Case Study : Kim Burg 's Life

One of the central assumptions of SFBT is that the client will choose the goals for therapy and that the client themselves have resources which they will use in making changes (Macdonald, 2011). The therapeutic conversation aims at restoring hope and self-esteem, while reducing anxiety to a point where people become able to think more widely and creatively about solutions. SFBT holds that high anxiety can restrict cognition and attention to the surrounding environment and that, by reducing anxiety, it would allow for wider thinking about possible approaches to problems, as well as mobilizing their existing strengths and resources to address their desired goals (Rafter et al, 2012).

 Solution focused therapy is a model of therapy developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg in the late 1970's (Dolan, n.d.). This model has become well known for its non-traditional approach to client problems as it does not explore clients issues in relation to their cause and affect but rather the goals and solutions to achieving a future free of any present issues. i will be discussing the evident concepts, principles and intervention techniques of this particular model. it will be explored in the context of a case scenario of a therapy session to observe how the model can be actively applied to therapy sessions and why this is the best model to meet the client's needs. The effectiveness of the model

This term paper is about solution-focused therapy and experiential therapy. In solution-focused therapy, the therapy does not emphasize the problem at all; it stresses and highlights the solution. The client is the expert and not the therapist. The experiential approach is often used to facilitate meaningful changes in individuals. SFBT is a short-term goal focused therapeutic approach which directs clients to focus on developing solutions, rather than on dwelling on problems. The theoretical framework, how change occurs, therapeutic techniques, postmodern perspective, the role of the therapist and some clinical examples are given in this term paper.

Kay Redfield Jamison was born on June 22, 1946 in the United States of America. She received her Bachelors and Masters in the University of California, also known as UCLA. After accomplishing these goals, she set out to acquire her Ph.D., which she did, also at UCLA in the year 1975. UCLA is significant for a number of reasons. Upon completing her degrees, she began to work there as an assistant professor and then rose to the rank of associate professor. Though she was an associate professor of psychiatry in 1981, she made a significant impact by establishing the Affective Disorders Clinic at her alma mater in the year of ’77. Her experience as an associate professor in psychiatry helped her gain a significant position at John Hopkins

As Insoo Kim Berg, MSW and Steve de Shazer, M.S. (Solution Focused, n.d), explained the theoretical underpinnings of Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) in this week's video, I made note of several similarities and differences between SFT and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). One of the first things Insoo Kim Berg, MSW mentioned was the difference between who was considered the expert: the client or the therapist. SFT views the client as the expert above all else. Steve de Shazer indicated that the client and the therapist often had a difference of opinion as to what a successful solution looked like, and since the client is the customer and the one who has to live with the outcome, it is they who gets to

The solution-focused theory (SFBT) is not actually theory based, but was pragmatically developed (De Shazer, & Dolan, 2012). ). The reason why the social worker chose this approach during the interview was largely due to the fact that the patient doesn’t have an exact reason for her mild depression or drug abuse problem. The SFBT approach focuses on how a solution may not necessarily directly be related to the problem (De Shazer, & Dolan, 2012). SFBT focuses almost exclusively on the present and the future, the client is an optimistic person who does not believe that her problems are stemming from her past making this approach favorable to the social worker and the patient.

When viewing this family in a Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) lens, we would focus on the solutions rather than the problem. Although the initial assessment would be similar to that of structural and strategic therapy, all of these issues would be explore, we would focus on the solutions rather than the problem. Although the initial assessment would be similar to that of structural and strategic therapy, all of these issues would be explored in a way that allowed for less “problem talk” and more solution based ideas.

Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) was drawn out from the work of Milton Erickson. Most people identify SFT with the variation work from Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg. Solution-focused therapy is a therapy that is action oriented and focuses on finding solutions. In SFT, the client is considered the expert (they know exactly what the problem is), and the client has the resources to find a solution. SFT does not focus on diagnoses or assessments but focuses on what the client brings to therapy. Depending on the client and the problem, SFT has a 50% successful rate. SFT has many techniques to use to assist in finding solutions for problems. These techniques range from questioning the client to having the client complete homework assignments.

The need for an alternative approach to therapy was recognized as mental health practitioners began to observe the amount of energy, time, money, and other resources spent discussing and analyzing the challenges revealed during the therapy process, while the issues originally bringing an individual to therapy continued to have a negative impact. Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg of the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee, along with their team, developed solution-focused brief therapy in the early 1980s in response to this observation. SFBT aims to develop realistic solutions as quickly as possible, rather than keeping people in therapy for long periods of time, in order to promote lasting relief for those in therapy.

In this paper, I will discuss the case study of “Ana”. Ana is 24 years old, has lost her job, and worries about becoming homeless. She currently is a single parent due to her husband being deployed in a combat zone overseas for the next eight months. Ana is a first generation immigrant from Guatemala; she comes from a large family. She claims to have a close relationship with her family but has not seen her family for about a year. Her father is a banker and her mother an educator, her three siblings all has graduated college and have professional careers. Ana has completed one year of college, but needed to leave school after her son was born, finding it difficult to manage being a parent, student and a full-time employee as well. While showing signs of being depressed and anxious, she has agreed to eight sessions for treatment. Using this background information in this paper will cover the use of Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) for the treatment of Ana.

As psychosocial needs are often presented in non-conventional settings that may or may not fit a medical model of care, short-term interventions that focus on prevention, engagement and quick implementation by addressing ambivalence and specifically focused strategies can provide some relief for disorders such as depression.

In the 1980’s Insoo Berg and Steve de Shazer developed steps into the practice of solution focused therapy in Milwaukee, USA. Solution focused therapy is a practice framework for social workers and other therapists. Solution focused therapy is a framework that primarily focuses on solution development. Other Frameworks lead therapy to focus on the past history of the problem that the client brings to therapy, and ending their sessions with a solution to the problem, or when the problem in no longer an issue for them.

As a solution focused brief therapist (SFBT), one needs to understand that the outcome of therapy is partially up to the client’s thoughts and understanding of therapy. Since this portion of therapy success is substantial, one needs to make sure that the client feels comfortable in therapy. Creating a safe environment for the client will help the client feel comfortable to talk about what has brought him or her into therapy. This safe environment will also include the inform consent forms stating what is said in therapy will remain confidential, and the therapists legal obligation to protect children from harm.

"Subsequently, a study showed solution-focused brief therapy demonstrated a small, but positive treatment effects favoring SFBT group on the outcome measures. Only the magnitude of the effect for internalizing

Understanding that solution-focused therapists operate under the assumption that clients already have the necessary skills to solve their problems, it is our job as therapists to help them regain insight into their problems. Therefore, it is understandable why solution-focused therapy is considered a brief therapeutic approach. If the clients already have the ability to solve their own issues then they just need to be reminded of their strengths and resources, shifting the focus.