Chapter 1
Introduction and Illustration

Chapter Objectives

• To introduce solution-focused counseling in schools through a real-life illustration
• To describe the format of first and later sessions in solution-focused counseling
• To discuss the goodness of fit between solution-focused counseling, schools, and school practitioners

Although the world is full of suffering,
it is also full of the overcoming of it.

-Helen Keller

Solution-focused counseling invites students and other clients1 to describe what they want from counseling and to apply what they have toward achieving it in the shortest time pos sible. This brief counseling approach has become increasingly popular among school practitioners throughout the world because it is culturally respectful, evidence based, efficient, and results oriented.

Solution-focused counselors and conversations are guided by three questions:

• What does the client want from counseling?
• What does the client have toward achieving it?
• What progress has the client already made, and what are some possible next signs or next steps toward further progress?

These questions translate into the three main tasks of solution-focused counseling:

1. Setting a direction based on what the client wants from counseling: "What are your best hopes from coming here?" "How will your life be different if you achieve your hopes?" "How would you know our meeting was useful?"
2. Building on exceptions and other resources that are already happening and available in the client's life: "When doesn't the problem happen?" "When are things a little more like you want them to be at school?" "What else might help you move toward your best hopes?"
3. Exploring progress toward desired outcomes: "What's better?" "How did you move up a full point on the 0-10 scale?" "What will you be noticing when things are a tiny bit better at school?" "What will it take for that to happen?" "How did you manage to keep going when things got worse last week?"

These tasks make up the entirety of solution-focused counseling and occur in varying degrees and sequences in every counseling session.

The three main techniques of solution-focused counseling are asking, listening, and amplifying. Practitioners ask useful questions, listen to students' responses, and amplify aspects of their responses and lives that support their desired outcomes. When being purely solution focused, practitioners rarely do anything else outside of these activities. As evidenced in the following illustration and throughout the book, the three main tasks and techniques of solution-focused counseling centralize clients and give them a voice in every aspect of their care.

Tyra: An Illustration of Solution-Focused Counseling in Schools

People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come into the minds of others.

-Blaise Pascal

The best way to learn a counseling approach is to see it in action through real-life descriptions and examples. Although the book's examples come primarily from notes and transcripts of my work with students and caregivers, I will use "Counselor" in most dialogues. The following example involves a 16-year-old student named Tyra. This illustration focuses on the beginning stages of counseling-namely, the first session with Tyra and her caregivers-because that is often the hardest part of solution-focused work for people who are learning the approach. Several conversations are summarized in narrative form, and commentary is periodically included to further clarify the counseling process. I encourage you to consider the invitation in Activity 1.1 before reading on.

Talking with a counselor was not Tyra's idea, which is almost always the case in school-based counseling. This means that counseling in schools typically involves multiple clients-students, teachers, parents/guardians, and anyone else we work with throughout the counseling process. Tyra was referred by two teachers who were concerned about her recent classroom behavior and performance. She lived with her mother (Ms. Smith), her older brother, and two cousins.

First Session (Phone): Parent

Upon receiving the referral, I contacted Tyra's mother and teachers to arrange meeting times. Ms. Smith said that she preferred to talk by phone instead of meeting at school and that she trusted the school to do what they thought was best for Tyra. She told me she was not having any major problems with Tyra at home other than "usual teenager things." I summarized the referral concerns and asked if Ms. Smith had any related questions and hopes. She expressed the hope that Tyra would "pull herself together" and "come to her senses" at school. When I asked Ms. Smith about any small signs that she might notice to indicate that things were improving, she replied that Tyra would be happier and smile a little more.

Activity 1.1 Similarities and Differences?

As you read through the example of solution-focused counseling with Tyra and her caregivers, be on the lookout for similarities and differences between the counselor's approach and your approach to working with students, teachers, and parents.

Before wrapping up, I asked Ms. Smith to rate Tyra's school situation on a 0-10 scale, with 10 being exactly where she wanted Tyra to be and 0 being the opposite of that. She replied, "I'd say about 5." I also requested any advice she had for me or others who were working with Tyra at school. She suggested asking Tyra "anything about music." With that, Ms. Smith told me she had to end the phone call. I thanked her for her input and invited her to contact me if she had additional questions, concerns, or ideas on how we could help Tyra at school.

First Session: Teachers

Tyra was referred for counseling by her science teacher (Sara) and history teacher (Ted) because of concerns about her "anger, defiance, and recent drop in school performance." I met with the teachers to clarify their concerns and hopes related to Tyra. Among other things, Sara said that Tyra had become increasingly "defiant and angry" and would sometimes refuse to do any work in her science class. Ted shared similar concerns and added that Tyra had her "good days and bad days" in his class. Sara agreed but added that the bad days far outweighed the good ones. I acknowledged their concerns and expressed appreciation for their continued desire to help Tyra despite the difficult circumstances and challenges they were facing.

Both teachers viewed Tyra as capable of doing acceptable work in their classes. They were hoping that counseling would help her figure things out, be happier, and turn things around at school by improving her schoolwork. I asked them to describe one of Tyra's recent "better days" in their classes along with any details that distinguished those days from others. Sara and Ted noted a few differences in Tyra's behavior on those days, which included arriving to class on time, not sleeping, and paying a little more attention than usual. They were unable to identify any specific differences in their approach that may have contributed to the better days. When asked to rate Tyra's school situation on a 0-10 scale, with 10 being where you want things to be and 0 being the opposite of that, Sara said 2 and Ted said 4.

To identify small signs of progress from their perspectives, I asked, "How will you know things have moved up a point on the scale?" Ted quickly replied, "She'd turn in more work." After thinking about it for a few seconds, Sara said, "She wouldn't be so angry and argumentative." I asked, "What would she do instead?" and Sara replied, "She would follow instructions better and do what I ask the first time instead of having a comeback for everything." I ended the meeting by (a) asking if we missed any important topics or questions (they said "no"); (b) thanking them for their time and cooperation; (c) acknowledging their ongoing commitment and efforts on Tyra's behalf; (d) summarizing their main concerns and hopes; and (e) inviting them to pay special attention to times when things are slightly better with Tyra, along with any details and differences that distinguish those times from others.

First Session: Tyra

I introduced myself to Tyra and reviewed the required precounseling information related to safety issues and limits of confidentiality. I also told her I had met with her teachers a few days earlier. Finally, I provided a brief description of the counseling process that included a preemptive apology for having to ask a lot of questions to better understand her perspective.

I typically ask students about their nonschool interests and skills during the opening phase of the first session. This is an optional part of the work and a judgment call made by practitioners on a student-by-student basis. I decided to postpone this discussion and proceed in the...