Solution Focused Therapy For Children Research Paper

Solution Focused Therapy for Children
Rhonda Kendrick
December 11, 2014

Solution-focused therapy has a unique orientation toward non-problem times. The purpose is to help people target and amplify resources and strengths toward change (Berg,
1994). The article that I researched is about a study of using the framework of solution focused therapy with children. Children were referred by the study for presenting problems involved those relating to “behavior,” such as aggression toward peers or parents, defiance toward teachers, and conduct problems in school (i.e. non-completion of assignments, impulsivity, talking out-of-turn, and other classroom management problems). Referrals were screened out if they reported the need for treatment due to stressful life events, such as sexual abuse or if the child’s family had recently suffered a death or divorce.
The questions asked by the counselors were usually focused on the present or on the future. That reflected on the basic belief that problems are best solved by focusing on what is already working, and how a client would like their life to be, rather than focusing on the past and what isn’t wanted. According to Nunnally (1993), “validating what clients are already doing well, and acknowledging how difficult their problems are encourages the client to change while giving the message that the counselor has been listening and cares.” The counselor then asked them the miracle question. The miracle question was based on the child waking up with his problem solved. The counselor then asks the child what happened to make the miracle happen. The counselor then asks the child to set small goals to solve