Written by the developers of the microanalysis of opportunities approach, this book describes how clinicians can use this model when listening and responding to clients in solution-focused therapy, training, coaching, and supervision. Joel K. Simon and Lance Taylor begin by reviewing the evolution, philosophical foundations, and intervention tools of solution-focused brief therapy, sharing how their practice has evolved over time from their clinical experience with clients, trainees, supervisees, and colleagues. Moving from theory to practice, the book then explores microanalysis of opportunities, beginning with how the authors developed the approach and created the process. Replete with actual examples of conversations between clients and therapists, and between trainer and trainee, the book demonstrates how the model can be applied in practice with analyses and discussions about analyzed material throughout. It displays the application of the approach to coaching, supervision, and training. This valuable book will not only be useful to therapists new to solution-focused brief therapy, but also to those who are experienced solution-focused practitioners. Psychotherapists, clinical social workers, counselors, and other mental health professionals will find this an illuminating read.

Too often doctors, therapists, and social workers ask “what’s wrong in your life?” rather than “what do you want?” Ronald E. Warner’s Solution-Focused Interviewing is a practical guide to talking to clients using a solution-driven and strength-based approach that empowers clients and helps them to find lasting solutions to their problems. In Solution-Focused Interviewing, asking questions about clients’ goals and resources ­– the strengths that will let them change their lives – is the basis of a three-phase therapeutic process that builds empathy before helping clients to set realistic goals and build a plan to achieve them. Based on more than two decades of solution-focused therapy workshops and Warner’s extensive clinical experience, Solution-Focused Interviewing is the first skill development manual based on this innovative tri-phase approach to interviewing.

An invaluable resource for conducting successful solution-focused therapy.

What is Solution-Focused Therapy? Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) is a unique, goal-directed therapy aimed at helping clients regain autonomy by determining and achieving their own goals. Solution focused therapists encourage clients to focus on solutions, not problems, and help clients effectively plan how to reach their goals. Unlike other therapies, SFT holds an abiding belief in clients' abilities to know what is best for them, rather than have a therapist tell them. Why this book? This book not only provides an overview of the Solution Focused therapy model, its basic tenets, and theories; it also presents intimate interviews with expert practitioners-all of whom use SFT in their own practice. To this end, the book offers a wealth of insight into the theory and practice of SFT, to help practitioners decide whether SFT is right for them and their clients. These experts offer details of their apprehensions, goals, breakthroughs, and overall experiences with the therapy. The team of expert contributors includes Eve Lipchik, Yvonne Dolan, Alasdair Macdonald, Thorana Nelson, and many more. Questions the experts address include: How did you discover that SFT was the model that fit your clients' needs? What characteristics of this model drew you towards it? How has SFT impacted your personal life? What is it about SFT that makes it so effective? What are your favorite cases and how did they affect your work as a therapist?

Too often in practice, there is a tendency to pathologize clients, requiring a diagnosis as part of the helping relationship. Suppose, however, that most of the client problems that social workers encounter have more to do with the vagaries of life and not with what clients are doing wrong. This powerful idea is the philosophy behind the strengths-based approaches to social work. This groundbreaking practice handbook takes this concept one step further, combining the different strengths-based approaches into an overarching model of solution-oriented social work for greater impact. The strengths perspective emphasizes client strengths, goal-setting, and a shared definition of positive outcome. Solution-focused therapy approaches ongoing problems when they have temporarily abated, amplifying exceptions as solutions. This natural but rarely explored pairing is one component in the challenging and effective practice framework presented here by the authors, two seasoned practitioners with over 50 years of combined experience. By integrating the most useful aspects of the major approaches, a step-by-step plan for action emerges. With this text in hand, you will: - Integrate elements from the strengths perspective, solution-focused therapy, narrative therapy, and the strategic therapy of the Mental Research Institute (the MRI approach) into an effective and eclectic framework - Build and practice your skills using case examples, transcripts, and practical advice - Equip yourself with the tools you need to emphasize clients' strengths - Challenge the diagnosis-first medical model of behavioral health care - Collaborate with clients to get past thinking (first-order change), and more to acting "outside the box" (second-order change) - Learn to work with a wide variety of clients, including individuals, groups, and families; involuntary clients; clients with severe mental illness; and clients in crisis For any student or practitioner interested in working with clients towards collaborative and empowering change, this is the essential text.

The one-of-a-kind book that provides training exercises illustrating solution-focused brief therapy! As we recognize our own problem behavior in our lives, most of us struggle for ways to change it. Solution-focused brief therapy is the highly effective practice that works by changing concentration from ’problem’ behavior to ’solution’ behavior in just a few sessions. Education and Training in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy presents articles, essays, and a multitude of exercises that explain this unique type of therapy with an eye toward helping readers to use the ideas for use in their own training and practice. Detailed descriptions of training workshops and exercises spotlight the experiences of SFBT therapists to illuminate in-depth basic concepts and strategies. Education and Training in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy relies on two fundamental ideas, that of a therapist discovering and reinforcing a clients’ existing solutions and exceptions to the problem. Expert trainers discuss strategies that work for training and practicing Solution-focused brief therapy. Several exercises for clients are examined, as well as exercises for the training and supervision of other practitioners learning the process. Exercises include The Name Game, the Complaining Exercise, Inside and Outside, the ’Deck of Trumps,’ and the Solution-Focused Scavenger Hunt. Each chapter explains the circumstances in which to use each exercise, the best ways to enhance effectiveness, and how to stay on track in the teaching or training. This one-of-a-kind book includes helpful tables, thorough questionnaires, penetrating case studies, and each chapter is extensively referenced. Education and Training in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy discusses brief therapy principles such as: negotiating goals engagement through complimenting future orientation language should be imaginative and positive explanations and actions taken to solve problems are interconnected challenging the perceived causes of problems reframing the problem so that it becomes a friend acknowledgement and acceptance of client Education and Training in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy brings together essential ideas, suggestions, strategies, and exercises for solution-focused brief therapy training, making this an invaluable resource for solution-focused brief therapists and therapists who teach and train this form of therapy.

Therapy is frequently miscast as requiring an enormous amount of time and financial commitment, but helpful, goal-oriented therapy can produce positive results after only a few sessions. By focusing on solutions instead of problems, SFBT asks clients to set concrete goals and to draw upon strengths in their lives that can help bring about the desired change for a preferred future.

Benjamin Franklin once said: "Every problem is an opportunity in disguise." In the new and highly successful approach of solution-focused conflict management described here, the focus is on discovering these opportunities to find the "win-win" scenario. The key lies in asking eliciting questions about goals, exceptions, and competencies and in motivating clients to change. Clients' perspectives are considered primary, and they are empowered to formulate their own hopes for the future and to devise ways to make them happen. Focusing on the preferred future facilitates change in the desired direction.

​ ​ New data have come to light through the Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association Archive (hereafter, the Archive). This information is drawn from manuscripts and video featuring one of the SF founders, Insoo Kim Berg, MSW. Archive video examples of Ms. Berg conducting supervision, therapy teams, and case consultation as well as unpublished manuscripts written by her provide unique opportunities to illustrate specific assumptions and techniques rarely seen before. The documents outline Ms. Berg’s philosophy, assumptions, and techniques to conduct supervision, and the videos offer in vivo examples of her supervision and team/case consultation style. Together, the Archive materials offer a rich resource for a book that both informs and illustrates SFS​.