Doing What Works: Brief Solution-Focused Counseling in Schools John J. Murphy, Ph.D. University of Central Arkansas Translating research into practice

Doing What Works: Brief Solution-Focused Counseling in Schools John J. Murphy, Ph.D. University of Central Arkansas Translating research into practice [email protected] Kansas Association of School Psychologists (KASP) 2009 Fall Conference

Pair and Share (5 minutes): Assessing the Outcome and Fit of Services Pair up and share your answers to the following questions: What do you want from the workshop? How will you know the workshop was effective when it is over? Two weeks from now? How will you know the workshop is a good fit for you while its happening?

What Do You See? Kennys Story

Connect the Dots Task: Anatomy of a Chronic Problem Connect all nine dots using four straight lines without lifting your pen off the paper. Take a minute to try to solve it...................

You cant solve a problem with the same type of thinking that created it. Albert Einstein Solutions require SOMETHING DIFFERENT rather than more of the same A genius once said

Something Different = Focusing on whats working and whats right Exceptions to the problem (non-problem times) Natural Resources in the students life (family, friends, hobbies, values) (vs. Killer Ds) Changing ANYTHING in the problem pattern Perceptions about the student or the problem (explanations, interpretations, attributions) Actions of anyone involved with the problem including US! (reactions, dance sequences) Among other things, these methods GET THE STUDENTS ATTENTION!!!

Articles Published Since 1887 Source: Psychological Abstracts

Increase in Diagnostic Categories from DSM-I (1952) to DSM-IV-TR (2000)

Therapeutic (and Other) Influences Milton Erickson Utilization, crystal ball, no general theory Mental Research Institute (Watzlawick, Weakland, Fisch) Brief strategic Therapy [If it Doesnt Work, Do Something Different] Brief Family Therapy Center (De Shazer, Berg) Solution-Focused Brief Therapy [If It Works, Do More of It] Narrative Therapy (White, Epston) The person is not the problem; the problem is the problem Client-Directed/Outcome-Informed Therapy (Duncan, Miller) Heroic clients; client feedback Personal/Professional Experiences; Psychotherapy Research

Skeleton Keys (Solutions) that Fit Most Locks (School Behavior Problems)

I FEEL GOODand you will too when you see this research!!!

The Change Pie (1000+ studies): Common Factors of Successful Counseling (Lambert, Wampold,...) Of all the ingredients in counseling, the client is by far the most powerful and important. The success of counseling rests largely on the extent to which the clients resources and opinions are recruited and respected throughout the helping process. [Additional Materials, Page A-1] Relationship 30% Client 40% Hope 15% Model/ Technique 15%

Assumptions of Brief Solution-Focused Counseling (BSFC) 1. People are unique, capable, and resourceful. 2. Cooperation (alliance) promotes solutions. 3. It is generally more useful to focus on future solutions rather than past problems. 4. No problem is constant. There are always fluctuations and exceptions. 5. If it works, do more; if it doesnt, try something different.

Tasks and Techniques of Brief Solution-Focused Counseling 1.Build cooperative, change-focused relationships (alliances) 2. Meet clients where they are by clarifying the problem 3. Find out where clients want to go by developing goals 4. Encourage something different by (a) building on exceptions and other resources, or (b) changing the viewing and doing of the problem 5. Evaluate and empower progress [Additional Materials, Page A-2]

Task 1. Build cooperative, change- focused relationships (alliances) Tell clients you want to be useful and need their help (feedback) to do so Reflect and validate clients concerns, perceptions, and feelings (No wonder you feel that way) Compliment clients and recruit their strengths, resources, and heroic stories Create a culture of feedback by using short rating scales (ORS, SRS) to obtain client feedback on the progress (outcome) and fit (alliance) of servicesand adjust services accordingly Incorporate the clients own words into goals and conversations Be curious vs. all-knowing; Ask vs. tell (I wonder if this would work; How did you do that?)

Role Play (Teacher Consultation): How to (and How Not to) Reflect and Validate Clients Concerns, Perceptions, and Feelings Task 1. Build cooperative, change-focused relationships (alliances) Technique: Reflect and validate clients concerns, perceptions, and feelings

You Cant Re-Arrange the Furniture Unless Youre Invited Into the House

Ripped from the Headlines... Alliance Rules!!! Analyzing over 1000 research studies, Orlinsky et al. (2004) concluded that (1) the clients perception of the alliance is the best predictor of outcomes, and (2) client participation is the centerpiece of a strong alliance. Strong Alliance Better Outcomes Client- Practitioner Bond Agreement on tasks Agreement on Goals

Task 2. Meet clients where they are by clarifying the problem. Clarify the key concern/problem and related details (Where? When? With whom? How is it a problem for you?) Ask about previous solution attempts (What have you tried? How did it work?) Ask How can I help? Solution-Focused, NOT Solution-Forced

Where you are Where you want to be (Now) (Future) Problem Goal Goal

Task 3. Find out where clients want to go by developing goals 5-S Guideline of Effective Goals Significant (consistent with their values, beliefs, own words)* Specific (clear, concrete, descriptive; videotalk) Small (reasonable, attainable; next small step) Start-based (stated as start or more of what clients want vs. less of what they dont want) Self-manageable (within clients control vs. other peoples control) [See sample questions under Goals and Questions for Young People Viewed as Reluctant or Resistant, Additional Materials, Pages A-3 and Page A-4] Source: Murphy, J. J. (2008). Solution-focused counseling in schools (2 nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Terrence (Grade 5), the School Bully

Task 4. Encourage something different by (a) building on exceptions and other resources, or (b) changing the viewing and doing of the problem Building on exceptions to the problem Explore non-problem times (exceptions) (Where? When? With whom?), how clients made them happen, and how they could replicate or increase them [See sample questions under Exceptions, Additional Materials, Page A-3] Practice Exercise: Interviewing for Exceptions [Additional Materials, Page A-5]

Using Video Exceptions to Increase Behavior (Self-Modeling) 1.Select the good behavior to be increased. 2.Videotape the student displaying good behaviors (prompted or unprompted). 3.Edit the tape(s) to create a Greatest Hits movie (1-2 minutes long). 4.Have the student view the tape several times (every other day at school for two weeks for a total of 5 or 6 viewings). Video (student, age 9): Increasing social interaction through self-modeling

Summary of Building on Exceptions Its easier to move a train or river in the direction its already going than to push it in the opposite direction

Building on Other Resources Identify natural resources in the students life, and build them into school interventions. Resources may include: Special interests, talents, hobbies Resilience, coping skills Family and friends Values, beliefs, life experiences Heroes and influential people Solution ideas [See questions under Other Resources, Additional Materials, Page A-3]

Changing the Viewing or Doing of the Problem Change the Viewing: Offer different explanations of the problem in order to encourage different responses (Could it be that ; I wonder) Change the Doing: Encourage actions that shake up the typical problem pattern by inviting clients to change anything in their performance of (or response to) the problem [See questions under Changing the Viewing or Doing, Additional Materials, Page A-3]

Changing the Viewing: Young Woman OR Old Woman? Youre Right!

Reframing the Problem (same behavior, different explanation) Description/Steps: 1) Assign a different explanation or motive to problem behavior that promotes different responses from the student, teacher, or others [Examples: View fooling around in class as a generous act of giving up ones own freedom to provide entertainment to other students; View arguments with peers as a sign of social interest and concern] Examples/Applications Questions? REMINDER: The way we view or explain a problem is an interpretation, not a fact.

Changing the Doing: Do the Problem Differently/Be Unpredictable Encourage the student or teacher to alter some aspect of his or her performance of the problem (duration, intensity, location, sequence, time of day, etc.), or to respond very differently the next time the problem occurs (change the typical response in unpredictable and surprising ways)

So, You Wanna Change Me, Huh? When Things Are Stuck and Not Working, We Have Two Options Option 1: Pull the Rope Harder (More of the Same) Option 2: Drop the Rope (Something Different)

Dwayne (12 th grade) [Video Clip #1] National Merit Scholar Referred by teachers for not working on the Extended Essay requirement needed to pass English class and graduate Mom, teachers, and principal have tried reasoning with Dwayne to no avail (Think of your future. Just write something and turn it in. It just has to be there, it doesnt have to be good. Although no one views Dwayne as mean or rude, they view him as very stubborn on this issue Everyone is at wits endMom has contacted a psychiatrist to find out whats wrong and assess the need for medication

Brainstorming Exercise (Dwayne) In groups of 3 to 5 people, discuss the following: 1. What resources does Dwayne bring to counseling? How might one or more of these resources be applied toward a solution? 2. What existing views and actions might be serving to increase (rather than resolve) the problem? 3. Think of at least one different explanation or view of Dwaynes behavior. How might this new view be presented to promote a solution? How would you proceed with Dwayne and others in this situation? Results of Activity: Intervention Ideas [Dwayne: Video Clips 2 and 3] The Rest of the Story

Task 5. Evaluate and empower progress Evaluate progress (outcome) and fit (alliance) on an ongoing basis 1) Evaluate progress using the Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) and other relevant measuresgrades, discipline reports, observations, etc. 2) Evaluate alliance (client-practitioner relationship and fit of services) using the Session Rating Scale (SRS)

Client feedback = Better Outcomes *Anker, Duncan, & Sparks (2009): Significantly better outcomes (vs. equivalent comparison group) in couples therapy when using the ORS and SRS (Norway) *Reese, Nosworthy, & Rowlands (in press): Significant improvement in college counseling center outcomes using continuous feedback via ORS and SRS *Miller, Duncan, Brown, Sorrell, & Chalk (2006): Use of ORS and SRS significantly reduced drop out and improved outcomes (effect sizes increased from.39 to.79) *Lambert et al. (2003): 65% increase in practitioner effectiveness after receiving client feedback Two Quick Feedback Measures: (1) Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) and Child-ORS (CORS): Assesses clients experience of change (outcome); (2) Session Rating Scale (SRS) and Child SRS (CSRS): Assesses clients experience of fit (alliance) [Additional Materials, Pages A-7 through A-11]

Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) and Child ORS (CORSage 6 to 12) [Additional Materials, Pages A-7, A-8] Administered at the beginning of (or just before) every session ORS (8th grade reading level); CORS (3 rd grade reading level; includes smiley and frowny faces) People rate themselves (and/or others) on each dimension by marking a 10-centimeter line Scoring: Unless using a computerized program, each line is scored (between 0.0 and 10.0 cm) using a centimeter ruler or template; all four lines are added to produce a Total score (40 = highest possible score)

Session Rating Scale (SRS) and Child SRS (CSRS; age 6 to 12) [Additional Materials, Pages A-9, A-10] Completed at the end of every session SRS is written at 7th grade reading level; CSRS adds smiley and frowny faces to assist younger students (age 6 to 12) Interpretation: 0-34 (poor alliance); 35-38 (fair alliance); 39-40 (strong alliance) Explore any area below 9, and end by asking what else would improve future meetings Purpose: Detect and correct alliance problems

Client Feedback: Quotes From the Experts Shouldn't I be telling you what I think about this? Molly, age 10 It's a lot better when you ask a person what they want to do Molly, age 10 Id just like to say something right now. I think these forms are a good idea. Carlos, age 13

Empower progress whenever it occurs Give students (and others) credit and explore how they made improvements Ask their advice for others Use letters and other documents to reinforce success [see Letters/Documents for Empowering Progress, Additional Materials, Page A-6] Invite them to join the Consultant Club* Help them prepare for relapse

Consultant Club Membership Certificate This is to accept Chelsea Martin as an official member of the Consultant Club. The Consultant Club is a group of people who have made important changes in their lives, and who would be willing to serve as a consultant to Dr. John Murphy for advice on helping others., Consultant (Consultants Signature), Club President (Dr. John Murphy)

Thats All, Folks! THANK YOU and best wishes in your work Translating research into practice www.drjohnmurphy.com [email protected]