BRIEF SOLUTION-FOCUSED COUNSELING Alycia Helbling, Steve Coop & Mike Lambert

Introduction to Brief Counseling  Theory  Counseling Relationship  Goals  Techniques

Individual Brief Counseling Vignette #1: Derek, 3rd grade Reason for Referral: Difficulty with transitions between recess/PE and classroom instruction SFBT Process:  Search for pre-session change in behavior  Goal Setting (can occur at any time)  Present the "Miracle Question"  Ask Scaling Questions  Search for Exceptions  Summarize  Provide Message with compliments and task

Transitions tran·si·tion [tran-zish-uhn, -sish-] noun movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another; change: the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Are transitions important for counseling?  Yes!  Universal experience  Adaptability  Resiliency  Well-being

Define Transition(s)  Within school transitions  Between school transitions  School-to-work transitions  Other life transitions

Brief Counseling Classroom Activity

24 Signature Strengths 1. Love of Learning 2. Bravery(valor) 3. Vitality (zest, enthusiasm, vigor, energy) 4. Leadership 5. Appreciation of beauty and excellence (awe, wonder, elevation) 6. Humor (playfulness) 7. Creativity (originality, ingenuity) 8. Curiosity (interest, novelty-seeking, openness to experience) 9. Open-mindedness (judgment, critical thinking) 10. Perspective (wisdom) 11. Persistence (perseverance, industriousness) 12. Integrity [authenticity, honesty]. 13. Love 14. Kindness (generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, “niceness”) 15. Social Intelligence (emotional intelligence, personal intelligence) 16. Fairness 17. Gratitude 18. Hope [optimism, future-mindedness, future orientation] 19. Spirituality [religiousness, faith, purpose] 20. Forgiveness and mercy 21. Self-regulation[self-control] 22. Citizenship [social responsibility, loyalty, teamwork] 23. Humility/Modesty 24. Prudence

Options for all ages  Elementary School  Middle School  High School

Brief Solution-Focused Small Group Counseling Guiding principles of the group:  Exploring the challenging as well as positive experiences of transfer students.  Creating “SMART” goals for addressing the challenges of the student.  Highlighting student strengths to be used to overcome challenges and reach goals.  Focusing on positive changes as a result of the student’s effort to make a change.

Group Plan Session Length: 45 minutes Duration: 7 weeks Week 1: Group introduction Week 2: Explore experience and hopes Week 3: From hopes to reality Week 4: Exploring student strengths Week 5: Putting goals into action Week 6: Positive Changes Week 7: Wrap Up

Group Plan (cont.) Rotating Groups Grade Level Accommodations:  Elementary School (k-5)  Middle School (6-8)  High School (9-12)

Cultural Considerations Positives  Focused on client values  Brief and goal oriented Challenges  Individualized

Resiliency and Protective Factors  Focused on client strengths  Builds client's personal identity  Connects client strengths and skills to life challenges

Further Considerations  Positives  Fits well in schools due to limited resources of time.  Limitations  Not for extreme situations: suicidal clients, personality disorders, extreme anxiety, and more.  Not for clients with severe mental disabilties  Not good for clients who want a counselor to provide "expert" opinion.  Can be difficult but doable with reluctant clients.  Neglects environmental or systemic casues of problem

In Summary  Our theory  Our issue  Individual Plan  How these work together in schools  Classroom Activity  Group Plan  There are limitations, but there are many strengths to this theory in conjunction with the issue of transitions.  Thank you!

References  authentichappiness.org  dictionary.com  persontemplate/ forum|27|outline-of-person-template-i6*jpg/ (puppet image)  Chaudhry, S., Li, C. (2011). Is solution- focused brief therapy culturally appropriate for muslim american counselees? Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 41(2),

References (cont.)  Cooley, L. (2009). The power of groups: Solution-focused group counseling in schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.  Henderson, D. A., Thompson, C. L. (2011). Counseling children (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.  Metcalf, L. (2008). Counseling toward solutions: A practical solution-focused program for working with students, teachers and parents (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Thank you! Thank you for listening to our presentation! Please refer to your hand out booklet for a review of what we have talked about today and more references to help you all as you transition to being effective school counselors!