Use Of Solution-focused Therapy Research Articles

Constructionist social work in the opinions of social work students and social workers. The example of the Solution Focused Therapy (SFT)

Social constructionism is one of the important contemporary theories used by social workers. Mary K. Rodwell, Stanley Witkin and Peter de Jong point to similarities between the assumptions of constructionism and social work, and to minor differences between them. Solution Focused Therapy is a model example of a constructionist practice. It uses unique types of questions, although therapists also use additional questions and interventions.Empirical research on the use of Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) by employees of social welfare centres was conducted, among others, in 2006 and 2019.The results of the opinion survey of social workers on the value and usefulness of SFT in their work were compared. The first study was conducted in 2006, i.e., at the beginning of the implementation of this method in social welfare centres in Poland. The second study was conducted in 2019 in social welfare centres in Maopolska voivodship. The respondents positively assessed the usefulness of some SFT elements in working with customers (and in their own lives), especially questions about exceptions, scaling questions and the increase in self-confidence.The author also conducted his own survey of the opinion of students of social work at the Jagiellonian University about the SFT course. Like social workers, the students spoke positively about the method in a comparable way. SFT weaknesses included omitting the customer's past, time consumption and the so-called miracle question.Typical difficulties for students in learning SFT are the following: ignoring customer resources, avoiding controversial and conflicting topics, and not considering the other party's opinion as a basis for changing their thinking.Conclusion: social work and education find partial use of SFT. Most of SFT's specific questions and focus on the customer's strengths were appreciated by social workers and students. Difficulties in accepting this method lie in the attachment to the idea of diagnosis as an essential component of social work and the idea of objective reality.

Balancing a Solution-Focused Approach With Traditional Psychiatric Assessment in a Canadian Emergency Room

The assessment of a client’s need to be admitted to acute psychiatric care during an emergency room (ER) visit can be quite difficult. This article outlines ways in which an effective evaluation of a client’s strengths and abilities can be integrated into the assessment of clients presenting in the ER. Assessing client strengths integrates well with traditional forms of mental health assessment that focus more exclusively on the exploration of risks and challenges faced by the client. However, the investigation of a client’s strengths requires training and skill in a strength-based model, such as Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT). The Crisis and Response Team at the Red Deer Regional Hospital, Alberta, Canada, has found that the skillful use of SFT during crisis assessment enables mental health professionals to provide a more balanced and client-centered picture of the client. This more balanced assessment can better determine a client’s level of risk and level of resources. A balanced assessment also improves decisions about admission and provides a more helpful experience for clients. This article explores how SFT in conjunction with the medical model in psychiatric crises supports decision making, leads to goal-oriented strategies by therapists, empowers clients, and facilitates positive conversations. It also describes the commitment to ongoing learning required to establish and reinforce the skills required to provide a balanced assessment.

The perfect marriage: solution-focused therapy and motivational interviewing in medical family therapy.

Medical family therapy has many potential uses in behavioral medicine and primary care. Current research was reviewed to determine the most advantageous way to apply solution-focused therapy and motivational interviewing as a perfect marriage in medical family therapy. An extensive literature review was done in the following databases for medical family therapy: Proquest, EBSCO, Medline, and PsychInfo. The search resulted in 86 relevant articles, of which 46 of the most recent were selected for review. Medical family therapy lacks current research that supports solution-focused therapy or motivational interviewing. However, evidence supports the use of solution-focused therapy as a brief format, as well as the closely related intervention, motivational interviewing. While medical family therapy presents many hopeful possibilities in the fields of behavioral medicine, psychology, and marriage and family therapy, little evidence currently exists for the most effective implementation. This review found evidence supporting solution-focused therapy and motivational interviewing as the perfect marriage of the collaborative team approaches for the future implementation and use of specific interventions in medical family therapy.

