Post Modern Therapy

Founded By:

Insoo Kim Berg (1935-2007)



Steve de Shazer (1940-2005)

Other Founders: Michael White and David Epston

Key Concepts:

*"Social constructionism is a psychological expression of this postmodern worldview; it values the client's reality without disputing whether it is accurate or rational" (Corey p. 397).
*"Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a future-focused, goal-oriented therapeutic approach to brief therapy developed initially by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg..." (Corey p. 400).
*SFBT differs from other therapies because it is interested in the present and the future but not the past.
*"Solution-focused brief therapy is grounded on the optimistic assumption that people are healthy and competent and have the ability to construct solutions that can enhance their lives" (Corey p. 400).
*Positive psychology concentrates on what is right and working instead of what is a problem or weakness.
*"The emphasis of SFBT is to focus on what is working in clients' lives, which stands in stark contrast to the traditional models of therapy that tend to be problem-focused" (Corey p. 401).
*SFBT explains how people change and how they can reach their goals.
*"Of all the social constructionists, Michael White and David Epston are best known for their use of narrative in therapy" (Corey p. 410).
*"Therapists are encouraged to establish a collaborative approach with a special interest in listening respectfully to clients' stories; to search for times in clients' lives when they were resourceful; to use questions as a way to engage clients and facilitate their exploration; to avoid diagnosing and labeling clients or accepting a totalizing description based on a problem; to assist clients in mapping the influence a problem has had on their lives; and to assist clients in separating themselves from the dominant stories they have internalized so that space can be opened for the creation of alternative life stories" (Corey p. 410).
*"We live our lives by stories we tell about ourselves and that others tell about us" (Corey p. 410).
*"All social constructionist theories emphasize listening to clients without judgement or blame, affirming and valuing them" (Corey p. 411).

Therapeutic Goals:

*"SFBT reflects some basic notions about change, about interaction, and about reaching goals" (Corey p. 403).
*Goals are unique to each client.
*Client expresses what they want from therapy and what concerns they want to explore.
*"Solution-focused therapists concentrate on small, realistic, achievable changes that can lead to additional positive outcomes" (Corey p. 403).
*Change viewing of a situation or frame of reference.
*Change the doing of the problematic situation.
*Tap into the client's strengths and resources. 
*"A general goal of narrative therapy is to invite people to describe their experience in new and fresh language" (Corey p. 412).

Techniques:

*Pretherapy change-Scheduled an appointment which initiates positive change.
*Exception questions-Client is directed to times when the problem did not exist or was not as intense; exceptions are times when the problem should have occurred in the client's life but somehow did not.
*Miracle question-If the problem was solved overnight what would happen? What would it look like?
*Scaling questions- Rate feelings, moods, etc. on scale for example 1-10.
*Formula First Session Task-Homework the client is given to complete between first and second therapy sessions.
*Therapist feedback to clients
*Terminating- "Once clients are able to construct a satisfactory solution, the therapeutic relationship can be terminated" (Corey p. 408).
*Questions and more questions- The questions asked in narrative therapy are circular or relational and seek to empower clients.
*Externalization and deconstruction- The person is not the problem the problem is the problem.
*"In the narrative approach, externalizing questions are followed by questions searching for unique outcomes" (Corey p. 416). 
*Constructing new stories goes along with the process of deconstruction.

References

Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

solution-focused.ca "Insoo Kim Berg"

reischreisch.de "Steve de Shazer"

mediatheorymemphis.blogspot.com "Post Modern"