The Next Generation of Solution Focused Practice shows how practitioners help create change by ‘stretching the world’ of their clients. The book brings new ideas from enactive cognition which show how skilled attention on the client and their words is important both practically and conceptually. It provides both a summary of the development of Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) over time and how the latest developments form a newly coherent form of practice based on developing descriptions. The author has structured the book using simple and easy to understand metaphors to paint a rich, creative, and visual picture of therapy for the reader, which makes it an accessible read. This book will be of interest to a wide range of SF practitioners internationally, as well as to those involved in coaching, counselling, family therapy, education, social work, healthcare and organisational change.

This book is the result of a collaboration between a number of authors working as a European Brief Therapy Association (EBTA) task-group. This is the 2020 state of the art version of understanding and learning Solution-Focused Practice. It is applicable to various fields of practice, such as therapy, coaching, supervision, social change, educational work, leadership, and other contexts where a detailed understanding of how to manage and promote change in social systems and communities is of intended. The book presents a coherent theory of solution-focused practice for those who want to understand the rationale, together with a comprehensive description of solution-focused practice that can be used in daily practice or training and for developmental purposes. Theory here is defined as a process theory describing how the solution-focused practice is done, together with explanations of how and why the change process is initiated. This book is also a statement of what solution-focused practice is and what are the sound reasons to use it.

`This well-structured book should prove a leading text in the solution-focused therapy (SFT) world and will serve as an excellent overview of SFT on those training courses integratively oriented towards the immediate needs of many services and their clients. This book will please both SFT aficionados and those, like me, who are sceptical but open to some persuasion. The author has done a superb job of representing SFT in an up-to-date, rigorous and accessible way, and has, incidentally, shown what a concise text on any ′core theoretical model′ should look like′ - Colin Feltham, Therapy Today `Packed full of ideas and exercises for trainers and therapists. An essential read for professionals wishing to develop their solution-focused practice. Alasdair communicates the wisdom accumulated over years as a practitioner, researcher and enthusiast for the solution-focused approach′ - Bill O′Connell Director of Training with Focus on Solutions Limited, Birmingham ′Alasdair MacDonald has produced a landmark in the development of solution-focused approaches. He brings together the history, research and evidence for SF practice with many practical strategies for contexts from severe mental health cases to workplace conflict. The book is packed with concise insights, connections and thought-provoking questions presented with great authority and clarity′ - Mark McKergow PhD MBA, author of The Solutions Focus: The SIMPLE Way to Positive Change, and co-founder of SolWorld `Alasdair′s book is a welcome addition to the literature in the field of ′Solution Focused Brief Therapy′. His wealth of experience in this approach to therapy is effectively communicated through simple explanations of solution focused skills and useful examples of therapist-client interactions that illustrate implementation. The book contributes and builds upon the existing literature. The chapter regarding ethical considerations is unique for a book outlining this therapeutic approach, and the chapter exploring the status of SFBT research is contemporary and comprehensive. Alasdair′s book will be a useful resource for those students training in the SFBT approach′ - Fred Ruddick Senior Lecturer (Mental Health Studies) RMN,RGN,Advanced Dip Counselling, MA Counselling `This book by Alasdair Macdonald provides an interesting and useful introduction to solution focused brief therapy from the perspective of a well-respected consultant psychiatrist. The chapters on research and the history of brief therapy will be valued by experienced solution focused practitioners and provides an excellent picture of the current place of solution focused brief therapy in contemporary mental health practice′ - Rayya Ghul, co-author of Creating Positive Futures: Solution Focused Recovery from Mental Distress `Alasdair has made a particular and important contribution to the world of solution-focused brief therapy through his long-standing interest in research. This interest, and his background in adult mental health work, are both reflected in this book thereby setting it apart from other introductions to the approach. At a time when resources are tight and professionals under pressure this book highlights the particular relevance and flexibility of the solution-focused approach which can be drawn upon usefully by clinicians and managers alike′ - Evan George,. BRIEF, London Solution-focused therapy is a relatively new, but strongly supported and growing approach. Solution-Focused Therapy: Theory, Research & Practice contains an overview of current research in the area and an account of the use of solution-focused approaches in various relevant therapeutic situations. As well as outlining the model and basic principles, the text also summarises the evidence base for solution-focused therapy, discusses ethical issues and includes a series of chapters on applications of the approach with illustrative case studies. A specific feature of this book is its use with acute and long-term mental illness, and the application of the method to a variety of situations in management and in resolving disagreements. A helpful resource for experienced practitioners, Solution-Focused Therapy: Theory, Research & Practice also contains instructional material and guidance and is thus an accessible and valuable text for trainees. Dr Alasdair J. Macdonald has been a Consultant Psychiatrist in the NHS since 1980 and currently holds an honorary contract with North Dorset Primary Care Trust. He is the Research Coordinator and former President and Secretary of the European Brief Therapy Association, and is currently a psychotherapist and supervisor in private practice in Dorset.

