The First Session In Brief Therapy

In all models of therapy, the initial interview is a significant component: It sets the tone, structure, direction, and foundation of treatment. In brief therapy, the opening moves are even more important because there is less time later to correct errors or change direction. This volume provides practitioners with an up-close view of exactly what expert brief therapists do at the beginning of treatment and why they do it. Each author describes his or her particular orientation, presents annotated transcripts of actual initial sessions, and responds to pointed questions from the editors about their cases. Following an introduction by the editors, the first section of the book covers initial sessions in therapies for individuals. These include the rational-emotive approach, a one-session intervention, an interpersonal psychodynamic model, neurolinguistic programming, and the I-D-E (interpersonal-developmental-existential) approach. Beginning cognitive-behavioral therapy with depressed or drug abusing adolescents is covered, and a directive approach strongly influenced by the work of Milton Erickson is presented. The next section addresses methods and strategies for working with couples and families. Chapters on marital therapy cover an integrative approach that combines an intra- and interpersonal focus in marital therapy, a cognitive-behavioral approach that is based on principles of social learning and social exchange theory, emotionally focused therapy, and an approach that utilizes reflective conversation. A solution-oriented model, "the possibility paradigm," for helping families amplify their strengths is delineated, as is a strategic MRI-style model for working with an individual family member, and a structural approach for creating familial change. An ideal companion to Budman's THEORY AND PRACTICE OF BRIEF THERAPY, this illuminating and unique casebook is essential reading for all clinicians who need to learn more about time-effective models. Offering a comparative view of a variety of models, it is an ideal text for undergraduate and graduate students.

Making Psychotherapy Count from the Start The average client today only comes to therapy five to eight times, and many only come once, so it is increasingly important, therefore, for therapists to achieve first-session success. Therapeutic skills and sales and marketing savvy are equally important to this task. In the first sixty minutes, clinicians must build trust, communicate what they have to offer, and ensure that the client feels different when they walk out than they did walking in. Short, practical, and applicable to all therapeutic modalities, this book walks readers through all the first-session essentials, including preparation for the first session, action-steps for each stage of the session, techniques for changing the emotional climate, and “closing the deal,” to make sure that clients come back for more. Packed with case examples, vignettes, tools, and techniques, The Art of the First Session prepares clinicians with critical skills to cut through performance anxiety, feel and convey confidence with clients, and hit the ground running in therapy with new clients.

How to use limited therapeutic time most efficiently Research shows that many clients seeking therapeutic help attendfor one session only--no matter what their therapist's orientationor approach. Moshe Talmon demonstrates how therapists can turn thissingle encounter into a positive therapeutic experience. Based on a study of hundreds of single-session cases, this bookoffers a realistic, practical approach to using a single session toprompt substantial changes in patients' lives. The author describeshow to make the most of patients' innate ability to healthemselves--presenting insights into bolstering the patient'sexisting strengths, restoring autonomy and confidence, and offeringsolutions that the patient can implement immediately.

Even in one session a therapist can make a difference. Single Session Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques presents the 100 main features of this way of working, providing an accessible, succinct overview of this way of working, based on the author's extensive work demonstrating the effectiveness of SST. Divided into 9 sections, guiding you through every aspect of the therapy, the book covers topic such as: The goals of SST Characteristics of ‘good’ SST clients Responding effectively to the client’s very first contact Creating and maintaining a working focus Making an emotional impact Both concise and practical, Single Session Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques will be invaluable to psychotherapists and counsellors in training and practice.

The latest developments in this groundbreaking therapy approach! More Than Miracles: The State of the Art of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is a ground breaking, intellectually provocative book, revealing new advances in the widely used, evidence based Solution-focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) approach. The final work of world renowned family therapists and original developers of SFBT, the late Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg (who passed away shortly before the book’s release) this definitive resource provides the most up-to-date information available on this eminently practical, internationally acclaimed approach. New revelations about the impact of language in therapeutic change are presented precisely and clearly, illustrated with real life case examples that give readers a “hands-on” view of the newest technical refinements in the SF approach. Challenging questions about the applications of SFBT to complex problems in “difficult” settings are given thoughtful, detailed answers. The book’s unique design allows the reader to “listen in” on the lively discussions that took place as the authors watched therapy sessions. The solution-focused brief therapy approach is based upon researchers observing thousands of hours of psychotherapy sessions and studying which questions and responses were most effective in helping people develop solutions to their problems. More Than Miracles: The State of the Art of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is the most up-to-date, comprehensive review of this approach. This book discusses the latest developments in the fields of family therapy, brief therapy, and psychotherapy training and practice. A succinct overview orients the reader to the current state of SFBT, and provides three real life case transcripts that vividly illustrate the practical applications of SFBT techniques. The seminar format of More Than Miracles: The State of the Art of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy allows readers to: sit in on surprising psychotherapy sessions eavesdrop on the authors’ commentary about the sessions get a comprehensive overview on the current state of SFBT review and understand the major tenets of SFBT learn specific interventions, including the miracle question and the reasons for asking it understand treatment applicability read actual session transcripts understand the “miracle scale” get insight into the unique relationship between Wittgenstein’s philosophy and SFBT better understand SFBT and emotions examine misconceptions about SFBT and more More Than Miracles: The State of the Art of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is illuminating reading for psychotherapists, counselors, human services personnel, health care workers, and teachers.

Solution Focused Brief Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques provides a concise and jargon-free guide to the thinking and practice of this exciting approach, which enables people to make changes in their lives quickly and effectively. It covers: The history and background to solution focused practice The philosophical underpinnings of the approach Techniques and practices Specific applications to work with children and adolescents, (including school-based work) families, and adults How to deal with difficult situations Organisational applications including supervision, coaching and leadership. Frequently asked questions This book is an invaluable resource for all therapists and counsellors, whether in training or practice. It will also be essential for any professional whose job it is to help people make changes in their lives, and will therefore be of interest to social workers, probation officers, psychiatric staff, doctors, and teachers, as well as those working in organisations as coaches and managers.

This classic work provides a richly textured overview of the "whys" and "hows" of brief therapy. The authors identify the central features of effective, time-limited interventions for individuals, couples, families, and groups. Taking a developmental approach to treatment, they explain how brief therapy can help at different times in a patient's life, as changes and transitions bring on new stresses and challenges. A practical framework is provided for selecting and screening patients, rapidly finding a focus for clinical work, and making optimal use of available time. Case examples and extensive transcripts are included to illustrate the use of strategies and techniques drawn from many different psychotherapy perspectives. Throughout, the focus is on creative and efficient ways to help patients build on existing strengths and make desired changes in their interactions with others.