Solution Focused Brief Therapy — Sydney (Parramatta)

This 'flag-ship' course is a comprehensive introduction to Solution Focused Practice for practitioners in various settings. Thought-provoking and inspiring, the course offers a PROVEN approach that is effective for mental health problems, trauma, disruptive behaviour, substance use and many other social and emotional problems in counselling/therapy and in broader coaching and school settings.

Do you work with complex clients in limited time? Do your clients focus on the problem rather than a solution?

Would you like an efficient, evidenced-based approach that is effective in 65-83% of cases and just 4-5 sessions?

Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) offers professionals an efficient, user-friendly and research-supported approach that is responsive to the practical realities of working with young people and adults. The role of counsellors, and other professionals rests largely on the ability to interact with people in ways that emphasise people’s existing strengths/resources, identifies possible different futures and supports movement to change.

With an emphasis on “what works”, SFBT focuses on the reality that change is the name of the game. It's used with clients with anxiety, depression, trauma, disruptive behaviours and a host of other emotional and well-being issues. This popular workshop offers a thorough overview of the approach and shares real clinical examples, including substance abuse, trauma, mental health, child and adolescent difficulties. You will learn:

• Why the fundamental shift from “problem-driven” to “solution-driven” can dramatically change the outcome of any interaction.
• How to use cooperative relationships and an individual’s language, beliefs and preferences to define changeable problems, and develop highly meaningful and specific goals.
• When and how to use a range of techniques and tools; through detailed demonstrations, skills practice exercises, discussions and video examples of ACTUAL therapy sessions.
• How the use of “future-focused” questions, building on exceptions and reframing of problems, shifts people away from the problem and towards change.
• What the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of the approach are, and how the resilience research supports it.
• Why presenting ideas and interventions as “suggestions” and “experiments” instead of directives can improve the likelihood of clients taking action once they leave your office.
• How issues such as “risk” fit with the Solution-Focused approach.

This 'flag-ship' workshop has been the introduction to Solution Focus Practice for many of the Australia's leading practitioners. Comprehensive, thought-provoking and inspiring many participants can't wait to get back to their workplace to practice.

This course will be particularly suitable for psychologists, social workers, counsellors, mental health nurses, school counsellors, coaches and anyone interested in working EFFECTIVELY and EFFICIENTLY to promote change. It will be relevant BOTH for those who have already had some exposure to Solution-Focused Brief Therapy but would benefit from a comprehensive framework for conceptualising and practising the approach AND also highly applicable for people with no real exposure to the approach.

This training is the most comprehensive introductory Solution-Focused training available in Australia, conducted by Michael Durrant, who had a personal and professional relationship with the founders of the Solution-Focused approach and is a sought-after speaker and trainer internationally.

This course is offered a number of times during the year. It usually fills quickly and is often over-subscribed — we encourage you to register early.