A Microanalytic Case Study of the Utilization of ‘Solution-Focused Problem Talk’ in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Abstract

Solution-focused therapy (SFBT) is a popular therapeutic approach among family therapists. However, disputes about SFBT still arise, especially on problems. This study examines the function of problem talk in SFBT by using a microanalytic case study method. As a result, three categories were found: Eliciting, clarifying, and acknowledging problems. The problem talks initiated by the SF therapist showed a pattern associated with the solution talk and served as preliminary steps to be connected to the following solution talks. The results indicate that solution building is constructed not only through solution talk, but also through ‘solution-focused problem talk.’     

Mothers and Children Together

Summary

Treatment groups for both mothers and children together who have experienced mother assault is a unique therapeutic milieu which has been underutilized in the treatment field. This article presents a 10-week feminist-informed family systems group model as part of a treatment approach for children exposed to family violence and can be used with families of children from pre-school to adolescence. This model provides a context in which the experience of family violence can be debriefed, and issues related to trauma, safety, secrecy, and post-abuse family restructuring can be addressed by family members together. In addition, play and art therapy based interventions are presented and are tailored for the beginning, middle, and end of the group process.     

Investigating the effectiveness of two therapeutic modalities in enhancing self-esteem among female adolescents

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Adlerian therapy (AT) and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) in enhancing self-esteem among a sample of female adolescents. The researchers used the Arabic version of Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale and semi-structured interviews as data collection tools to evaluate the effectiveness of both therapies. The study sample consisted of 60 female students in the 10th and 11th grades selected from a Jordanian government school based on their low self-esteem scale scores. The participants were randomly divided into three equal groups: two experimental groups and one control group. One of the experimental groups received AT, while the other groups received training on SFBT, while the control group did not receive any treatment. Each experimental group met for one 50-minute session per week for 8 weeks. The data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance and one-way analysis of covariance . The results showed that SFBT was significantly more effective in increasing self-esteem than AT and no treatment. In addition, AT was found to be substantially more effective in enhancing self-esteem than no treatment. The researchers supported these results using data collected from the experimental groups' participants through a semi-structured interview.     

Systems and Solutions: The Discourses of Brief Therapy

The author describes how brief therapy has evolved in the past 10 to 15 years from ecosystemic to solution-focused brief therapy. SFBT is characterized as a radically constructivist approach to personal problems which emphasizes how troubles and solutions are socially constructed realities.     

Is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Culturally Appropriate for Muslim American Counselees?

The mental health needs of Muslims are considered in the context of their religious and family values, expectations of therapy, intra-group diversity and a hostile post-9/11 environment in the US. SFBT is different from traditional modes of psychotherapy due to its emphasis on minimal self-disclosure, short-term treatment, empowerment and a positive orientation. The review of the available literature and examination of the cultural match between SFBT and Muslims and Muslim Americans provide support for the cultural sensitivity of SFBT and its potential efficacy with Muslims. The resulting conceptual analysis and conclusions can be clinically useful and provide a launching pad for more formal empirical research to follow.     

The influence of therapist experience upon evaluative perceptions of family members

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of experience in family therapy on therapists' evaluative perceptions of family members. Beginning students in family therapy, advanced students, and experienced staff rated members of 100 families according to the Semantic Differential technique. Contrary to expectations, beginning students did not evaluate identified patients more favorably than parents. Staff and advanced students, however, rated parents more favorably than identified patients. Beginning students were also found to evaluate all family members more favorably than staff and advanced students. These results were discussed in terms of experienced therapists initially taking the side of the parents and the effects this potential source of bias may have on the course of family therapy.     

Tales of a Therapist

ABSTRACT

Historically, theorists and clinicians from various schools of family therapy have discussed therapist self-disclosure in terms of either helping or inhibiting therapeutic progress. Although postmodern language-based theorists and therapists accept and encourage its use, few clinical examples of therapist self-disclosure exist in the family therapy literature. In this paper, a postmodern family therapist working within the language-based tradition describes the use of self-disclosures with a couple. The therapist then reviews the effects of those self-disclosures through the eyes of husband, wife, and therapist.     

Qualitative Methods in Family Evaluation: Creative Assessment Techniques

Traditionally, family therapists have used experiential activities primarily as interventions. In this article, the authors discuss the role that experiential therapy methods can play in qualitative family assessment. It is believed that these methods can be quite helpful in engaging family members in a collaborative evaluation process. The authors discuss the advantages of qualitative assessment as complement to more quantitative family evaluation measures and present several illustrative qualitative assessment procedures.     

An Integration of Feminism into Experiential Psychotherapy

Abstract

Feminist therapy altered how marriage and family therapists conceptualized their clients’ realities and psychopathology. Upon an extensive search of the literature, there is a sparse amount of literature regarding the integration of feminist therapy with experiential therapy. The authors discuss feminist and experiential therapy models, propose a model of feminist-experiential therapy, and highlight the need and fit of these theories. A discussion on giving space to silenced voices, establishing an egalitarian relationship, expanding the definition of deviance, and exploring the importance of language will be done to aid the experiential therapist in their work and expand their client’s experience.     

