Solution Focused Approach
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Every counselor has a different mode of therapy or set of principles from which they operate on. My approach to the facets of my work, as well as life in general, is from a Solution Focused point of reference. This set of principles can be applied to conflicts not only from within yourself through individual counseling, but also with others in marital and family counseling or mediation. As a Conflict Resolution Specialist, I will use these guiding principles throughout our process.
Knowing when to push, when to let go, what to listen to, and what to ignore…
All these skills are based on the profound respect for human dignity and working to restore a sense of who they are and what they want to be. – Insoo Kim Berg
What does it mean to have a Solution Focused Approach? Here are some highlights:
- The choice or opportunity to focus on potential solutions
- Spending time exploring a preferred future, a solution, or how it is different when the problem is no longer occurring (what is it that you want?)
- Solution building allows you to focus on how you want or need your life and relationships to be different
- YOU have the answers to resolve your own conflict, you just need a little guidance
- My role is to create an environment for this process of change to occur and by asking the “right” questions
.I was introduced to Solution Focused Brief Therapy, or “SFBT” (the official term includes ‘brief’) in graduate school. “Brief” in the sense that no more sessions are recommended than what is actually necessary. Meaning…You won’t be in therapy forever. I am going to get you going on your way as soon as it makes sense. One aspect I appreciate most about Solution Focused work is meeting people where they are in their process. Where they are right at that moment. Then, using Solution Focused questions to provide them with the tools to explore what is important to them, what is it that they want and what is it that they need to do in order for them to get what they want. It is fascinating to see how clients discover their own solutions and… from within.
I was never comfortable with the idea of fitting people into a prescribed way of therapy that has the potential to leave them relying on everything else except their most powerful resource, themselves. I am passionate about helping people discover what is important to them and provide them the skills needed to learn to make decisions from this place. Calyn Crow, Rocky Mountain Solutions
The very nature of a Solution Focused process is essentially one of it’s best qualities…
Pragmatic (Guiding) Principles:
- If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
- If something is working, do more of it.
- If it is not working, do something different.
- Small steps can lead to larger changes.
- The solution is not necessarily related to the problem.
- Language for solution development is very different from problem talk.
- No problem happens all of the time. There are exceptions to be explored.
- The future is both created and negotiable.
Side note… I am so passionate about my Solution Focused work, that I recently authored a chapter in the Oxford University Press. It will become available on Amazon in mid July 2018. If you are curious about learning more, please send me a message and I can give you more information and additional resources.
(C. Crow. (2018). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Military. A. Froerer, J. von Cziffra-Bergs, J. Kim & E. Connie. Solution Focused Brief Therapy: Helping Clients Managing Trauma. New York, NY: Oxford University Press USA)
I highly recommend Calyn Crow and Rocky Mountain Solutions for mediation. Calyn provided both a professional perspective and a personal presence that guided our painful conflict to clarity.
She brought out our common goals, united myself and the other party and she was able to work the sticking points with accuracy and focus, so we were able to come to an agreement.
She demonstrates tremendous listening skills, astute understanding of the legal system (without seeking to sway either party) and always kept an eye on what would move us forward. I am tremendously grateful for her involvement with my issue and I would both hire her again and recommend her to my friends. – Client Testimonial
For more information on Solution Focused Brief Therapy, please visit the following website: www.sfbta.org/about_sfbt.html