Giving Hope
| Published date | 01 October 1993 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059304000304 |
| Date | 01 October 1993 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Giving Hope
Caroline Pollard and Sue Provost of Wallsend Probation team,
Northumbria, suggest a new and more collaborative way of working
with clients, using Solutions Based Brief Therapy.
Tut
ational Standards expect pro- by two distinctive schools: Steve De Shaver
-~.
bation officers to form challeng-
and the Milwaukee group take a systemic ap-
ing, helpful relationships which motivate and
proach ; Bill O’Hanlon of Nebraska leads the
attempt to control those who may have had
psychotherapeutic wing. Influenced by
least success and experienced greatest per-
systems theory and the work of Milton
sonal difficulties. All the tools of our trade
Erickson, both schools were inquisitive why
are problem-centred. Textbooks invariably
some problem-solving approaches worked
focus on ’the problem’, its diagnosis, fre-
better than others and identified methods
quency, function and so on. This type of
which appear to accelerate the individual
analysis can make people feel defensive and
towards resolution of difficulties. Financial
mistrustful of our intentions, given our posi-
considerations contributed. Medical in-
tion of authority within the criminal justice
surance in America will no longer pay for
system. No matter how genuine our intent
lengthy therapy and it thus became more
to empower and help, we frequently feel
necessary to find a method which could pro-
hampered and frustrated by
duce results
a lack of co-
relatively quickly. Three British
operation.
social workers in mental health started to use
For the
SBBT with clients and now
past year we have been attemp-
carry out train-
ting
ing nationally for medical and social work
a different approach using Solution-
Based Brief Therapy (SBBT) with 28 clients.
agencies. Adverts for their courses have ap-
Twenty four have actively co-operated, at-
peared in Probation Journal.
tending as required. Of these, ten have
achieved their goals, four are currently work-
.
ing towards them and nine have yet to iden-
tify an issue to which they need a solution.
Basically it is an amalgamation of much
Feedback has been very positive, including
of the best of all previously known methods
comments like: ’It’s much easier to talk this
of social work/psychotherapy/systems theory
way’; ’I’ve realised I can think things out on
but focused on strengths not weaknesses, the
my...
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