Solution Focused Practice Around the World provides an exploration of the diverse uses of SF and offers fascinating insights into how the Solution Focused approach is currently used in many applications around the globe. Bringing together prominent authors, practitioners and trainers, the collection is divided into five sections: theory; therapeutic applications; working with children and adolescents; coaching and working with organisations. Originating from the first international conference on Solution Focused practice spanning all applications of the approach, the chapters provide a grounding in the theory and practice, and an exploration of the breadth and depth of Solution Focused therapy. All practitioners of the Solution Focused approach globally as well as those working in the wider fields of therapy, social work, education, coaching and human resources will benefit from this text and the applicability of the inherent theories to their area of expertise.

This textbook shows how any conversation directed towards change can become a solution-focused one, whether in a planned series of sessions with individuals, families, groups, or in the less structured contexts in which many helping professionals work. Full of real-life case examples and stimulating activities, this will be an invaluable guide to anyone wanting to develop their skills in this empowering approach. This textbook is a comprehensive and accessible guide for anyone who wishes to incorporate solution-focused practice. Originating in the world of talking therapies, the adaptability and usability of solution-focused practice is already used by many practitioners in health, social care and educational settings. New to this Edition: - Explores a more diverse range of examples than the previous edition - Includes end of chapter summaries, providing additional clarity on what's been covered - Updated policy, procedure and legislation

Too often in practice, there is a tendency to pathologize clients, requiring a diagnosis as part of the helping relationship. Suppose, however, that most of the client problems that social workers encounter have more to do with the vagaries of life and not with what clients are doing wrong. This powerful idea is the philosophy behind the strengths-based approaches to social work. This groundbreaking practice handbook takes this concept one step further, combining the different strengths-based approaches into an overarching model of solution-oriented social work for greater impact. The strengths perspective emphasizes client strengths, goal-setting, and a shared definition of positive outcome. Solution-focused therapy approaches ongoing problems when they have temporarily abated, amplifying exceptions as solutions. This natural but rarely explored pairing is one component in the challenging and effective practice framework presented here by the authors, two seasoned practitioners with over 50 years of combined experience. By integrating the most useful aspects of the major approaches, a step-by-step plan for action emerges. With this text in hand, you will: - Integrate elements from the strengths perspective, solution-focused therapy, narrative therapy, and the strategic therapy of the Mental Research Institute (the MRI approach) into an effective and eclectic framework - Build and practice your skills using case examples, transcripts, and practical advice - Equip yourself with the tools you need to emphasize clients' strengths - Challenge the diagnosis-first medical model of behavioral health care - Collaborate with clients to get past thinking (first-order change), and more to acting "outside the box" (second-order change) - Learn to work with a wide variety of clients, including individuals, groups, and families; involuntary clients; clients with severe mental illness; and clients in crisis For any student or practitioner interested in working with clients towards collaborative and empowering change, this is the essential text.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy with Families describes SFBT from a systemic perspective and provides students, educators, trainers, and practitioners with a clear explanation and rich examples of SFBT and systemic family therapy. Family therapists will learn how SFBT works with families, solution-focused therapists will learn how a systemic understanding of clients and their contexts can enhance their work, and all will learn how to harness the power of each to the service of their clients. The book starts with an exploration of systems, cybernetics, and communication theory basics such as wholeness, recursion, homeostasis, and change. Following this is an introduction to five fundamental family therapy approaches and an overview of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. Next, the author considers SFBT within a systems paradigm and provides a demonstration of SFBT with families and couples. Each step is explicated with ideas from both SFBTA as well as systems. The final chapter shows how SFBT practices can be applied to a variety of family therapy approaches. This accessible text is enhanced by descriptions, case examples, dialogue, and commentary that are both systemic and solution-focused. Readers will come away with a new appreciation for both the systemic worldview of SFBT and SFBT principles as applied to systemic work.