Connie Elliott - Solution-focused brief therapy with clients managing trauma

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Oxford University Press 2018

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Froerer, Adam S., editor. | Cziffra-Bergs, Jacqui von, editor. | Kim, Johnny S., editor. | Connie, Elliott E., editor.

Title: Solution-focused brief therapy with clients managing trauma / Adam S. Froerer, Jacqui von Cziffra-Bergs, Johnny S. Kim, Elliott E. Connie.

Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2018] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018003374 (print) | LCCN 2018004372 (ebook) | ISBN 9780190678791 (updf) | ISBN 9780190678807 (epub) | ISBN 9780190678814 (Online Component) | ISBN 9780190678784 (preprinted case cover : alk. paper)

Subjects: | MESH: Psychotherapy, Briefmethods | Stress Disorders, Traumatictherapy

Classification: LCC RC489.S65 (ebook) | LCC RC489.S65 (print) | NLM WM 420.5.P5 | DDC 616.89/147dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018003374

Adam S. Froerer:To my wonderful wife, Becca, who fills my life with hope. To my kids, Rachel, Toby, and Julia, who have taught me the value of letting hope grow!

Jacqui von Cziffra-Bergs:I would like to dedicate this book to the three people that give me hope and inspire me to teach hope. Geza, Mateo, and Lucthank you for keeping me real, for making me laugh, and for showing me the extraordinary. Also, I would especially like to thank and honor the late Professor Coley Lamprecht for always believing in me even at times when I did not believe in myself. His incredible support and unconditional trust and belief in my ability has fueled my ambitions and allowed me to soar.

Johnny S. Kim:To my children, Bridget and Shamus, thank you for giving my life so much love, joy, and laughter.

Elliott E. Connie:This book is dedicated to all of the clients who have trusted me with their hearts during their toughest times. I only hope my words help and that the words in this book continue to help.

Elliott E. Connie

Johnny S. Kim and Adam S. Froerer

Adam S. Froerer, Cecil R. Walker, Johnny S. Kim, Elliott E. Connie, and Jacqui von Cziffra-Bergs

Jacqui von Cziffra-Bergs

Heather Fiske

Dawn Crosswhite, Johnny S. Kim, and Stacey Anne Williams

Stephen M. Langer

Swathi M. Reddy, Kristin Bolton, Cynthia Franklin, and Karla Gonzalez Suitt

Elliott E. Connie

Calyn Crow

Dawn Crosswhite and Johnny S. Kim

Johnny S. Kim, Jacqui von Cziffra-Bergs, and Stacey Anne Williams

Carla P. Smith and Adam S. Froerer

Christopher K. Belous and Carla P. Smith

Adam S. Froerer, Jacqui von Cziffra-Bergs, Johnny S. Kim, and Elliott E. Connie

This book is only possible because of the clients who trusted us with their care and healing. We want to express appreciation for the courage, strength, and hope they shared with us. We would also like to thank our publisher, Dana Bliss, for his support and encouragement throughout this process. Many thanks are due to the contributing authors who contributed significant chapters to this book and were willing to share their work with us and the world. We would like to express appreciation to the reviewers and those around us who provided valuable feedback. Finally, we would like to thank those meaningful people in our personal lives who surround us and fan our hope, not just through this project but also in all aspects of our lives.

Christopher K. Belous

Mercer University, School of Medicine

Kristin Bolton

School of Social Work, University of North Carolina, Wilmington

Elliott E. Connie

The Solution Focused University, BRIEF International, Private Practice

Dawn Crosswhite

University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work, and Private Practice

Calyn Crow

Rocky Mountain Solutions, PLLC

Heather Fiske

Private Practice, College of Psychologists of Ontario

Cynthia Franklin

Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin

Adam S. Froerer

Mercer University, School of Medicine, BRIEF International

Johnny S. Kim

University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work

Stephen M. Langer

Director, Northwest Brief Therapy Training Center, Olympia, Washington, USA

Swathi M. Reddy

Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin

Carla P. Smith

Mercer University, School of Medicine

Karla Gonzalez Suitt

Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, School of Social Work

Jacqui von Cziffra-Bergs

Solution Focused Institute of South Africa

Cecil R. Walker

Mercer University, School of Medicine

Stacey Anne Williams

University of Denver

Graduate School of Social Work - (Animal-Assisted Social Work)

Josef Korbel School of International Studies (MA)

Aurora Police Department Victim Services Unit - Victim Advocate

ELLIOTT E. CONNIE

Hope. Having been given the privilege of writing the opening chapter for this book, I wondered about how to begin. Then it hit me: this is actually a book about optimism. Or perhaps even more accurately, this is a book about courage. So I cannot think of a better word to open this book than the word hope. I dont mean this as a euphemism. In fact, I mean that quite literally; this really is a book about hope, especially since hope is the key ingredient to helping people overcome challenging events in their lives. So although this book will feature content and treatment suggestions for managing trauma, it is just a stage on which to demonstrate the power of hope.

In this book we (the editors and authors) will be discussing people that have been faced with overwhelming traumas in their lives; we will be explaining how to use this approach in various settings with survivors of traumatic experiences. However, before we get into that I want to make sure you understand a few things about this approach because it will help you make sense of the content that comes later in this book.

As I mentioned above, hope is powerful, and hope is a crucial component of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). In fact, I would even take this statement a step further; I argue that any effective psychotherapy must contain an element of hope. This means that if the professional does not believe in the clients ability to change, then client-change is less likely to occur. This is a radical statement that places some onus for change on the therapist and what the therapist does during psychotherapy sessions. In SFBT, hope is overt and is a clear part of the conversation, which means that hope should also be a clear and overt component of this book.