ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 covers the evolution of mental health thinking and my early influences during a time when best practice therapy was evolving from problem-focused pathological thinking into client-centered and client-need-driven work. Researchers and clinicians from the Mental Research Institute, the Institute for Family Studies, and the Brief Family Therapy Center were looking at families as systems and clients as competent. At the Brief Family Therapy Center, the evolution of powerful new clinical practices resulted in constructivist thinking with processes to take clients into the future, with hope and the beginning of desired change starting now. Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) showed promise with court-ordered or coerced individuals and families from Child Welfare and other populations previously considered less likely to benefit from therapy. Research and subsequent clinical practice with clients who faced challenging circumstances resulted in the development of SFBT addendums, strategies, and clinical tools to accomplish collaborative engagement, achieve desired outcomes, and confirm that changes are authentic and not merely compliance.
