Blog

When people come to see us they are often very clear about what they don't want. But what do they want? Clients have not always given that question quite so much thought and attention. Evan George proposes 5 simple steps when clients respond to us asking about their best hopes from our talking with 'I don't know'.

Do we have to be particular sorts of people to use the Solution Focused approach. Evan George argues that we do not. Using the approach involves adopting a position in a very conscious and determined way and this is based on a choice, It does not depend on the vagaries, the lottery of what sort of person we may happen to be.

Clients are not 'found', they are co-constructed and just as therapists can 'co-construct' clients who will struggle to find a way forward so can we 'co-construct' clients who are likely to be successful. It is a question of choice . . . and a question of ethics.

Terry Eagleton's recent book sparks off some thinking about the words that we use in the Solution Focused approach. Why is it that we talk about 'hopes' rather than 'dreams'?

Our friend and colleague Elliott Connie from Texas shares some of his recent thinking with us in this guest blog.

This is a 'guest blog' by Denise Yusuf. Denise is co-author with Harvey Ratner of 'Brief Coaching with Children and Young People' and draws here on her experience of working with children and school students.

What is the status of 'body language' in the SF approach. We know that the words we use are only a small part of the way that we communicate and that our understanding of those words in general conversation is mediated through our processing of 'body language'. So how do SF practitioners think about this?

How do therapists and counsellors and others manage when their clients have arrived at the conclusion that telling untruths may be the best strategy for managing their difficult lives. Harvey Ratner shares some of his thoughts.

Recognising our own strengths, what we are good at, our talents and abilities seems to be really tough for many if not most of us. And yet Solution Focused Practice invites clients to do exactly that. So what ideas do we have about how to make this easier for people?

So how do you create a rich, thought-provoking, stimulating, collaborative, enjoyable and indeed moving Summer School? It is simple. Mix together the following ingredients, stir well, simmer for 5 days and trust that with minimal pre-planning the participants will create something unique, something extraordinary that will continue to resonate, quietly, through all of our lives over the year to come.