Course participants are required to present two new or early-on
cases for ongoing discussion. Because cases sometimes finish in fewer than the weeks allotted for the course and because clients sometimes stop coming to sessions, participants are required to "replace" these cases. Ideally, one case would be with an individual and one would be with a couple or family. "Cases" may also include supervision, coaching, and other forms of consultation.
"Client" is defined broadly in this course. Clients include both volunteers and those mandated to treatment. Clients may also include those wishing life coaching, organizations wishing consultation, supervisees, and other individuals or groups who may benefit from the SFBT approach.
The focus of each session is guided although the course will provide flexibility for each participant's desires for peer consultation. Updates on each case will be presented every other week according to the topics current to the time period. Recognizing that solution-focused work does not always follow an exact outline or sequence, participants may choose to present aspects of solution-building practices out of session sequence as their needs require.
In addition to work on their own, actual cases, participants will respond to each other's cases, providing practice in thinking through solution-focused principles and practices.
Course objectives:
Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:
1. Plan and carry on solution-building conversations with clients more competently than when they began the course
2. Develop language skills that will instill hope in clients while taking a "not-knowing" posture of curiosity and a willingness to be surprised in conversation with clients.
3. Engage with clients with varying degrees of motivation or investment for change.
4. Demonstrate reasonable competence in SFBT practices including engagement, the miracle question, relationship questions, scaling questions, exception questions, and possible suggestions/tasks/experiments for clients.
5. Adapt the solution-building approach to various settings.
6. Demonstrate ability to observe/critique self within a solution-focused framework.
Outline:
Although all aspects of solution-building conversations will be discussed continuously, for purposes of the course, we will focus on particular aspects each session. For example, during weeks 6-7, the main focus will be on basic scales although participants may ask questions and receive feedback on other aspects of their work.
Week 1: Introductions, testing the technology
Weeks 2-3: Focus on co-constructing goals
Weeks 4-5: Focus on the miracle question and relationship questions
Weeks 6-7: Focus on scales A: Basic (goals/Miracle day; confidence; motivation)
Weeks 8-9: Focus on scales B: Unique (specific and creative for each situation)
Weeks 10-11: Focus on exception questions
Weeks 12-13: Focus on feedback, rationale and tasks/suggestions/experiments or rationale for none
Weeks 14-15: Focus on later sessions (amplifying, measuring progress) and goal maintenance
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