Chapter 1 from [[Handbook of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Clinical Applications]] # Assumptions and Practices Within the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Tradition by Frank N. Thomas Thorana S. Nelson Introduction 3 The “Interactional View” 4 ## Clinical Thinking: Taking a Solution-Focused Posture 5 Curiosity Respect Being Tentative. - Related to being "loose" when drawing, to not commit to the lines too early on. Nonnormative and Nonpathologizing - To quote Milton Erickson, “Each person is a unique individual. Hence, psychotherapy should be formulated to meet the uniqueness of the individual’s needs rather than tailoring the person to fit the Procrustean bed of a hypothetical theory of hu- man behavior” (Zeig, 1985, p. viii). Client Competence ## Basic Assumptions 10 Change is constant and inevitable; just as one cannot not communicate, one cannot not change. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Once you know what works, do more of it! If it doesn’t work, then don’t do it again— do something different!” Clients come to us with resources and strengths, both personal and contextual. Our job is to create a milieu in which these become important and are identified. There is not necessarily a logical relationship between the problem and the solution. The therapist’s role is not to diagnose and repair but to identify and amplify potential solutions. A focus on the possible and changeable is more helpful than a focus on the overwhelming and intractable. (Thomas, Durrant, & Metcalf, 1993) A Small Change Can Lead to Bigger Change Therapy is Client-Centered—The Client is the Expert on His or Her Experience ## Practices 16 Importance of the Client-Therapist Relationship Well-Formed Goals The Miracle Question Identification of Exceptions Scaling Midsession Break Suggestions, Experiments, and Tasks Conclusion 22