ABSTRACT
Children and youth identified with learning problems are often referred for a psychoeducational assessment, which evaluates cognitive abilities, academic skills, and other abilities such as visual-motor integration, memory, and attention. Such assessments are based on normative thinking, which may appear to contradict the collaborative and non-normative ethos of Solution Focused Brief Therapy.
In this chapter, the authors (a school psychologist with Solution Focused [SF] training and a counselling psychologist and SF trainer with assessment experience) describe how they have integrated SF principles and practices into the process of psychoeducation assessment. We have found that using SF ideas, while being faithful to psychological test data, can reframe problematic histories, invite children and youth to cooperate with assessment procedures, and create a context for receptivity to recommendations.
