The Brief solution-focused therapy Is a type of therapy that does not require a large number of sessions. Normally, it does not exceed 10 sessions - unlike the long therapies that used to take place in the past
It is a modality of brief therapy developed in the Brief Family Therapy Center Of Milwaukee by Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg and his team. Their Theoretical assumptions and technical approaches are strongly influenced by the therapeutic work of authors such as Milton H. Erickson, as well as the focus Clinical study developed at the Mental Research Institute of Palo Alto (Fisch, Weakland and Segal, 1982).
Thus, brief solution-focused therapy is born of the work of numerous therapists, including Harry Stack Sullivan and His hypnosis techniques and his vision of a future without problems.
History
Although this new therapy is not aided by the techniques of hypnosis , Nor is it suggestive - the therapist does not use methods to work the unconscious part of The person-was adopted the technique of visualizing a future in which the person did not have the query problem.
Another great influence that receives the brief therapy centered in solutions we find of the family therapy Or systemic, even in those cases where That a single person goes to therapy instead of a family or partner.
This systemic therapy contributes the vision of the individual as belonging to large groups, be it the family, the couple or the society in which they live.
The TBCS conceives the individual in the same way, emphasizing the ways in which he relates to others and to the environment in which he lives.
Other theories that have largely influenced the birth of brief solutions-focused therapy are those with a constructivist view.
Constructivism assumes that the problems of the individual are not generated by specific situations and circumstances, but rather by the Person has of them.
In the same way, the TBCS conceives the psychic suffering as the cause of the deformation of reality.
It is enough, therefore, to change this distorted perception of reality so that people can increase their psychological well-being.
For example, when a person considers that he or she does not have the necessary skills to overcome a problem - such as riding in an elevator - it would be necessary To make him see that he is capable of achieving it, from what he considers to be a failure to self-perceive as a successful person.
This new therapy, as we can see, conceives the distortion of perception as the cause of most mental disorders.
The limit of the human being, therefore, are his own perceptions, which cause him to feel inferior, isolated, incapable, inexpert, etc.
Although sometimes a completely subjective reality occurs, as in the case of psychosis , The most frequent thing is that it is only a Distortion of perception, as in neuroses.
Brief solution-focused therapy performs a project in which they analyze and pursue available solutions based on the specific problem.
Characteristics of Brief Solution-Focused Therapy
This new way of doing therapy is characterized, in particular, by the following aspects:
As its name implies, it is a type of therapy that does not require a large number of sessions. Normally, it does not exceed 10 sessions -a Unlike the long therapies that used to take place in the past.
Another fundamental characteristic is that the therapist focuses on the here and now, solving all those problems that negatively affect The life of the patient. This does not mean that issues of the past are not dealt with, simply that they are not of interest those problems they had Importance but do not affect the person's current life.
He is not interested in making a diagnosis ("obsessive neurosis","anorexia nervosa","ambiguity in parental roles", etc.). The important thing in This therapy is to bring to light the areas where the patient has difficulties, to find solutions and to apply them.
The therapist does not assume an expert position. This therapy does not focus on highlighting everything that the person, couple or family is doing Inappropriately. It does not educate or correct the defects of patients.
It can work with isolated individuals, couples or families, depending on the demand motive and the specific needs of the patient. By Example, when it is estimated that a person around you is accentuating or maintaining your difficulties, you may be invited to go to That can help in the therapeutic process.
To carry out this therapy, the therapist is assisted by a team or consultants with whom he analyzes the specific difficulties of the patient.
In brief solution-focused therapy, it is very common to ask the patient how his life would be if he did not have the problems that brought him to the therapy.
They focus on the patient being able to visualize this new life, without their problem or current problems, through the detailed description and in detail.
In this way, the person manages to imagine what his life would be like and the differences he would have with respect to his current situation.
To get the patient to respond to this unusual question, the therapist poses it as follows:
"Suppose tonight, while they are sleeping, a kind of miracle happens and the problems that have brought them here are completely resolved, not as in real life, little by little and with the effort of all, but suddenly , Miraculously. As they are sleeping they do not realize that this miracle occurs. What things are they going to notice different tomorrow that will make them realize that this kind of Miracle has occurred?"
Here we find a fundamental difference with respect to the traditional therapies, in which they focused on detailing the problem, Emphasizing the negative effects that they entailed, so that they increased the perception of gravity and enhanced the patient's dependence on the therapist.
Brief solution-focused therapy operationally defines therapeutic goals, which will mark the path that therapy should take and Constituting an indicator of therapeutic success.
In other words, the therapeutic objectives are those that guide and help to evaluate the effectiveness that the therapy is having, ending it When these objectives have been achieved.
This method of proceeding has 3 fundamental advantages over previous therapies:
Shorten the duration of sessions.
It gives confidence to the patient, since the change he seeks depends on him in great measure.
It allows to obtain the desired results in few sessions - sometimes, less than five.
Procedure of t Brief Solutions-Focused Therapy
The procedures that are carried out in brief solution-focused therapy can be summarized in 5 key points.
1. Planning the session Which is going to be carried out and issuing a later hypothesis, depending on the information collected.
2. Session Introduction . It is usually started by establishing a comfortable relationship in which the patient is asked about their favorite activities, their Strengths and other positive aspects in your life today.
