Leading From Behind: Episode 19 - Feedback Informed Treatment Practices (Part 1)

This is the first of two episodes devoted to feedback informed treatment practices. 

In many countries, there's a growing demand for accountability and transparency in psychotherapy.  Programs, services and individual clinicians face increasing responsibility to provide evidence of their effectiveness. 

In this episode of Leading From Behind, we look at the rationale for including feedback informed treatment practices into your work as a solution focused therapist. 

Feedback informed treatment practices involve the solicitation of structured feedback from our clients at each session, regarding progress and their perception of the therapeutic alliance.  In collaboration with the client, the feedback can be used to make any adjustments necessary to invite a positive outcome. 

There is increasing evidence that feedback informed treatment practices can improve outcomes and reduce dropouts, waiting lists and the average length of time some people spend in therapy.  Most of all, these practices honour the client's expertise and opinions (a foundation of the solution focused approach) and bring much needed accountability and transparency to our work as clinicians. 

In the resource segment of the program, we highlight two resources related to feedback informed treatment:

The Heart & Soul of Change: Delivering What Works in Therapy - edited by Barry Duncan, Scott Miller, Bruce Wampold and Mark Hubble  

Scott Miller's website

Leading From Behind: Episode 18 - Skill Development in Solution Focused Practice

Building one's skills in solution focused practice requires intentionality.  In this episode of Leading From Behind, we look at three methods of maintaining an ongoing focus in this area. 

For most of this episode, we look at how participating in consulting teams can create rich opportunities for learning in a supportive environment.  In the absence of having a group of colleagues available for a team approach, we also identify how even sitting in each other's sessions can be a useful learning experience.  Finally, we underline the benefits that can come from reviewing audio or video recordings of your work with clients. 

In the resource segment of the program, we note two week-long intensive training programs in solution focused therapy that might be of interest to practitioners in North America or Europe.  While details of the 2014 programs are not available at this time, inks to the two organizations are listed below: 

BRIEF Summer School 

Denver Center for Solution Focused Brief Therapy (Summer Intensive)

Leading From Behind: Episode 17 - Further Elements in Follow-up Sessions

In this episode of Leading From Behind, we conclude our beginning examination of the process of conversation in follow-up sessions in solution focused therapy.  This time, we highlight how scaling questions, questioning about the next small sign of change and, of course, the end of session message are utilized. 

In the resource segment of the program, we provide some detail about a recently-announced solution focused therapy conference planned for Orlando, Florida.  The inaugural Solution Focused Therapy Expo founded by Elliot Connie and Linda Metcalf will be held from February 14-15, 2014.  We also note the release of the first edition of a new online journal devoted to solution focused therapy.  The International Journal of Solution Focused Practices published its first work this month and new editions will appear every six months.

Details about the conference and the new journal can be found at the links below: 

Solution Focused Therapy Expo

International Journal of Solution Focused Practices

Leading From Behind: Episode 16 - Variations in Follow-up Sessions

In this episode of Leading From Behind, we continue our look at follow-up sessions.  Although the solution focused therapist is concerned with "what's better" in follow-up sessions, clients invariably will report setbacks and/or circumstances that appear to remain unchanged since the previous session.

The focus in this episode, therefore, is on how the solution focused practitioner responds to the many variations of 'better, worse and the same,' while at the same time maintaining a solution building stance. 

In the resource segment of this episode, we present links to two worthwhile articles available for download on the web: 

The Second Session - an article by Sweden's Dr. Harry Korman

Solution Focused Therapy Treatment Manual for Working With Individuals - an updated document prepared by a number authors on behalf of the Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association.

Leading From Behind: Episode 15 - "What's Better" in Follow-up Sessions

A significant part of follow-up sessions in solution focused practice involves the exploration of improvements in the client's life since the previous contact. 

In this episode of Leading From Behind, we examine the process and skills used by the solution focused practitioner as we begin the follow-up session with the simple question, "What's better?" To facilitate this discussion, we return to our case example, as we explore how the solution focused practitioner elicits, amplifies and reinforces the client's responses to the question. 

In the resource section of the podcast, we highlight the following books:

 Doing Something Different: Solution Focused Brief Therapy Practices (2011), edited by Thorana Nelson

Working with Children and Teenagers Using Solution Focused Approaches: Enabling Children to Overcome Challenges and Achieve Their Potential (2011), written by Judith Milner & Jackie Bateman

Note:  The podcast will be on a summer break for the month of August.  The next episode will be released on September 1, 2013.