Solution-focused Therapy Techniques - Pre-session Change Flashcards
When do solution-focused therapists believe that the counselling process begins?
Prior to the first session. They believe that clients have already tried many things themselves before deciding to see a counsellor.
Why do solution-focused therapists believe the counselling process begins before the first session?
Because often the decision to attend counselling, and to book the session, is enough to begin the change process.
What is the pre-session change question?
(Asked at the first session).
“What have you done to help yourself since booking the appointment?”
After the client has asked the pre-session question, and the client has responded, what other questions may the therapist ask?
“How did that happen?”
“What did you do”
What is the purpose of asking the client these pre-session questions?
- Such questions credit the client with making positive changes and can help reveal information that will be useful for strategy development later in the counselling session.
- It encourages the client to see that they are able to make changes themselves without relying on the counsellor, since they happen prior to the first counselling session.
What question can clients ask in subsequent sessions that presuppose change?
“What is better since last time we spoke?”
What are coping questions?
Coping questions ask about how clients somehow manage to keep going in spite of the adversity they face.
What do coping questions encourage the client to do?
They encourage the client to take note of how they are managing their life despite the presence of the problem.
What sort of questions should the therapist ask if the client cannot identify any positive change?
Coping questions - questions that are directly related to the clients ability to cope.
What are some examples of coping questions?
“What did you do to stop it being a total disaster?”
Considering how overwhelmed you feel, how is it that you were able to get out of bed this morning make it to our appointment?”
