CHAPTER 14: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Narrative Family Therapy Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice 6th Edition Samuel T. Gladding Developed by Nathaniel N. Ivers, Wake Forest University © (2015, 2011, 2007) by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Overview Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Narrative Family Therapy

Solution Focused Brief Therapy Grew out of strategic therapy Represents a departure from a focus on pathology-drive approaches to therapy by concentrating on skills, strengths, and resources that clients possess It is change-oriented in that it emphasizes finding solutions for dealing with problems

Solution-Focused and Solution-Oriented Family Therapies: Major Theorists Steve deShazer Insoo Kim Berg Michele Weiner-Davis Eve Lipchik Bill O’Hanlon

Steve deShazer Helped to establish the Brief Family Therapy Center Emphasized solutions over problems, and identified his theory as brief family therapy Often referred to later in life as the “Grand Old Man of Family Therapy” Died unexpected in 2005 in Vienna, Austria

Insoo Kim Berg Helped to establish the Brief Family Therapy Center, where she served as Executive Director Helped found the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Association Developed the miracle question Authored or co-authored 10 books on solution-focused therapy and numerous articles

Bill O’Hanlon Trained under Milton Erickson Has become a major proponent of solution-focused therapy, which he prefers to call possibility therapy Characterizes his approach as one that is pragmatic and full of Midwestern values

Michele Weiner-Davis Has written popular books on solution-focused family, such as Divorce Busting. Creator of the relationship program, Keeping Love Alive. Recipient of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy’s Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Marriage and Family Therapy Award and Smart Marriages’ Impact Award

Premises of the Theory Built on the philosophy of social constructionism Shares some of the same premises about families as the MRI strategic approaches Emphasizes the belief that dysfunctional families get stuck in dealing with problems Aim of therapy is to break repetitive, nonproductive behavioral patterns by setting up situation in which families take a more positive view of troublesome situations and participate actively in doing something different

Premises of the Theory Three basic rules for helping families make positive changes: If it is not broken, do not fix it. Once you know what works, do more of it. If something does not work, do not do it again. Do something different. Identifying what a problem is versus a nonproblem (or exception) is a key component in solution-focused brief therapy

Premises of the Theory Does not focus on a detailed family history of problems Causal understanding is unnecessary. Families really want to change. Only a small amount of change is necessary.

Treatment Techniques Co-creation of a problem Miracle question Exceptions Scaling Second-order (qualitative) change Compliment Clue Skeleton keys

Treatment Techniques Between now and next time we meet Do something different Pay attention to what you do when A lot of people in your situation would have Write, read, and burn your thoughts

Role of the Therapist Therapists determine how active a family will be in the change process. Clients usually fall into one of three categories Visitors Complainants Customers Therapists are facilitators of change Presuppositional questioning Positive blame

Role of the Therapist Solution-focused family therapists believe that it is important to fit therapeutic interventions into the context of family behavior Often a team approach Solution-focused family therapists encourage families to make small changes and to do so rapidly Therapist does not distinguish between short- and long-term problems

Process and Outcome Solution-Focused Family Therapy is focused on encouraging client-families to seek solutions and utilize internal resources. Pathology does not play a role in the process. Assumes that change is inevitable – it’s only a matter of when.

Unique Aspects of Solution-Focused Family Therapy Solution-focused theories Concentrate on and are directed by a family’s theory Therapists assist families in defining their situations clearly, precisely, and with possibilities Solution-focused therapy does not focus on clinical understanding of the family situation by the family or the therapist It is empowering and meant to assist families in assessing and utilizing their resources Emphasizes achievable goals, such as small behavioral changes.

Narrative Family Therapy Originated in Australia and New Zealand Focuses on helping families solve difficulties by depersonalizing them and rewriting family stories Focuses on externalizing problems so families can work together on them.

Major Theorists Michael White David Epston Michael Durrant Gerald Monk

Michael White Influenced by Bruner, Foucault, and Vygotsky, as well as by Feminist theory He also learned that narratives may be overshadowed by dominant problem-saturated stories Influenced by Foucault Believed that problems could be addressed when a culture’s values and ideas could be questioned or challenged. Established the Adelaide Narrative Therapy Centre

Premises of the Theory Nonsystemic approach to working with individuals and families based on liberation philosophy Distinguishes between logico-scientific reasoning and narrative reasoning People live their lives through their stories, and families are formed and transformed through stories Emphasizes empowering client-families to develop their unique and alternative stories (reauthoring their lives) Client-families urged to externalize problems to solve them

Treatment Techniques Externalization of the Problem Influence (Effect) of the Problem on the Person Influence (Effect) of the Person on the Problem Raising Dilemmas Predicting Setbacks Using Questions Exceptions Questions Significance Questions Letters Celebrations and Certificates

Role of the Therapist Collaborator, who assumes the role of nonexpert Centrifugal Use relationship skills such as attending, paraphrasing, clarifying, summarizing, and checking Assist families in separating themselves from old, problem-saturated stories by constructing new stories (reauthoring) Help new stories emerge by looking for unique outcomes

Process and Outcome Process consists of three phases: Deconstructing the dominant cultural narrative Externalizing the problem Reauthoring the story (Molina et al., 2004, p. 144)

Unique Aspects of Narrative Family Therapy Emphasizes reauthoring by families of their stories Individuals and families asked to look for exceptions to the difficult situations they are experiencing Expectations of setbacks and the raising of dilemmas are built into narrative family therapy Letters are sent to families about their progress, and celebrations are held when goals are achieved.