Gerald B. Sklare - Brief Counseling That Works: A Solution-Focused Therapy Approach for School Counselors and Other Mental Health Professionals

• Gerald B. Sklare

FOR INFORMATION:

Corwin

A SAGE Company

2455 Teller Road

Thousand Oaks, California 91320

(800) 233-9936

www.corwin.com

SAGE Publications Ltd.

1 Olivers Yard

55 City Road

London EC1Y 1SP

United Kingdom

SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd.

B 1/I 1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area

Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044

India

SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd.

3 Church Street

#10-04 Samsung Hub

Singapore 049483

The book is based on the work of Steve de Shazer (1985), who developed the SFBC approach. He discovered that by focusing on solutions rather than problems, clients were getting better faster than with traditional counseling modalities. Implicit in the model is the belief that clients are not always overcome by their problems. In fact, solutions are present even though they may be unrecognized. By rediscovering their resources, clients are encouraged to repeat past successes. As simple as this sounds, it represents a powerful, empowering dynamic that enables clients to quickly resolve the difficulties that brought them to counseling.

presents background, research, rationale, and principles for SFBC. The chapter also highlights the reasons SFBC techniques work well with clients from various cultural backgrounds. The exercise at the end of the chapter guides you to experience firsthand the effects of problem-oriented questions versus solution-oriented questions.

demonstrates how to introduce clients to solution-focused counseling and how to facilitate the initial goal-setting phase of the model. Step-by-step procedures prepare you to help clients identify, behaviorally, what they will be doing to achieve their goal. In the section on the miracle question, you learn how to help clients explore their goal by painting a mental picture of what their lives would look like if they were problem free. The exercises at the end of the chapter provide practice with goal setting and an opportunity for you to experience how the miracle question can help you with a problem youd like to overcome.

describes how you can equip clients to identify instances of unrecognized success and exceptions to their difficulties. You learn how to encourage clients through cheerleading that reinforces even slightly successful steps clients have used to improve their situation. This chapter also covers scaling techniques clients can use to assess their current status as well as progress toward their goal. The chapter concludes with detailed instructions for constructing a messagecomposed of compliments, a bridging statement, and taskthat clients receive at the end of each interview. A practice exercise gives you a chance to apply these steps in addressing a personal situation of your own.

.

describes how to conduct an abbreviated SFBC counseling session and provides a flow chart and note sheet to help you implement the process. This short format is ideal when counselors and mental health practitioners may only have time for a 20- to 25-minute session with a client.

covers the interventions you use in second and subsequent sessions to address the successes and challenges clients have experienced since the previous meeting. The chapter also discusses the scaling interventions used during second and subsequent sessions to determine clients progress, and the use of a message to reinforce behaviors that keep clients on track for reaching their goal.

addresses ways you can help reluctant and mandated clients become cooperative customers for counseling. The chapter also provides suggestions for dealing with particularly challenging situations and details techniques for turning difficult situations into workable goals.

describes eight other applications of the solution-focused approach. It discusses 10-second "counseling," the use of a solution-focused referral form, and how to implement the solution-focused approach using puppets and using sand trays. The chapter also details how solution-focused concepts and techniques have been applied with small groups, entire classes, parentteacher conferences, and guided imagery for groups.

contains detailed instructions as well as pages that can be enlarged and duplicated to create the booklet participants use in the solution-focused guided imagery group activity.