Brief Therapy and Beyond is a collection of new and selected papers by prominent psychologist Michael Hoyt. Numerous clinical vignettes and informative discussions describe time-sensitive treatments to relieve psychological distress and/or promote growth. Drawing from an encyclopedic knowledge of the professional literature as well as humor, poetry, sports, and candid revelation, Hoyt illustrates the importance of stories, language, love, hope, and time in shaping worldviews that inspire and empower clients and clinicians to make effective and efficient changes.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. History of Brief Counseling: The Fly Bottle. 2. Facilitating Change: The One Constant. 3. The Centrality of the Counseling Relationship: No Magic Tricks. 4. Helping Clients Frame Goals: The Pull of the Future. 5. Constructivist Counseling: Inventing Realities. 6. Narrative Counseling: Clients' Lives as Stories. 7. Managing the Clients' Emotional Arousal: Hot-Wiring. 8. Using Mystifying Techniques: Turning Stumbling Blocks into Stepping Stones. 9. Chaos and Complexity in Counseling: Butterflies and Loaded Dice. 10. The Reflecting Team, Consulting Break, and Offering Suggestions. 11. The Brief Attitudes, the Second Session, and Beyond. 12. Dealing with Involuntaries and Revisiting the First Session.

This book identifies the core competencies shared by expert therapists and helps clinicians—especially those providing brief dynamic/interpersonal therapy—to develop and apply them in their own work. Rather than being a cookbook of particular techniques, the book richly describes therapists' mental processes and moment-to-moment actions as they engage in effective therapeutic inquiry and improvise to help patients achieve their goals. The author integrates the psychotherapy and cognitive science literatures to provide a unique understanding of therapist expertise. Featuring many illustrative examples, the book offers fresh insights into how learning and interpersonal skills can be enhanced for both therapist and client.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, by Johnny S. Kim, is the first book in the field to provide a practical overview of the essentials of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) from a multicultural perspective, including intervention skills, research, applications, and implications for practice. Case examples illustrate SFBT in action with a wide range of client populations. In addition, the book incorporates recommendations from the recently developed and approved SFBT treatment manual, published by the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Association.

explores the profound ethical and social consequences of today's biotechnical revolution. Almost every week brings news of novel methods for screening genes and testing embryos, choosing the sex and modifying the behavior of children, enhancing athletic performance, slowing aging, blunting painful memories, brightening mood, and altering basic temperaments. But we must not neglect the fundamental question: Should we be turning to biotechnology to fulfill our deepest human desires? We want better children -- but not by turning procreation into manufacture or by altering their brains to gain them an edge over their peers. We want to perform better in the activities of life -- but not by becoming mere creatures of chemistry. We want longer lives -- but not at the cost of becoming so obsessed with our own longevity that we care little about future generations. We want to be happy --

"This question leads to many others, which form the basis for the chapters of the book. Each inquiry is illustrated by case excerpts that show where this approach diverges from strategic and solution-focused questioning. Healthcare Institute and an organizational consultant within Culture Change Consultants."--BOOK JACKET.

Solution-focused therapy is an evidenced-based practice that focuses on creating conversations that build solutions, rather than solve problems. Learning Solution-Focused Therapy: An Illustrated Guide teaches readers how to practice and become competent in conducting solution-focused therapy, an area of growing interest as the emphasis on brief therapy increases. Critical to the book's learning strategy is the generous use of case illustrations that are detailed, rich, and instructive without being overly didactic. The case approach provides an effective means for seeing concepts put into practice, and since medicine is becoming more patient-focused, the solution-focused therapy model is highly relevant. Organized to show how a solution-focused interview is conducted, the book presents the basic model and goes on to apply this model in psychopharmacology, addiction, supervision and consultation. Each chapter combines readings, solution-focused questions, case illustrations, learning exercises and video demonstrations (available online), which together constitute a comprehensive course in this therapeutic modality. Moreover, the author's conversational writing style makes the tenets and techniques accessible and interesting to a wide variety of clinicians. Learning Solution-Focused Therapy: An Illustrated Guide will appeal to clinicians who wish to enhance their skills and support their patients' growth in a positive way.