SOLUTION-FOCUSED AND PARADOXICAL COUNSELING STRATEGIES Chapter 10 Brief Counseling:

A GENERAL OVERVIEW FOCUS = SOLUTION Solution-Focused Therapy

SOLUTION-FOCUSED BRIEF COUNSELING (SFBC) Nature of People People are free to make choices and are not victims of their genetics or environment. People are basically good. People are basically rational. People respond better to a present and future counseling orientation. People have the ability to work through their own problems. Focuses on “what” people are doing and not “why” they are doing it. Focus on success instead of failure

Bruce’s Components of SFBC Develop a working alliance to attack the problem. Identify clients’ strengths as a foundation for confidence in their abilities to make positive changes. Implement active, eclectic counseling strategies and interventions. Establish clear, concrete, measurable goals in order to evaluate progress.

Bruce’s SFBC Intervention Tasks “Do something different.” “Pay attention to what you do when you overcome the urge to …..” for the client who has trouble controlling impulsive behaviors. “Tell me about a time when you had a good day at ____ ” for clients who have taken on the victim mentality of believing that nothing good ever happens to them. “Observe and take notes” for clients who have trouble avoiding problem situations and interactions.

Counseling Method Orientation: Clarify the SFBC counseling process. Setting Goals: heart of counseling including statement of the problem: The problem. The feelings associated with the problem. The intensity of those feelings on a 1 to 10 scale. The client’s expectations of what the client would like to have happen in counseling and the goals the client would like to accomplish. Use Active Listening when identifying the problem: (given the brief nature, then identifying the wrong problem is extremely problematic Scaling: “Where are you on a scale of 1 to 10?” Working with positive and negative goals.

Setting Counseling Goals Goals owned or set by the client work best. If clients need assistance, be sure goals are co- created. Set goals that are behaviorally oriented. Goals work best when they are positive, concrete, and reduced to small steps. State a goal in terms of what behavior will occur, how often it will occur, and under what conditions it will occur.

Counseling Method Miracle question: “Should a miracle occur this evening while you were sleeping and when you woke up, you suddenly realized that your problems were solved, what would you be doing that would indicate to you that the miracle had actually taken place?” Relationship questions: “What will your _____ say that will be different after the miracle?” Asking and reinforcing exceptions to the problem solution. Using positive blame.

Counseling Method Scaling progress toward the goal. Asking for 10% improvement Flagging the minefield: “What things might prevent you from moving up 10% on the scale or what might sabotage your plan?” Closing the session. Writing the note: Write the client a message with at least 3 compliments and a bridging statement from each compliment to one of the tasks the client needs to accomplish to raise the scale score 10% or one level from a 4 to a 5.

Five Question Method 1. Ask “How do you experience the problem?” 2. Ask “When do (or did) you not experience the problem? What were you doing then? 3. Have clients rate their current progress on solving the problem on the ) to 10 scale. 4. Ask the miracle question. 5. Set goals based on increasing what works for the client.

A BRIEF OVERVIEW FOCUS = PROBLEM PARADOXICAL BRIEF COUNSELING

P ARADOXICAL BRIEF COUNSELING (PBC) People are independent and resist compliance (actively or passively). PBC focuses on problem formation/elimination. PBC methods are specific and eclectic. Problems reframed as opportunities.

P ARADOXICAL BRIEF COUNSELING (PBC) Two approaches in PBC: 1) one-down position: elevates the client to the expert role and the counselor to the less-than- expert role. 2) one-up frame of reference: the counselor, as expert, prescribes the behavior the client is to follow. “Do more of your symptomatic behavior.” Puts the resistant client in a double bind.

Benefits of SFBC and PBC Wide appeal among cultures and clients who emphasize individual responsibility over family and community. The approach has much to offer counselors who are working under the constraints of managed health care and who are working with large client loads. *Methods of SFBC and PBC are not easy to master.

FAMILY COUNSELING Chapter 15

What makes it different? Focus on family and its members’ interactions and relations Involves interventions to alter the entire family system Problem diagnosis is circular causality, roles each person plays in maintaining problem

What defines a family? Webster’s Dictionary definitions: Group of people who are (1) bound by philosophical, religious, or other convictions, (2) common ancestry, and (3) living under the same roof. And Basic biosocial unit in society having as its nucleus two or more adults living together and cooperating in the care and rearing of their own or adopted children

Systems Theory and Families System = organized unit made up of interdependent parts Whole unit is greater than the sum of its parts Change in any part affects all other parts Family is system in which each member has a significant influence on all other members

Systems Theory and Families Families may struggle to find a healthy balance between two extremes: Enmeshment = over involvement in each others’ lives Disengagement = too much detachment from one another

Systems Approach to Family Therapy: Murray Bowen Focuses on how family members could maintain a healthy balance between being enmeshed and being disengaged. Believes each member should have an individual identity, while maintaining closeness with family.

