Brief Therapy: Focused Problem Resolution

Weakland, John H.; Fisch, Richard; Watzlawick, Paul; Bodin, Arthur M.

doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.1974.00141.x

Cited by 368 publications

(228 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…We use this regularly with patients who are complaining of depression or that life is not worth living, or that they are a burden (Watzlawick, 1974). We always say that even if they feel a burden now they can reduce that burden when they are gone by a reasonable life insurance.…”

Section: The Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sometimes we find that it is one member of the family who has strenuously encouraged another to seek help from a general practitioner and it will be necessary to include this 'other' in our further assessment interviews. Further to this we gain some idea of what previous attempted solutions have been made (Watzlawick, 1974).…”

Section: Means Of Referralmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is certainly not our intention: we are concerned with making an accurate understanding of the arrangements made for dying and taking dying seriously. This will look to many of you to be a paradoxical technique (Frankl, 1960;Haley, 1963: Watzlawick, 1974Soper and L'Abate, 1977).…”

Section: The Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A strategic assessment of deliberate self‐harm

Aldridge

Rossiter

1984

Journal of Family Therapy

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This paper describes how patients are interviewed in the context of a general hospital after they have been involved in an episode of self‐harm. The interview schedule is structured upon the principles of brief therapy, and uses the ‘neutral’ approach of the Milan Team (Weakland 1974; Palazzoli et al. 1980). The schedule provides information for referring on and has proved to be ‘therapeutic’ in itself. The method of interviewing has been used in other hospital contexts with families where a member has been referred ‘in a crisis’ threatening, or indicating suicidal behaviour. It is suggested that the identification of who is involved systemically is of paramount importance, and that this may not involve ‘the family’ but significant others in the social network. The important systemic involvement of the general practitioner is recognized.

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Section: The Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Means Of Referralmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A strategic assessment of deliberate self‐harm

Aldridge

Rossiter

1984

Journal of Family Therapy

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“…Because of the opportunity to emphasize the time factor in the following, much will be presented from the perspective of brief therapy (Palazzoli et al, 1978;Simon & Axford, 1'983;Weakland et al, 1974). It would seem that any clarification would help the task of describing therapy.…”

Section: Structure and Process In Theories Of Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%

On change, catastrophe and therapy

Simon

1987

Journal of Family Therapy

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Therapists' ideas about the processes of change that occur before, during and after psychotherapy are important to their practice. Discussion and choice are difficult because of the abstract and complex nature of these ideas. Graphic visual aids can be used within a rigorous framework to facilitate their description. Using the construct of 'family morale', an example is offered in diagrammatic form to show a model that addresses these macro-processes and relates them to the theory for brief family therapy practice. This aims to show the flexibility, clarity and impact of the illustrative medium. An advantage is the possibility of bringing the seemingly qualitative ideas into the arena offhe potentially quantifiable.Therapy ought to be difficult to explain. If it is not, there is a distinct danger that the activity being described is no more than common-sense advice. Therapy is more complex than a simple 'take it or leave it' statement of opinion. It is also by nature an intangible topic, requiring the description of variations of changing processes of altering the pattern of fluid personal relationships: a noticeably high order of abstraction. These factors, the complexity and abstractness, should not deter us but should encourage us to cast around for help in the task.It is possible that since therapy is based primarily on conversation, the use of language to describe it may hinder rather than help on occasion. Theoretical and research literature is also linguistic. The danger is that the intended distinctions may get muddled up with semantic similarities, and unexpected inferences may cloud the original clarity of meaning. These dangers are well worth trying to avoid. The use of visual aids is a method of supplementing linguistic metaphor: it can be much more enlightening and can offer intuitive understandings of complex issues (Waddington, 1977). Indeed, de Bono (1967) suggests that an identifiable technique to escape old patterns and generate new ones is to think visually.

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“…The mnemonic RUMBA (Dixon, 1991) helps us remember properties of an audit: R = Relevant, especially to the people involved and the service to be U = Understandable, by everyone involved; M = Manageable, so that staff can see it through; delivered; B = Behavioural, so that it is clear whether or not indicators A = Achievable, like the 'realistic' goal of brief therapy (Weakland happen;et al, 1974).…”

Section: A Memory Aidmentioning

confidence: 99%