Building practice-based solution-focused research down under

Judi H. MillerSFBTA Conference, research day, Santa Fe, New Mexico6 – 8 November, 2014

• Provide an overview of – the context (down under)– student evaluation of our SF program– the Master of Counselling

• Share SF practice-based research (from down under)

• Consider and discuss research challenges, responses and where to from here.

Hopes for this session

Context- New Zealand, pop 4.5 Million

• Psychotherapy training provided mainly by private providers

• Counselling and psychology taught in university-based programmes

• Graduate programmes in counselling taught in only 4 universities –

• SF taught only at University of Canterbury.

NZ Counselling

1974 A two year graduate programme started - microskills, problemsolving12 students per year

1988 I started teaching in the degree1992 SF introduced as foundational

model2010 A series of earthquakes2012 New Masters degree introduced

UC counsellor training

Christchurch, seconds after 6.3 earthquake, Feb 22, 2011

• 2007 – survey of graduates (Miller, 2009)• All valued practice experience and clinical

supervision for developing their sense of competence and identification as professional counsellors.

• 79% constructed themselves as life-long learners who use a SF framework to shape their work.

Checking if SF teaching works down under

• New Master of Counselling– Two year full-time programme based on social

constructionist principles and solution-focused practice.– Guided by Skovholt and Starkey (2010)

metaphor:Three-legged epistemological stool–Research component added.

Developing a programme to increase student research

Year one – solution-focused courseworkYear two – 400 hour practicum + professional

practice research portfolio.

Key aspects: ✓qualitative methods ✓group supervision✓collaborative discoveries✓research relevant/meaningful to each student✓publishable

Master of Counselling

• Complements data from controlled settings

• Evidence resonates with practitioners

• Practice is able to be responsive to the data

• Values client descriptions of change

(Shennan and Iveson, 2013)

Extending practice-based evidence

•Pragmatic case – Empowering adolescents through solution-

focused counselling : the experiences of New Zealand adolescent girls

and self esteem, can sf help? (Tina Duff)

Examples of completed student research

SFBT and self esteem

• Foeschle et al (2007) found that SFBT did not improve self-esteem but this may not be very relevant to student success.

• Peterson (2009) notes that the taking of action demonstrates a belief that one can do something about a problem (self-efficacy) and this may be used as a measure of adolescent empowerment.

SFBT and self esteem

• Our student encouraged four females (in a high school) to be co-participators in SF counselling. She then analysed five SF counselling sessions with each client and found that SF counselling helped clients:– discover their personal strengths and resources– feel empowered to act using these resources– experience enhanced self efficacy– take action to bring about positive change

•Narrative case –Shift happens? : exploring the exception question

in solution-focused therapy ways the exception question brings

about a shift in perceptions for client and counsellor’s learning. (Kay

Henson)

Examples of completed student research

Exceptions

• Shennan and Iveson (2012) have shifted their focus from exceptions to instances of part of the miracle.

• Our student found that her research on exception questions brought together students’ personal stories of their counselling experience and stories of her own learning as a student counsellor.

Research process

• Client rating scale • Narrative analysis exposed shifts and change

for clients and the counsellor.• Supervision (using exception questions) and

reflective journal helped the counsellor develop a sense of self.

• Client engagement, use of drawings, full transcriptions, counsellors’ story

Research questions addressed

• How can the exception question in solution-focused therapy bring about change for students?

• How do students in a high school experience creative uses of solution focused exception questions?

• How does its use influence my counselling and my ongoing learning as a counsellor?

Microanalysis of dialogue: Clients’ and practitioner’s experiences of the “What’s better?” question in Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Examples of student research ‘in progress’

Feedback

What’s better

Not useful discussing Useful discussing

Overall

Do something different Do the same

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Clients’ experiences of the summation message.

Examples of student research ‘in progress’

• Practice-based evidence – requires research experience

• Subjectivity and bias• Effect of researcher allegiance to SF• Researcher or therapist - can the two mix?• Phenomenology and social constructionism• Does being reflexive and being a participant really

improve practice?

Meeting these challenges

• I would welcome any comments and suggestions on what we are doing and how we might improve what we are doing.

• Our next challenge is to find appropriate examiners –

both practitioners and academics - any volunteers? • Please contact me judi.miller@canterbury.ac.nz

Where to from here?

• Crocket, K., Agee M. & Cornforth, S (Ed.), Ethics in Practice: A Guide for Counsellors: 53-57. Wellington: Dunmore Publishing.

• Gingerich, W.J. & Peterson, L.T. (2013). Effectiveness of Solution-focused brief therapy: A systematic qualitative review of controlled outcome studies. Research on Social Work Practice. http://rsw.sagepub.com/

• Froeshle, J.G., Smith, R.L., & Ricard, R. (2007). The efficacy of a systematic substance abuse program for adolescent females. Professional School Counseling, 10, 498 - 505

• McLeod, J. (2010). Case Study Research in Counselling and Psychotherapy. London: Sage.

• Miller, J.H. (2009) Does teaching a solution-focused model of counselling work? A follow-up of graduates. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research 10(3): 173-182.

Resources

• Peterson, Z.D (2009). What is sexual empowerment? A multidimensional and process-oriented approach to adolescent girls’ sexual empowerment. Sex Roles, 62, 307-313.doi: 10.1080/09614520802030383

• Sangganianavanich, V.F and Black, L.L. (2011) The Multicultural Supervision Scale. Journal of Professional Counseling, Practice, Theory, & Research,. 38 (2) :18

• Shennan G. and Iveson, C. From solution to discription: Practice and research in tandem. In C Franklin, T Trepper, W. Gingerich & E. McCollum (Eds), (2012). Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: A Handbook of Evidence-Based Practice. NY: Oxford University Press

• Skovholt, T.M. & Starkey, M.T. (2010). The three legs of the practitioner’s learning stool: Practice, research/theory and personal life. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 40 (3):125-130.

Resources

Empowering adolescents through solution-focused counselling : the experiences of New Zealand adolescents : research project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Counselling at the University of Canterbury •by Duff, Tina L.,

Shift happens? : exploring the exception question in solution-focused therapy : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Counselling, School of Health Sciences •by Henson, Kay J.,

Resources