1. Solution Focused Work
Christine Sweeney, LCSW-R

2. Best Hopes
When you signed up to take this class, what were your best hopes?

3. Pre-session Change
What has happened to improve your awareness of solution-focused work since you first registered for this class?

4. Strengths
What sort of strengths do you bring to your learning process in this class?

5. Coping Skills and Resources
What sort of coping mechanisms, resources can you draw on to help you in being successful in this training?

6. Goal Setting
What sort of learning goals do you have for this training?
What needs to happen here today so that next week, when you look back on this training, you can say that it was a good idea to come here?
Suppose that you learn something really useful today, How will you know?
What are you hoping can be different for your work as a result of coming here?

7. Exception Finding & Amplification
Have there been other trainings or experiences that have taught you a lot about doing therapy in the past?
Tell me about them? How did they teach so well?
What did you do during those courses or experiences that contributed to your learning so much?

8. Preferred Future Miracle Question
When you finish your workday tomorrow, how will you know you have accomplished your goals for applying what you have learned today?
How will you act, think, feel differently?
What will others notice that is different in your work?
Supervisors
Colleagues
Clients
Family Members

9. Scaling
On a scale of 0-10 with 0 meaning “nothing” and 10 meaning “everything”, where do you think you fall right now in terms of how much you know about doing solution-focused work?
What does a 1, 2, 5 or 8 look like?
Where would you like to be by the end of this training?

10. The Being

11. While Watching the Following Clip, Notice When the Clinician Uses the Techniques Just Introduced

12. Steve De Shazer and Insoo

13. Foundational Beliefs The Future is Created and Negotiated
Clients can change
Clients already have solutions to their own problems—they just don’t know that yet
Solution-focused conversations help them discover these solutions

14. Therapeutic Techniques
Assume a positive, curious, accepting stance
Stay present and future focused
Look for previous solutions
Look for exceptions and amplify them
Ask questions versus direct or interpret
Compliment and validate
Encourage clients to do more of what has worked

15. Solution Focused Assumptions About Parents
Until proven otherwise, we believe all parents want to: 
see their child’s future as better than theirs. 
be proud of their child.
have a good relationship with their child. 
have a positive influence on their child. 
be hopeful about their child. 
hear good news about their child and what their child is good at. 
feel that they are good parents. 
give their child a good education and a good chance of success in life (however they define it). 
© 2002 Insoo Kim Berg 

16. Solution-Focused Assumptions About Children
We believe that all children want to:
Have their parents be proud of them
Please their parents and other adults
Be accepted and be part of the social group in which they live
Be active and involved in activities with others
Voice their opinions and choices
Make choices when given an opportunity
Berg, I.K. & Steiner, T. (2003). Children’s Solution Work. New York: Norton.

17. Co-Construct a Purpose Activity
Partner one, pick something you would like to change and tell partner 2 what that is (for example, “I would like to lose weight”).
Partner 2 ask the following not-knowing question that incorporates the clients words and thus leads from one step behind:
For example, “Suppose you ‘lose some weight,’ what difference will that make?” The client answers, for example: “I’d have more energy.” The interviewer incorporates the added and new client words into the same question: “Suppose you ‘have more energy,’ what difference will that make?” 3. Continue this way as long as new content is being co-constructed, or until the question has been asked a minimum of 12 times.
(Source: Guy Shennan, Guy Shennan Associates,

18. Activity Processing What did you learn from this?
How can you apply this to your interviewing?

19. While Watching the Following Clip, Look for Answers to the Questions Listed on the Next Slide and on Your Handout—Film Clip Questions

20. Discussion What did the interviewer do that was useful or helpful?
Who is important to this client system?
What is important to this client system?
What are the clients key words?
What did the interviewer do to pick up on and build from these words?
How did the clients respond?
What else did the interviewer do to explore the clients’ frame of reference?
What did the interviewer do to stay focused on understanding what the clients may want?

21. Solution Focused Clip 2

22. Constructing solutions and exceptions
Constructing solutions and exceptions. The SFBT therapist spends most of the session listening attentively for talk about previous solutions, exceptions, and goals. When these come out, the therapist punctuates them with enthusiasm and support. The therapist then works to keep the solution-talk in the forefront.
Terry S. Trepper Eric E. McCollum Peter De Jong Harry Korman Wallace Gingerich Cynthia Franklin. Solution Focused Therapy Treatment Manual for Working with Individuals Research Committee of the Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association.

23. Getting Details about Possibilities Activity
Statements from two different clients are given below. For each statement formulate six to eight possible follow-up questions which would begin to get details about any hints of possibility in what the client is saying.
Remember to use to the client's key words.

24. The first client speaks of her struggle with drugs
And it’s like what am I really gonna do? You know, and I think that the first time I realized I had to make a change was when I stopped doing drugs and I was still going to the tavern and around other people and I realized that if I didn’t stop doing that I was going to end up back getting high. So once I changed that and stopped going to the tavern and started going back to the Heavy Hitters (treatment program), everything started to change. You know, like they tell you, “it’s a process.” Everything is not going to happen at once, like I had thought. You know it is not all going to happen at once and I found out it is a lot of pain to change.