3. Extraction of information Through circular questions. The team notes, in positive terms, everything that happens in the session, the behaviors Performed by the patient, etc.
4. There is a pause In which the extracted information is analyzed and the problem is redefined.
5. Following the pause that has taken place, It begins by praising the person , Family or couple and propose changes in the near future.
In a later session, we will be able to verify if they have carried out the proposed changes, which will indicate to us if the patient / s are being involved In therapy as they should.
This form of work resembles the framing of the Milan School, although the therapeutic style is warmer and closer in the brief therapy centered on Solutions.
Although it may give the impression that TBCS is a simple procedure and easy to apply, the truth is that behind it can be found a wide Theoretical basis, which are indispensable for the therapy to have good results.
Being an agile, dynamic therapy that pursues the achievement of its therapeutic goals in few sessions, they get them to be their own Patients the active agents of change, attributing themselves the improvement of their problems and avoiding the dependence towards the therapist -dependence Which has long been promoted by traditional therapies such as psychoanalysis.
Premises of brief therapy focused on solutions
1."Social constructionism"
This premise refers to the ability of customers to build reality, to tell them about themselves and, most importantly, to be able to To modify these constructions by other more useful ones, negotiating them in the heart of the social interaction.
Following Wittgenstein , These constructions can be understood like"games of language", so that the therapy would be considered a process in which
Customers change their maladaptive language to a more solution-oriented language.
2. It is intended to"read the lines", not"between lines"
In this therapy it is not a question of discovering a truth or an absolute reality, so do not use techniques like"read between lines".
As De Shazer says, in this type of therapy one chooses to"read the lines", to stay deliberately on the surface of things.
Therefore, the idea that there are different levels of depth (unconscious, repressed child traumas, etc.) is rejected.
O'Hanlon (1994) also refers to this premise when he states that"the problem is not the person (or the family); The problem is the problem".
The The task of brief therapy focused on solutions is not to look for hidden keys below what clients say, but simply to help them talk or To narrate the problem in such a way that they can find ways of solution, alternatives that are more positive and productive than the complaint.
3. Rejection of normativism
From brief solution-focused therapy, no single model of"healthy"person or"functional"family / couple is conceived. It is understood, on the contrary, That there are multiple ways of acting and behaving, none of which are, a priori, superior to others.
Therefore, clients are not intended to follow a course of action set out in advance (such as raising the family's Communication, or that the person manages to mature).
Examples of objectives that are intended to be achieved with this therapy could be:
Have the customer re-enjoy with their children before suffering a traffic accident.
Get a couple to regain their passion in sex.
Getting a teenager to quit.
4. Problem and solution are conceived as discontinuous categories
This premise refers to the belief that two people, before a similar complaint, can generate alternatives of solutions that are very different from each other.
For example, in the case of two people who have received the same diagnosis by a psychiatrist, such as depression, in this therapy, one of them may Solve their problems by supporting their loved ones while the other decides to get more involved in the work.
There may also be the opposite, in which two similar solutions can be carried out in two people with a very different diagnosis.
As it can be seen, in TBCS it is not necessary to know the problem in depth to be able to solve it, nor its frequency, nor the form in which it is gender.
It is enough to look for solutions, to detect the resources of the clients (personal, social and professional), to find ways of obtaining it and to maintain the achievements.
5. Customers have the necessary resources
According to this last premise, clients can achieve their goals on their own - although at the present time they need outside help to Guide them or remind them of their capabilities.
The way to find those resources that have been forgotten is through the conversation that, as we have already commented, does not focus on deepening At the root of problems, but to detect and act on them.
Reviews received by TBCS
The brief therapy centered in solutions, although at the moment it enjoys great boom and interest and scientific endorsement, it does not stop receiving criticisms Negative.
Watzlawick (1992), for example, argued that it is a reductionist therapy of the complex reality, since it does not focus on knowing in depth the Person and the environment in which it operates. Therefore, these would be techniques that are carried out without the certainty that they are the most appropriate for the Person concerned.
Hoffman (1990), for its part, affirmed that they are"colored lenses"through which we see what surrounds us. According to this author, however much The brief therapy centered on solutions is revised from the clothing of objectivity, this theoretical model dictates what we can see and what not, Determine where to look and where not, what to talk about and what not, etc.
Other authors, on the other hand, have outlined this form of therapy as"radical"or"sharp", since it is not usually supplemented with other methods of work.
We hope this article has been interesting to you and has helped you to have a deeper and more objective view of the characteristics of therapy Brief focus on solutions.
References
- Beyebach, M. (2010). Introduction to brief therapy focused on solutions. Available in: Penal Code of the Republic of Bolivia, Law ,
(1768). - Espina Barrio, J.A., & Cáceres Pereira, J.L. (1999). A brief psychotherapy focused on solutions. Journal of the Spanish Neuropsychiatry Association. , 19 (69), 023-038.
- Sáez, M. T. (2006). Postmodern therapies: a brief introduction to collaborative therapy, narrative therapy, and therapy centered on Solutions. Behavioral psychology , 14 (3), 511-532.
- Weakland, J., Fisch, R., Watzlawick, P. A. U. L., & Bodin, A. (1974). Brief therapy: focused on problem solving. Family Process , 13 , 141-68.