Case Report—Loyalty, Legacy, and Ledger: Contextual Therapy in a Patient with a Family History of Ovarian Cancer

A client's emotional experiences and reactions to those experiences are influenced by his/her family of origin and direct or indirect interactions with various family members. Contextual therapists propose that a client's satisfaction with a relationship depends on the equity of his/her emotional interactions with family members. When relationships are inequitable, trust between individuals disintegrates. In order to reestablish trust in a relationship, a balance of interests must be restored. If not, imbalances may be passed down to future generations. A case of a woman with a family history of ovarian cancer is reviewed with the principles of contextual therapy in mind. In her family, several legacies have resulted in unbalanced relationships between family members that lead to difficulty in establishing trust within the genetic counseling session.     

Family of origin: An experiential workshop

Abstract

A rationale is presented and a one day, content-free family of origin experiential workshop is described in detail. The workshop is designed for clients in ongoing family therapy. Its purposes are 1) motivating family members to engage in family of origin investigations; 2) supplying information in a supportive experiential learning paradigm for use in ongoing peer and multiple family therapy groups; 3) minimally teaching procedures for conducting a Bowen-like search; 4) contributing to an agency-wide atmosphere of intrigue and support for intergenerational therapeutic work. Sculpture, role-play and dramaturgical techniques are interwoven into a fabric deliberately left unfinished in order to provide maximal material for the ongoing family therapy.     

Integrating Internal Family Systems and Solutions Focused Brief Therapy to Treat Survivors of Sexual Trauma

In a recent study 56% of women and 37% of men were survivors of childhood sexual abuse. These individuals who experience sexual trauma may experience depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or substance use disorders (Devlin et al., in Fam J 27(4):359–365, 2019). While there are several treatment approaches specifically developed to target trauma and its effects, (e.g., trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) we propose that integrating internal family systems therapy (IFS) and solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) offers a brief, systemic way to improve family relationship patterns in families where one member has experienced sexual trauma. A case vignette is used to show the integration of these two approaches.

     

A Systems Approach to Sex Therapy with Gay Male Couples

SUMMARY

Sex therapy with gay male couples is difficult for many family and relationship therapists. Family therapists lack knowledge of the nature of sex therapy, gay male culture and sexuality, the dynamics of gay male couples, and the sexual issues gay male couples are likely to bring to sex therapy. Countertransference also makes sex therapy with gay male couples difficult for some family and relationship therapists. This paper addresses those issues and then explains a systems approach to sex therapy with gay male couples.     

A Systemic Treatment of Families with a Child Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using a Narrative Lens

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopment disorder that now affects one in 59 children, a 15% increase from the 2012 report. Although there have been numerous studies on the treatment of ASD, interventions focus primarily on the individual diagnosed with ASD. Marriage and family therapists’ (MFT) are in a unique position to handle the systemic dynamics of ASD. As a result, many MFTs find it difficult and outside their scope of practice to work with these families. We will explore aspects of narrative family therapy, conceptualization, and interventions, giving the reader a base understanding of how to implement narrative therapy while working with this population.     

Fostering Strength and Resiliency in Same-Sex Couples

Abstract

Same-sex couples are presented widiin tiieir cultural contexts to examine how those contexts might influence me strength and resilience of their relationships. We are particularly interested in the ability of the couple relationship to fulfill family functions that serve the social, psychological, and physical needs of each of the partners and society (Patterson, 2002a). Three family functions: family formation and membership, nurturance and socialization, and protection of vulnerable members, are particularly germane to same-sex couples. We examine several topic areas related to these three functions in order to assist clinicians in identifying factors that may prohibit same-sex couples from becoming and remaining strong and resilient.     

Dropping Out of Couple Therapy

Abstract

Current literature on dropouts in marriage and family therapy includes few studies that focus exclusively on couple therapy and only a limited number of qualitative studies. Clients' perceptions of premature termination are seldom considered. This qualitative case study describes, from both the clients' and the therapist's perspectives, one couple's experience of dropping out of couple therapy after three, sessions. Findings from this case study are compared with existing literature and a fourfold typology of dropouts is proposed. We offer recommendations for future research of dropouts in couple therapy.     

Mother-blaming in family therapy: An empirical investigation

Abstract

This study tested two hypotheses derived from the feminist critique of family therapy in a sample of AAMFT members. The stimulus was a brief vignette of an initial therapy session with a family presenting a teen-aged child as the identified patient. It was hypothesized that family therapists would rate the mothers in the vignette as more dysfunctional than fathers. It was also hypothesized that mothers would be asked to bear more of the burden of change in treatment plans written by subjects. Neither hypothesis was supported. However, respondents did rate the concerned parent, regardless of sex, as more dysfunctional. Since this is a role often occupied by women, this finding may indicate some gender bias.     

Religion,Spirituality, and Marriage and Family Therapy: A Study of Family Therapists' Beliefs about the Appropriateness of Addressing Religious and Spiritual Issues in Therapy

For many years the literature in the field of family therapy was silent as to the religious and spiritual aspects of clients' lives. During the past five years, however, many voices have come forth calling attention to the importance of bringing spirituality and religion into our conversations with clients. The result of these new voices has been a significant increase in attention to spirituality in journal articles, books, and presentations at national conferences. While there appears to be a strong movement in favor of bringing spirituality and religion into the therapy room, there have been no published studies in marriage and family therapy journals that explore marriage and family therapists' beliefs about the appropriateness of addressing spiritual issues in therapy. The purpose of this study was to fill this gap in the literature by examining the beliefs of a random sample of clinical members of AAMFT in respect to this issue.