Slides summarising the Solutions Focus Training that I did with Paul Z Jackson in Jan 2008.

1. Solutions for Change “ The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook” William James, US pragmatist philosopher A quick “Hello” Introduce yourselves Names? Where are you from? What’s 1 thing that is going well for you lately?

8. Solutions Talk Problem Talk Diagnose the problem Know the causes of the problem Use this info to address the problem Academic impulse Solutions Talk Recognise the solution(s) Find “counters” – this that contribute to solutions Build solutions and the problem vanishes Pragmatic impulse

9. Solutions Focus Strategy Model Find what works and do more of it … Problem Defining the Future Finding what’s working Spotting useful qualities/skills Finding small steps switchover

10. Solutions Focus Big Picture These are the 3 main tenets of the solutions focus: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – start here … By “broke”, we mean that somebody wants something to be different. In SLAH we are working with people who want something to be different and are prepared to do something about it – not the others. Once you know what works, do more of it If you note when the solution is happening already, whether spontaneously, by accident, or only even in part, you have priceless knowledge. If it’s not working, do something different – lastly … Although we usually make progress by using tenet 2, occasionally something else is required

11. Solutions Focus Model 10 5 0 S C A L E 1 st Platform Problem 2 nd Future Perfect Counters Affirm Small Actions