Week 6 - Solution Focused Brief Family Therapy Flashcards
Who was is Milton Erickson’s African Violent Queen?
Erickson went to see this depressed woman in a wheel chair. She lived in a mansion alone and rarely ever went outside the house. She was depressed and her nephew was on thinking of suicidal thoughts. The woman showed Erickson around her mansion and they finished the tour in the green house. The whole house was dark and depressing except for the green house where african violet plants grew from the one plant. Erickson told the woman to keep up to date with the newspaper and take an african violet plant to every marriage, death, graduation, birth any event as a condolence or congratulation. The woman followed these instructions and after many years of continuing this she died but had become to be known as the African Violet Queen. Erickson’s way of helping this woman was not to eliminate the depression in her life by drugs, but to bring out the living, thus the african violet plant.
Why is solution focused therapy a revolution in psychotherapy?
It has changed the practice of therapy all over the world.
Psychology (positive psychology), social work (strength-based counselling and social work), and organisational consulting (appreciative inquiry) have variations of it in widespread use today
What was Don Norum’s “The family has the solution” approach?
Families often have the solution but don’t talk about it because therapists don’t ask
What is MRI/Strategic therapy?
Behavioural and interaction focus
What did the Milan Family Therapists say about the solutions to problems?
Solution is not necessarily linked to the problem
What does SFT assume people have?
People have resources, skills, strengths, abilities, competencies and solutions
What does therapy allow to increase in emphasis and prominence?
What gets focused on and talked about during therapy increases in emphasis and prominance
What is the relevance of the cause of the problems in SFT?
What caused the problem is not as relevant as what helps make the situation better
What is the main focus of SFT?
Focus is more on actions, viewpoints and contexts than on personality traits, feelings or intention
What are clients according to SFT?
Clients are experts on their own lives and experiences?
What is resistance according to SFT?
Resistance is typically brought about by unhelpful interactions between therapists and clients
What is not always necessary in SFT?
It is not always necessary to understand all about the problem in order to begin to change it
What is the principle of SFT that intervening certain things?
If it is working for the client(s) and does not harm anyone, there is no need to intervene or change it, even if it does not fit some theoretical model of “mental health”. If you find something that works, even a little, encourage the client to do more of that
What is the principle of SFT relating to unhelpful or problematic conversations?
Do not take up unhelpful or problematic conversations. Listen politely and then refocus on what s working, could work or what the client wants
What should be asked, complimented on and recognised in SFT?
Ask about and listen for exceptions, solutions and preferences. Compliment people when possible and when congruent and not patronising; recognise their progress, positive coping skills and their competence
How long should SFT take?
It should be as brief as possible?
What are the attitudes of SFT?
Curiosity, non-expert stance,
not interested in causes, labels, diagnoses or exploring the past,
pragmatic,
not much use of jargon - plain speaking
What is SFT not interested in?
causes, labels, diagnoses or exploring the past
What is the normative model of healthy in SFT?
There is no normative model for “healthy” thinking or living
Why do SF therapists take a non-expert stance?
As clients are experts on their lives, responses to our interventions and experiences
What are the 5 main traits of SFT?
Client-directed Interactional Goal-directed future-oriented competency-based
Who us the customer client?
These clients are active and want to do something about their situation?
Who is the visitor client?
No problem stance. A client who does not know or cannot verbalise his or her complaint or problem
Who is the complainant client?
No control stance. These clients do not want to do anything themselves but want someone or something else to change
What is the generic SFBT interview format?
- hosting - social stage (non-problem talk)
- Pre-session change
- Goaling
- Exceptions
- Scaling questions
- Break
- Message
What happens in the GOALING stage of SFBT?
Goaling for preferences and possibilities. Finding out what the client wants to be different (using miracle questions, coping questions). It is obtaining descriptions of what clients want to be different
