Systems:
- Co-constructed by therapist and client system through “shared inquiry”, linguistic stories.
- Focus on what client system presents.
- Conversational questions are utilized.
How do the constructivist/postmodern models differ in problem conceptualization and intervention?
Solution-focused:
Problem is de-emphasized, build off of exceptions.
Narrative:
Problems arise from problem-saturated stories and are externalized and personified in a process of co-authoring new stories.
Collaborative Language:
Problems are constructed and maintained by problem-determined system and are dissolved through collaborative conversation, finding new meaning.
