A Simple Salad Bowl of some SF concepts, techniques and knowledge Eva Golding
From time to time This booklet will highlight some SF approaches you may have already been practising on a daily basis. It aims to help you appreciate the type of SF mindset, attitude and behaviour that we may already have, so that you can engage in helpful and constructive interactions with others more confidently and consistently. s f in our interactions in different settings. From time to time This booklet is a collection of ideas, technique-learning and exercises, articles and useful information, a reminder of your own SF potential 1
The SF approach emphasises collaborating with clients to identify what they want instead of focusing on the problem, to realise ways to move forward than dwelling on the past. Using the SF conversational techniques with clients, they see their own goals, strengths, possibilities, which can encourage them to view themselves as not being a problem but a person who actually has the ability to move forward. Consequently, the client’s view of their problem can take on a different meaning which can help them to think outside of the overpowering and self-consuming nature of their emotions and thoughts which hinder change. The SF approach was originally developed as a counselling/therapy method of helping people to focus on solutions rather than problems. Hence, the name, Solution Focused Brief Therapy. Over the years it has been adapted and used in other settings i.e., social work, health care, education, business management, government and coaching practices. These applications reflect the versatility and pragmatic value of the approach. SO, WHAT IS THE SOLUTION FOCUSED APPROACH? 2
Questions that help establish goals or what is wanted: ● What is your best hope for this session? ● How will you know that it has been worth your while to come here today? ● How do you think this session might help you? ● How will you know when things are getting better? ● What have you come here today to change? Questions that help identify what is working already in relation to the goal: ● Tell me about the times you cope despite feeling….? ● When have you been in a similar situation and succeeded? ● What is different about the times when this problem doesn’t occur? ● What needs to happen for the changes to keep happening? ● How have you overcome those obstacles? ● What would be worth doing again, perhaps in a slightly different way? ● What have you learned from what you’ve tried so far? ● What have you thought about doing instead? ● Are there any strategies which you are thinking of experimenting with? 3
Mir L There are some techniques that help contextualise the SF questions. The most used two are the scaling technique and the Miracle question aC EIt helps to: • identify what is wanted • identify the strengths, resources, and any change that has already taken place • identify the next step and ways to progress to the next step What can you scale? ● Client’s situation - career change, relationships, moving house, taking up a course…. ● Client’s commitment - going to the gym, giving up smoking, improving relationship(s)…. ● Client’s emotional well-being - level of depression, anxiety, stress, anger, phobia…. ● Client’s behaviour: reducing drinking/drug use, eating and diet…. ● Client’s level of self-esteem and confidence ● Client’s desire to change something etc. 4
You could start with asking the client this question: ‘On the scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the desired situation (i.e. feeling confident in social situations) and 0 the opposite, where are you now? How to conduct the scaling technique Suppose the client says 6 - (present situation established) ‘What has helped or happened that put you on 6 from 5 or even lower? - (identifying strategies, exceptions and strengths) Ask ‘what else?’ a few times (to explore and recognise what else has worked for them) ‘What does 7 look like to you? – (to establish the next step) ‘What needs to happen for you to be on 7?What else (few times)? – (to explore ways to move toward 7) a 5
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It helps to: ● develop well-defined, achievable, and realistic goals. ● provide glimpses of solutions that may not have been present before. ● liberate the client from the problem saturated mindset, to think in terms of how to move forward. ● help the client begin to specify the behavioural cues from those around them which provide feedback that they are on the right path. THE MIRACLE QUESTION 7 The idea is to ask the client to visualise and describe the day in detail when the p n r o o t bl p ems are resent. Please note, the tot hlity of the ttįQ procedure is a technique, however many of the SF questions are imbedded with the ttįQ concept.
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Interaction between SF practitioners and clients: How clients relate to problems They see themselves being in the midst of a problem world and all that relates to it How SF practitioners relate to problems There are many aspects to a person’s world which they are experiencing simultaneously. The person’s narration of the problem can change when other aspects are brought into view which may change the prevailing view of the problem. 9
How some clients approach problem resolution: How SF practitioners approach problem resolution: It is by nurturing other aspects of the client’s world rather than talking too much about the problem that change can happen. Eventually a new reality and a better narration of the client’s life emerges like a blossom, dissolving or changing the client’s perception of the given problem. They normally try to deal with a problem ‘head on’ like taking boxing gloves to a boardroom meeting. 10
Problem Talk any talk that encloses our thinking and conversation within the problem Solution Talk talk that focuses our attention on resources, strengths, skills, and actions that help us move toward the desired outcome Examples of problemfocused talk: ● Keep on talking about the problem ● Complaints and criticisms ● Analysing the problems ● Searching for causes of problems ● Identifying barriers ● The person as the cause of problems etc… Examples of solutionfocused talk: ● Focus on what is wanted ● Exploring possibilities ● Identifying resources ● Identifying what is working ● Describing successes ● Identifying skills and qualities etc…. There are many SF concepts, here is one of them: 11
AFF b IRMATION COMPLI AND MENTS Affirmations and compliments promote positive emotion which can encourage actions. Giving positive remarks about the quality and attributes of the person could help toward achieving their desired outcome. As a group, practise affirmations by stating what you have noticed about your fellow participants i.e. strengths, talents, attributes or actions that you have been impressed by. Each participant will then be invited to share what effect hearing the affirmation has had on their ‘doing’ for the rest of the day. activity 12
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Compiled by Eva Golding MSc., MA. If you want to explore the SF approach further with me, I can be contacted on [email protected] or [email protected] Graphics & Print by Printworkuk.com