25. Your Questions?

26. The Second Client Is A Foster Mother Who Lost One of Her Foster Kids
This client’s talk is more challenging in which to find hints of possibility, but do your best to find any such hints and then formulate questions for details about them.

27. Second Client
He can be ... , but it’s almost like he’s accepting us then when he’s not around his parents for a while And like the last time he started calling us mom and dad, not directly to our face, but he’ll say like, “Where’s Mom?” and, “I’m going with Dad,” or something like that. And then the last time he saw his parents he says, “I call my mom ‘Mom.’ I don’t call you ‘Mom.’” I said, “That’s okay.” So it just, there’s always the, I think he’s betraying his mom if he likes us too much or you know, that’s what I feel, that um, he thinks that he’s not doing good for his mom if he gets too close to us, I guess. I don’t know.

28. Your Questions?

29. Solution Focused Clip 3

30. Amplifying Exceptions and Complimenting Activity 1
Form Groups of 3-4
Select a Client and a Therapist—for now the others will observe and take notes
The client thinks of something which was a recent success with another person (a family member, friend, or co-worker). A success here means something you did which you believe was useful or worthwhile.

31. Amplifying Exceptions and Complimenting Activity 2
The interviewers’ job is to get details about the success, that is, what the person did that contributed to that success (try lots of questions; there is no way you can damage this client).
The other two persons are observers. Their job is to pay attention for and write down:
1) the strengths and resources of the person presenting the success, and
2) questions that the interviewer asks that are useful. (7 minutes)

32. Amplifying Exceptions and Complimenting Activity 3
Change interviewers to the person to the left of the first interviewer. The new interviewer gets details about the useful qualities of the client; that is, what it is about the client that contributed to the success and what the client did to make it happen. She or he also asks about the history of these qualities, that is, how long the client has had them and in what other past successes they have played a role.
The two observers continue to record strengths and resources, and useful questions. (7 minutes)

33. Amplifying Exceptions and Complimenting Activity 4
Change interviewers to the person opposite the second interviewer. The new interviewer asks questions to amplify any useful quality. Ask about what it is about this quality that is so helpful. Ask the client to suppose that the quality played a bigger role in his or her life, what difference that would make and with whom.
Observers continue paying attention for the same things as before. (7 minutes)

34. Amplifying Exceptions and Complimenting Activity 5
Observers/interviewers talk to each other about the strengths and resources of the person presenting the success that they observed. (4 minutes)
Each of the interviewers/observers gives a compliment. The compliment must be genuine in that it is based on information gained through the interview, and it must be unconditional so that the client leaves the exercise “on fire” to do more of the same.

35. Reflection Questions Client: how did this process feel for you?
Therapist: how did this process feel to you?
Observers: how did you feel while observing?

36. Solution Focused Clip 4

37. Following Questions Activity 1
Form Groups of 3-5
In each group of 5, select a client, an interviewer(s); and an observer(s).
Clients can role-play a client or talk about something they have been working on in their own lives ( it is okay for clients to have made progress or to have experienced a relapse).
Observers pay attention for what questions get asked that are useful.
Interviewers take turns asking one question at a time, their questions must be related to the client’s previous answer and incorporate the client’s key words. Spend 20 minutes co-constructing what is better.
After 20 minutes, the interviewers and the observer(s) each give one compliment to the client.

38. Class Discussion Interviewers: What were your client’s key words?
Observers: What questions were useful?
What compliments were given?

39. Options for Responding to “I Don’t Know”
Just wait.
Wait and tell the clients to take their time
“Suppose you did know, what would you say?”
“When you know, what will you say?”
“What will be your first step toward figuring out an answer?”
“What will be the first sign that you have begun to figure this out?”
“How will it be different when you do know?”
“What would your best friend say?”
“What needs to happen first so that you can have an answer?”
“Of course you don’t know, it’s a tough question. What do you think?”
Fiske, H. (2007). Hope in Action. Solution-Focused Questions About Suicide. Routledge, New York, NY

40. Responding to Hostility with the Language of Change
This can be done as 6 individuals or 6 groups.
Each individual/group takes a section of the dialogue printed below which is from a transcript of an interview between a foster care worker and a client (Mary) whose 2 children have been removed from her care because of neglect. The responses of the worker have been removed. Each individual/group should formulate some useful questions.
After each individual/group formulates its questions, one member of the class can play Mary and a representative of each group can try its questions out on Mary who responds in role (30–40 minutes).

41. Responding to Hostility with the Language of Change 2
Case Information: Mary’s 2 children have been removed from her care because of neglect. Her 12 year-old son had been picked up by the police breaking windows at midnight and when they brought him home Mary was not there. Protective Services removed both her children and placed them in foster care.
In the dialogue, the responses of the worker have been removed. Assuming you were the worker, how might you respond from a solution focused approach?

42. Role Play with Hostile Client
Who wants to play Mary?
Each group select a representative try its questions out on Mary who responds in role (30–40 minutes).

43. Class Discussion Which questions do you think were most useful?
Mary what made the most difference to you?

44. Revisit Hopes and Expectations
Revisit the scaling questions.
In the beginning folks rated themselves ____ in their solution-focused skill levels.
What do you feel your scores are now?