Understanding Solution Focused practice
In my view the few paragraphs that follow are amongst the most important paragraphs that Steve de Shazer ever wrote and are key to understanding the Solution Focused approach. What do you think?
‘Anything that prompts the client to say that "things are better" needs to be identified as verification of change, and anything new or different or more effective that the client reports needs to be encouraged or amplified. That is, any news of different behavior and perception or news of increased satisfaction is accepted by the therapist as movement toward solution.’ (de Shazer et al., 1986, p212)
‘Since solutions are not predictable in any detail and since there is more than one potential way of behaving in the future without the complaint, the new set of expectations can be constructed out of any satisfactory or beneficial changes. Any change stands a chance of starting a ripple effect which will lead to a more satisfactory future. Therefore, the brief therapist reacts to any change as an indication that things are starting to go right for the clients. It does not seem to matter if a particular change is new or different behaviour, or if it is an exception to the rules of the complaint, or even if it seemingly has nothing to do with the complaint. Any change is a difference that could well prove different enough to be part of the solution. In any case, any change can become part of the construction of a new set of expectations that will be part of creating the solution.
Any spontaneous change, one that is generated by the clients and is not part of a specific, therapeutic directive such as, “next time X happens, do y“, suggests that some sort of fit has been achieved. Further, any spontaneous change can be constructed as part of the solution by the therapist. Of course, since any change helps to promote expectations of further change, fit will be easier to achieve in future interventions.
Although a specific behavioural change may be the stated goal, the expectation that is being constructed involves not only that one bit of behaviour but also other members of the same class of behaviours. Any member of that class of behaviours may start a similar kind of ripple effect. Since a specific change is almost impossible to predict, what the therapist is after is a change in the context or context markers which will promote what the client expects to be different as a result of reaching or achieving the specific goal.’ (de Shazer, S., 1985, p77)
de Shazer, Steve (1985) Keys to Solution in Brief Therapy. New York: Norton.
de Shazer, Steve, Kim Berg, Insoo, Lipchik, Eve, Nunnally, Elam, Molnar, A., Gingerich, Wallace, Weiner Davis, Michelle. (1986) Brief Therapy: Focused Solution Development Family Process 25:207-221.
Evan George
London
28th April 2024