Murray Bowen Spousal Relationship  Are they able to differentiate themselves as individuals apart from the couple? Differentiation of Self  ability to separate thoughts from feelings  struggle to develop identity and remain part of the family

Murray Bowen Differentiation of Self  Highly differentiated = better at handling stress/anxiety  Increased differentiation by one family member is likely to lead other members to become more differentiated Self-differentiation is principal goal of family therapy

Murray Bowen De-triangulation of Self from Family Emotional System  Triangulation refers to the practice of two family members bringing a third into their conflict  Can be someone inside the family or outside of the family that is being used to “side” with one of the parents.  Examples include  One parent siding with one child to manipulate the other parent.  One parent starting an affair with an outside party to meet needs not addressed in the marriage.

Murray Bowen Emotional Systems of the Family  Understanding the emotional system and how they work central to the theory  Again achieving differentiation primary  Uses “genograms” (fig in textbook) to demonstrate multi- generational trends.  Used these genograms to plot family events, visually represent enmeshed families, show patterns of behavior, and demonstrate triangulation Modeling Differentiation  Using “I” statements and taking ownership of his own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

Structural Family Therapy Founder viewed as Minuchin Goal: to alter family structure and empower dysfunctional family to move towards functional family communications Functional families characterized by each member’s success in finding the healthy balance between belonging to a family and maintaining a separate identity Structural family therapy = a zoom lens that can focus on the entire family or a close-up of any family member

Structural Family Therapy One way to find balance between family and individual identity is to define and clarify the boundaries between the subsystems Boundaries range from rigid to diffuse Secret is in finding the right boundary balance that is well defined Structural family therapy directed toward changing the family organizational structure Take the focus off of the referred patient and back onto the system (often by focusing it on a non- referred member of the therapist).

Strategic Family Therapy Family members’ behavior can only be understood within the family context Haley (1973) - therapist initiates what happens in therapy and plan for solving each problem Focuses on paradoxes (similar in many ways to individual PBC).

Strategic Family Therapy Haley (1976) describes four stages of a typical first interview: 1. Social Stage: build rapport and assess 2. Problem Stage: get clear statement of concern 3. Interaction Stage; family interacts (therapist observes) 4. Goal Setting: define therapy goal in concise, observable, behavioral terms

Communications Approach to Family Therapy Gottman’s Behavioral Interview therapist = educator accurate communication is key to problem solving communicate openly and honestly match intent and impact in communication Focuses on solutions (similar in many ways to individual SFBC).

Virginia Satir’s Conjoint Family Therapy Satir had a positive view of human nature People are rational and have ability to make choices Self-esteem and effective communication are important Behavior is directly related to one’s family position People need a high degree of self-esteem to be a good marriage partner

Theory of Counseling Four components in family situation are subject to change and correction:  The members’ feelings of self-worth  The family’s communication abilities  The system  The rules of the family

Theory of Counseling Family unit becomes dysfunctional when members do not understand the rules Analyzing interactions and communications is important for change Emphasis is on development of trust in relationship Communication = most important factor, the main determinant of the kinds of relationships people have with one another and of how people adjust to their environment, as well as being the tie that binds the family together

Theory of Counseling Fear of rejection common source of anxiety Because people fear rejection, they resort to one response pattern or a combination of patterns These universal roles are described as placater, blamer, computer, distractor and leveler

Theory of Counseling: Communication Styles placater - peace at any price, try to please others or apologize blamer – faultfinders, compensate for lonely feelings by bossing others around computer - calm and correct, with no feelings, pretend no conflict exists distractor - make irrelevant statements, evade issues, withdraw from situations leveler - communicate in a straightforward way, honest thoughts, verbal and nonverbal communication is congruent

Keys to Satir’s System 1. Increase self-esteem of all family members (children should be included in all stages) 2. Help family members better understand each other (and their roles) in order to make changes. 3. Use experiential learning techniques (such as family scupting, simulating each other, and role play)