1. Focusing on resources – solution focused counselling tools Cross Border Seminar Career management skills Dr. in Camilla Bensch 22. 05. 2012 Bled “Problem talk creates problems. Solution talk creates solutions.” Steve De Shazer

2. traditional Solving problems by searching the causes in the past solution focused Focusing on the future - prospect instead of retrospect

3. traditional Diagnosis as a necessary basis for treatment solution focused No necessary connection of problem and solution

4. traditional Counselors are the experts solution focused Clients are the experts – practitioners take „not knowing stance “or “one down stance”

5. traditional Focus is on client’s deficits/weaknesses/ limitations/problems Talk is focused on client’s problems solution focused Focus is on client’s competence/strengths/ possibilities/attempted solutions Talk is focused on possible solutions and change

6. The founders Steve De Shazer (25.06.1940 Milwaukee - 11.09.2005 Vienna) Insoo Kim Berg (25.07.1934 Korea - 10.01.2007 Milwaukee)

7. Methods of solution focused counselling Creating a new vision of the future – developing well formed goals Exception seeking questions Coping questions Making change measurable – scaling questions Compliments – resource focused feedback

8. Creating a new vision of the future – developing well formed goals The objective is not solution in itself, but solution orientation. What is it that will be different for the client, once the problem is solved? Qualities of well formed goals: The goal must be important to the client Keep goals small and achievable Make goals concrete, specific and behavioral Goals express the presence of something or of a behavior, rather than an absence Goals are expressed as beginnings rather than endings The goals are realistic and achievable within the context of the client's life The client sees the goal as involving "hard work“

9. Miracle question "I have a strange, perhaps unusual question, that takes some imagination... Suppose... after we finish here, you go home tonight, watch TV, do your usual chores (list usual tasks here)... and then go to bed and to sleep... and everybody in your household is sound asleep and the house is very quiet... And, in the middle of the night while you are sleeping... a miracle happens and the problems that brought you here are solved, just like that!... But this happens while you are sleeping, so you cannot know that it has happened... Once you wake up in the morning, what would be the first small sign that will make you wonder... there must’ve been a miracle... the problem is all gone! How will you go about discovering that this miracle has happened to you?”

10. Looking for exceptions Exceptions are past experiences in the client‘s life, when a problem could justifiably have been expected, but did not occur or was less often/severe. should be recent. Distinction between purposeful and accidental exceptions.

11. Sounding out exceptions: EARS E licit exceptions: Ask about positive change Eliciting the situations where useful change is already happening (exceptions/past successes). A mplify: Ask for details about positive changes Anchoring exceptions in the client‘s through contextual questions. Ask for the details of positive changes. R einforce: Make sure the person notices and values positive changes Using adequate verbal and nonverbal encouragement. Make sure that the client remembers and appreciates positive changes. S tart over: Go back to the beginning and ask further about changes Once an aspect of change and the respective resources have been exhaustively questioned, repeat the process until no more improvements and exceptions are forthcoming.

12. Coping questions When no exceptions can be discerned – find out what the client is doing to cope with difficult conditions. Looking for strengths & resources in order to reinforce them Chronic situations, e.g. physical disabilities, chronic illness “How do you cope each day?” “How do you manage to get up, instead of staying in bed?”

13. Making change measurable– Scaling questions Continuous evaluation by the clients, of what they are doing to find solutions - usually by means of scalings from 0 to 10. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The success scale: measuring progress towards solution The motivation scale: measuring motivation The confidence scale: measuring hope

14. Making Change measurable – Scaling questions

15. Message End of the session break and message with three parts: 1.compliments 2.bridging statement 3.task

16. Compliments – resource focused feedback Validating the client‘s capabilities and strengths: helpful experiences, having caused clients to think or do something that can be put into use in order to solve the problems. Indirect or direct compliments. Often are in the form of questions: “How did you do that?” - inviting the client to self-compliment by answering the question. Compliments are not paid because of a desire to be nice, but based on reality and addressing what is important to the client.

17. Tasks 5 types: to think to observe to predict to do as if to do

18. Customer type relationship A customer type relationship is established, when practitioner and client have identified a problem together during session, as well as a goal or the image of a solution, towards which they can work. Reaction: no need to do anything special in order to get into solution talk.

19. Complainant or seeker type relationship Although a problem can be identified together during session, the clients fails to realize their part in the process of finding solutions. Instead they often see the solution represented by another person. Reaction: accept the client‘s view, move the conversational focus back from the other person towards the client. “If X would be the way you wished them to be, what exactly would X perceive differently regarding your behaviour?”

20. Visitor type relationship When neither a problem nor a goal can be identified to work on. (involuntary clients!) Reaction: pay attention to the client‘s perceptions and make them realize responsibility for their perceptions. Compliments! Mind how the client did come to you (involuntary referred client?).

21. „It´s hard work to be simple.“ Steve De Shazer