Postmodern Approaches ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 Postmodernists assume there are multiple truths -  Reality is subjective and is based on the use of language  Postmodernists strive for a collaborative and consultative stance  Postmodern thought has an impact on the development of many theories Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (3) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 The client, not the therapist, is the expert  Dialogue is used to elicit perspective, resources, and unique client experiences  Questions empower clients to speak and to express their diverse positions  The therapist supplies optimism and the process Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (1 ) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 Generate new meanings in the lives of clients  Co-develop, with clients, solutions that are unique to the situation  Enhance awareness of the impact of various aspects of the dominant culture on the individual  Help people develop alternative ways of being, acting, knowing, and living Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (2) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 Therapy grounded on a positive orientation-- people are healthy and competent  SFBT shares similarities with positive psychology  Past is downplayed, while present and future are highlighted  Therapy is concerned with looking for what is working Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (4) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 Therapists assist clients in finding exceptions to their problems  There is a shift from “problem-orientation” to “solution-focus”  Emphasis is on constructing solutions rather than problem solving Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (5) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 The problem itself may not be relevant to finding effective solutions  People can create their own solutions  Small changes lead to large changes Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (6) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 The client is the expert on his or her own life  The best therapy involves a collaborative partnership  A therapist’s “not knowing” affords the client an opportunity to construct a solution Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (7) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 Skillful questions allow people to utilize their resources  Asking “how questions” that imply change can be useful  Effective questions focus attention on solutions Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (8) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 Questions can get clients to notice when things were better  Useful questions ◦ help people pay attention to what they are doing ◦ open up possibilities to do something different Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (9) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 Customer-type relationship: Client and therapist jointly identify a problem and a solution to work toward  Complainant relationship: A client describes a problem, but is not able or willing to take an active role in constructing a solution  Visitors: Clients come to therapy because someone else thinks they have a problem Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (10) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 Pre-therapy change ◦ What have you done since you made the appointment that has made a difference in your problem?  Exception questions ◦ Direct clients to times in their lives when the problem did not exist Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (11) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 Miracle question ◦ If a miracle happened and the problem you have was solved, what would be different in your life?  Scaling questions ◦ On a scale of zero to 10, where zero is the worst you have been and 10 represents the problem being solved, where are you with respect to __________? Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (12) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 Formula First session Task ◦ From 1 st to 2 nd session- observe things in your life that you want to maintain  Therapist Feedback end of sessions ◦ Compliment ◦ Bridge – rational for suggestion/homework ◦ Tasks  Observational Task – focus on positive changes  Behavioral Task – do more of or do differently Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (12) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 Optimistic orientation helps clients make significant moves toward building more satisfying lives in a relatively short period of time  The postmodern approaches’ dim view of diagnosis remind us that people cannot be reduced to a specific problem Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (27) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 A major strength of solution-focused a therapy is the use of questioning to generate solutions  Brief therapy has been shown to be effective for a wide range of clinical problems Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (28) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

 Therapists must be skilled in implementing brief interventions  Therapists may employ techniques in a mechanistic fashion  Reliance on techniques may detract from building a therapeutic relationship Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 13 (29) ©2013 Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning