Outline
Brief Therapy is psychotherapy that seeks to solve and eliminate problems by promoting changes in communication (interaction) rather than looking for the cause of problems in individual pathology.
We emphasize “What is happening here and now” (interaction) rather than “What is the cause?”
G. Bateson, P. Watzlawick, R Fish, J.H. Weakland, M. Ericsson, D. Shaser, and others built the foundation. It was later systematized into the MRI approach, Solution Focused Approach (SFA), systems theory, etc.
The Essence of Brief Therapy
It can be applied not only to individual interviews but also to various support methods such as family interviews, home visits, group psychotherapy (psychoeducation), and consultations, and is used effectively in a wide range of areas and fields such as mental health care, health and welfare, school education, business, and organizational management.
Concept of Brief Therapy
1. Search for exceptions (parts of the problem that have already been resolved) without looking for the cause (SFA)
2. Dosomething different
3. Keep doing what is working (Do More)
Solution Focused Approach
The most well-known form of brief therapy is the solution-focused approach (SFA), which creates questioning methods such as “Exception questions” and “Miracle questions.” Its origin is an approach developed at a short-term therapy center within a research institute called MRI (Mental Research Institute).
MRI Approach
The MRI Approach is to “break the vicious cycle,” and the SFA is to “extend the virtuous circle.” These approaches are like the two wheels of a bicycle, and understanding both will help you conduct more effective interviews.