Aproximações possíveis da terapia focada na solução aos contextos grupais

A terapia focada na solução (TFS) é um tipo de terapia breve que propõe não ser necessário entender um problema para resolvê-lo. Estabelecendo metas concretas, terapeuta e cliente buscam exceções ao problema, forças e recursos que ajudem o cliente a construir uma vida mais satisfatória para si mesmo. Considerando a fertilidade dessa proposta terapêutica, o objetivo deste trabalho é analisar as possibilidades de utilização das contribuições da TFS no contexto grupal. A análise da incipiente literatura da área mostra que há trabalhos que envolvem diferentes grupos de pacientes que buscam utilizar-se de técnicas da TFS. Buscando aprofundar essa reflexão, analisamos duas propostas significativas nesse campo, as de Metcalf e Sharry. Ambos se valem de conceitos teóricos e técnicos da TFS em contextos grupais assim como apresentam inovações. A análise da visão de grupo sustentada por essas propostas indica uma marca individualista em Metcalf, enquanto Sharry o vê como uma entidade em seu próprio direito, que busca coesão e metas grupais. Uma análise crítica dessa literatura, contudo, aponta um viés tecnicista e, em consequência, a necessidade de maior elaboração teórica para sua efetiva contribuição à prática grupal.

Solution-focused therapy in an Emergency Room setting: Increasing hope in persons presenting with suicidal ideation

• Summary: One-third or more of persons presenting to Emergency Rooms (ER)/Accident and Emergency departments in psychiatric emergencies report experiencing suicidal ideations. A critical task for hospital-based practitioners is to assess the lethality of the situation to determine whether the person should be hospitalized. Practitioners often employ standardized assessment instruments to assist in determining the suicidal risk factors, yet such measures often fail to recognize or consider the following: 1) the relative importance of the therapeutic process in creating meaningful therapeutic change; 2) the quality of the therapeutic encounter in the ER; and 3) follow-through with the community referral process. • Findings: This article proposes the use of the actual ER encounter between client and practitioner to work with suicidal risk factors that are amenable to immediate therapeutic change. Using a therapy approach that can positively impact a client's level of hopelessness and allow for the assessment of suicide risk can work to ensure that an appropriate hospitalization disposition is reached. • Application: This article details how the use of solution-focused therapy provides one avenue for assessing suicide risk and how the therapeutic intervention, which has not been subjected to the scrutiny of empirical research, can serve as an opportunity for increasing hope.

Snakes and Solutions: An example of using a traditional board game to exemplify the techniques of Solution-focused therapy

For some therapists playing games may seem a daunting and alien approach to the therapeutic process. However, research has identified the relevance of such age appropriate techniques for children, which may help them to create a safe place to work through problematic issues. Outcome studies also support the use of solution-focused therapy for behavioural problems through middle childhood and adolescent years. This case study highlights the use of a semi-structured game to support therapeutic intervention for a nine-year-old boy utilising a solution-focused perspective.

The Use of Solution-Focused Therapy with an Elderly Population

This study examines the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of treating seniors with solution-focused therapy (SFT) in an outpatient setting. Data was collected from 74 patients. Patients receiving outpatient behavioral services were referred to treatment for the following problems: depression, anxiety, marital problems, and stress related to chronic illness. The measures used were pre and post self-scaling scores, motivational scores, and pre and post Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores. In addition, patient satisfaction questionnaires were begun during the second quarter of the study. Individual two-tailed, paired t tests were used to test the differences between time one and time two self-scaling scores and GAF scores, t tests showed statistically significant increases for both self-scaling and GAF scores (p < .05). Sixty-nine of the seventy-four participants filled out a satisfaction survey. Patients indicated high satisfaction with behavioral health services. Consistent with results reported from previous research studies, this study revealed the clinical effectiveness of SFT. This study went on to demonstrate what has not been well documented in the literature, namely SFT's effectiveness with elderly outpatients. In conclusion, preliminary implications for clinicians indicate that SFT can produce significant clinical outcomes with senior outpatient populations.