Solution Building in Couples Therapy

Front Cover
Springer Publishing Company, Sep 14, 2012 - Psychology - 136 pages

"This brief volume presents the basic premises of solution building, liberally enriched with examples. This is a remarkable book, the first of its kind, radical in its message, written about couples but also suitable for all manner of referrals."--Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries

ìElliott Connie has written a remarkable book. Read it and you will be taken on a journey. If you are new to the world of solution focused brief therapy, beware! This book could capture your heartÖAs Elliott says from the very beginning, solution focused brief therapy is simple, so simple it is really hard to learn. And from this book, if you set out to do so, you could teach yourself how to become a competent solution focused brief therapist. It is all here, laid out clearly, packed with examples from the real world of therapy, repeated and repeated like onion skins, each repetition releasing its own flavour, a variation on a theme, a new understanding of something already known.î

Chris Iveson, MA
BRIEF
London, UK

Working with couples presents psychotherapists and counselors with a unique set of challenges, such that many therapists prefer not to work with couples or attempt to avoid it entirely. In the first book written about solution focused therapy (SFT) with couples, author Elliott Connie describes how his use of SFT made working with couples a pleasure rather than a burden. The solution focused approach is one that facilitates cooperation between partners in the creation of an agreed-upon future, rather than merely focusing on the problems that have come to define the relationship.

Beginning with a clear explanation of the assumptions and tenets required for the practice of SFT, this book presents a step-by-step breakdown of exactly how to conduct solution building sessions with couples. Each chapter focuses on a different part of the therapeutic process and includes sample dialogues, techniques, and vignettes drawn from the authorís own extensive practice. Readers will feel as though they themselves are going through the therapeutic process with the couples and observing the impact of each step of the process. Numerous exercises and common solution focused questions help readers integrate this new material into their repertoire for immediate use.

Key Features:

  • Provides a unique view of couples therapy in action using the solution focused approach
  • Includes actual questions to ask clients, sample dialogues, and sample homework assignments
  • Features examples drawn from actual cases, illustrating techniques used in practice with real couples
  • Presents scales to measure progress and supporting research for the application of solution-focused therapy to couples counseling

 

Contents

An Overview of SolutionFocused Therapy
1
Establishing a Destination
15
Connecting With the Couple
25
Honeymoon Talk Reviewing a Couples Successful Past
33
The Preferred Future Envisioning the Best Tomorrow
49
Scaling Toward the Preferred Future
65
Wrapping Up Taking a Break Providing Feedback and Making Suggestions
75
What to Do After the First Meeting
83
Building Questions That Lead to Meaningful Responses
95
Final Thoughts
107
References
111
Index
113
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2012)

Elliott Connie, MA, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor who has spent his entire counseling career working with individuals, couples, families, and groups. He founded and oversees the Solution Focused Training Institute, which holds multiple training sessions on this approach, including an annual symposium, workshops, and business consultations. He maintains a full private practice with couples, children, and families. He is also a trainer for the University of Texas-Arlington Certificate Program in Solution-Focused Counseling.

Bibliographic information