On the Shoulders of Giants

Abstract

In the wake of the closing of the MRI and its Brief Therapy Center, the author remembers its founders, Richard “Dick” Fisch, John Weakland, and Paul Watzlawick. Starting with Fisch's description of the beginning of the Center, the author goes on to describe his three kinds of interventions: planned, procedural, and of opportunity. Watzlawick's question about the disadvantages of change is given as an example of a procedural intervention and is explained with case examples. Weakland's many forms of challenging beliefs are presented as interventions of opportunity, and several case examples are given to illustrate this technique.