¶ … therapy, also called "Solution-Focused Brief Therapy," uses practical strategies to help clients make significant, positive changes in their life as a result of their therapy in a relatively short period of time. Brief therapy focuses on what is going on in the client's life at the time of the therapy and does not delve into the subconscious or early childhood experiences. It contrasts markedly with psychoanalytic approaches that may take years and that will explore the entire lifespan of the client. It focuses on current difficulties and uses changes in behavior as goals (Miller and de Shazer, 2000).
Two distinctive ways of thinking about such a therapeutic approach include gestalt therapy and cognitive therapy. In gestalt therapy, the therapist attempts to help the client gain greater awareness of his or her emotions and behaviors as they presently exist in the client. Rather than interpret the client's experiences, the therapist works with the client so that the client comes to understand him or herself better. This school of thought views good adjustment as someone who is able to satisfy his or her needs. (Doermann, 1995)
Cognitive therapy, by comparison, works to change how the client thinks about him or herself. This approach assumes that the client has developed negative assumptions about him or herself and that the client gives himself these messages as he thinks about himself in a variety of situations. These negative self-perceptions interfere with everyday living. (Ford-Martin, 1995)
Freud believed that distress of the human psyche stemmed from early childhood experience, but therapists have plenty of evidence that most people experience multiple troubling and stressful events over the span of a life. In one study of 1,000 adults, 69% of the respondents reported a traumatic event ranging from being the victim of a violent crime to the traumatic loss of a loved one. The authors found that people who sought treatment after such events were suffering a significant level of stress and were not managing well with their crisis. (Calhoun and Tedeschi, 1998) So it is clear that any individual might have need of brief therapy at some time in his life.
IMPLEMENTATION
Therapists who use brief therapy have specific tasks to accomplish with their clients. They have to learn skills and techniques used with solution-focused therapies. It helps for them to be open to new ideas regarding how to guide people to actively make changes in their lives. They need to be able to use several approaches with skill and flexibility, as a client may become stuck and need an innovative way to move forward. (Littrell, 1998)
A variety of tools are available to the therapist for use, and often clients are sent home with "homework to do before the next session. The homework might involve introspection, such as writing in a journal, or taking action, such as getting a job application, filling it out and turning it in to a prospective employer. Some therapists provide their clients with solution-based workbooks that help them systematically work through their current difficulties. (Schultheis, 2002)
Therapists who use brief therapy techniques must be personally flexible as well. They have to be able to perceive, understand and accept the client's current belief systems as a starting point. Plans of action the client will accept may be influenced by religious, cultural or spiritual beliefs alien to the therapist but important to the client.
Sometimes, therapies using brief therapies techniques use approaches that might not be as well suited to other treatment plans. For instance, hypnosis can play a role in brief therapy. Hypnosis can sometimes bring about rapid improvement for the client, and may help the client think about what is happening more efficiently. Hypnosis also sometimes reveals how the client's thinking may be shaped or driven by issues such as shame, fear of abandonment, or guilt. Some studies have been done on the use of hypnosis with brief therapy approaches such as cognitive therapy (Spencer, 2000)
Another emerging area of interest is the concept of using humor therapeutically. Some experts are suggesting that the use of humor be included as part of a therapist's training. (Franzini, 2001) The author points out that just because laughter occurs does not make it therapeutic, but that it can be used as one way to lead a client to re-thinking his situation. In addition, developing and maintaining a healthy sense of humor is part of living a psychologically healthy life. The author acknowledges that there is little empirical research as yet on the use of humor in therapy.
Another form of short-term therapy takes place as a "wilderness experience," usually for adolescents. This approach uses the challenges of living outdoor in wilderness areas. The teen has to...
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