On the leading edge of the new solution-oriented and narrative approaches, this book presents groundbreaking work converging around the idea that psychotherapy is primarily a special kind of conversation that elicits clients' strengths, competencies, and solutions. The therapist is seen as an expert in creating conversations that reveal clients' expertise and empower them to change. The book was conceived around a conference that took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June 1992. In the meeting rooms and the hallways, over morning coffee and late into the night, the conversations among all conference participants - presenters and attendees - were intense and dynamic. People engaged in ongoing conversations about therapy, defining and redefining their positions in, as Bill O'Hanlon has called it, "the third wave" of psychotherapy. Readers will sense the flavor and excitement of those Tulsa discussions in the dialogue of chapters and commentaries in Therapeutic Conversations. Here contributors not only present their latest views on ways to empower clients but also discuss such issues as positioning of the therapist, time as a dimension in psychotherapy, the uses of rituals and stories, and the differences been "exceptions" and "unique outcomes". Representing various perspectives on narrative, conversational, and solution-focused therapies, the contributors include, among others, Bill O'Hanlon, Steve de Shazer, John Weakland, Michele Weiner-Davis, and Stephen Gilligan. There is a distinctly international flavor, with contributions from Karl Tomm of Canada, Michael White of Australia, and David Epston of New Zealand. Whether venturing into the Theoretical Conversations of Part I or the ClinicalApplications of Part II, readers will find themselves stimulated not only to try new ways to converse therapeutically but also to participate in the continuing conversation that defines the practice of psychotherapy.

In Very Brief Therapeutic Conversations, Windy Dryden demonstrates the therapeutic value of very brief interventions in counselling, psychotherapy and coaching, using a wide range of techniques and skills to bring this novel approach to life. The book provides an informative and innovative guide on 'how to do' very brief therapy in 30 minutes or less. The often fascinating and universal problems the volunteers discuss, as well as the goal and guiding principles of this novel therapy, are explored in the first half of this book. Inspired by Ellis’s therapeutic ‘Friday Night Workshops’, transcripts from Dryden’s own therapeutic conversations at his 'live sessions' with volunteers form the second half of the book. Very Brief Therapeutic Conversations is an accessible and entertaining read for all therapists, whether in training or practice, who want to see very clear examples of theory being put into practice.

Therapeutic Conversations with Adolescents takes readers into the office of a seasoned therapist, where they can be a fly on the wall of live therapy sessions. Full of actual dialogue and the processing behind the choice of responses and interventions, this book stands in contrast to the dozens of books about adolescent therapy that discuss only theory, conjecture, and generic strategies. Teenagers today need therapists who can offer robust and unpretentious therapeutic relationships, as well as conversations that matter enough to hold their clients’ attention and make them want to come back for more. Readers will come away from this book understanding how to tread the delicate balance between the support and confrontation, the forthrightness and discretion, and the humor and tenacity that therapists need to make a real and lasting impact with teenagers.

Therapeutic Conversations with Queer Youth is for practitioners who seek culturally responsive, socially-just ways of engaging queer youth in conversations that evoke imagination, provoke possibility, and honor the courageous resistance and arresting inventiveness of their you...

This book illustrates the unique systemic approach of the Ingers who are well-known teachers and co-founders of the Family Studies Institute in Portland, Oregon. Their work combines elements of the reflective team approach with a model of co-therapy. It is a fresh and innovative application of systemic thinking to the field of family therapy. The book consists of a full-length description of one family consultation with detailed commentary on the process of the interview provided by the Ingers. The theoretical basis of their model is a carefully explained and the interview itself is discussed by a range of American and British therapists taking part in a family therapy exchange.

This book represents an addition to the literature on brief therapy. Solution Talk is a term Furman and Ahola use to refer to a constructive and agreeable manner of talking with people about problems. A conversation dominated by solution talk rather than problem talk is characterized by an atmosphere of mutual respect and is likely to focus on the future rather than the past, on resources rather than shortcomings, on success and progress rather than failure, and on solutions rather than problems.

Collaborative Therapy: Relationships and Conversations That Make a Difference provides in-depth accounts of the everyday practice of postmodern collaborative therapy, vibrantly illustrating how dialogic conversation can transform lives, relationships, and entire communities. Pioneers and leading professionals from diverse disciplines, contexts, and cultures describe in detail what they do in their therapy and training practices, including their work with psychosis, incarceration, aging, domestic violence, eating disorders, education, and groups. In addition to the therapeutic applications, the book demonstrates the usefulness of a postmodern collaborative approach to the domains of education, research, and organizations.