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BRIEF THERAPY
Cove Center for Recovery - Addiction Treatment
Center embraces Brief Therapy, as an
effective approach in working with clients anger,
and drug abuse and alcohol problems.
Brief Therapy is a term that refers to an approach
of psychotherapy
in which the therapist works with clients to solve
problems is a less time than traditional or long
term therapy. “The purpose of brief therapy
is not to “understand” the cause of
a given problem, but to find fertile ways of thinking
about it and practical ideas to deal with it”
(Hoyt, 1994, p. 41). The Brief Therapy
approach was pioneered by Milton H. Erickson
(Hoyt, p. 41). It was later expanded to include
other therapeutic family therapy approaches (strategic
therapy, systemic family therapy, solution-focused
therapy, narrative therapy), yet the therapeutic
approaches that have followed, continue to keep
the term of “brief therapy” a core
component of each therapeutic approach.
SOLUTION FOCUSED THERAPY
During therapy clients who are struggling with
drug and alcohol abuse problems, it is helpful
to ask the client to describe how life will be
different when the problems that were occurring
when he or she entered Cove - Drug and
Alcohol Rehab, are no longer present.
The answers a client provides, is a sign of hope
and possibility. It is a way of looking forward,
and the beginning of working toward solutions.
It is equally effective for therapists working
with families in therapy to apply this same technique.
There are several techniques family therapists
use in working with clients and their families.
Following a solution-focused therapeutic approach
in a brief therapy atmosphere, is preferred by
therapists at Cove Center for Recovery - Drug
and Alcohol Treatment Centers.
Solution-Focused Therapeutic Techniques:
Recognize the Client as the expert. Solutions
focused therapists enlist the client as the expert
in knowing the client’s history, perceptions,
and experiences. Clients are the best historians
for their behaviors and experiences, as it relates
to their perceptions.
Elicit Resources from Clients.
Each client has resources and abilities. The therapist
works with the client in discussing the client’s
characteristics, abilities, knowledge, and strengths,
as tools to empower the client, and focus on the
future and ability to find solutions. Most clients
can describe personal characteristics, talents,
or hobbies that the teen can use as resources
for working to resolve conflicts or issues.
Focus on Exceptions and Progress.
The therapist works with the client, eliciting
exceptions to the problem. This is accomplished
by the therapist asking the client to describe
times when the problem does not exist or is less
severe. For example, most clients can describe
positive life experiences prior to using drugs
or prior to having behaviors that appeared disruptive.
“Focusing on exceptions allows people to
think that they themselves have more control over
the problem than is at first apparent.: (Hoyt,
1994, page 58)
Set Goals. Setting realistic
and attainable goals is a technique that inspires
the client to focus on small, workable goals or
assignments, encouraging the client to remain
engaged in the therapeutic process. Cove’s
therapists often co-creates goals, with the teen
client, helping the client to meet not only personal
goals but also external goals necessary for the
client to remain in the residential program.
Cove Center for Recovery
- Addiction Treatment Centers encourages all clients
and families to remain solution minded in their
journey towards a healthier and rewarding life
experience.
Resources:
Hoyt, M. (1994). Constructive Therapies 1. New
York, NY: The Guilford Press.
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