Solution News September 2009

Solution NewsUnited Kingdom Association for Solution Focused Practice

ISSN 1758-4388

Articles in this issue:

Also in this issue:EditorialAssociation and Member NewsDetails of what the UKASFP subsystems and members have been up to

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Volume 4 - Issue 2 - September 2009

Solution NewsUnited Kingdom Association for Solution Focused Practice

ISSN 1758-4388

Articles in this issue:Solution Focused working with youngchildrenJocelyne Pouliot

Relationships for DummiesPaul Hackett

Pedagogy, Power and PreventionGeoffrey James

Also in this issue:Editorial

Conference 2009A reminder for those who were not ableto be there just what did you miss?

AccreditationPaul Hanton brings us up to date onwhat UKASFP is doing aboutaccreditation

Solution News ◊ Volume 4 Issue 2 ◊ September 2009

Welcome toSolution News!From the Guest Editor:Welcome to the Autumn edition of SolutionNews. The year is going by very quickly andthis is the pentultimate edition fo 2009. Aswith the last few editions, we have our ownBarry White, UKASFP Chairman, to thank fortickling the keyboard and coaxing all ourcontributions into a coherent form. Thankyou Barry, from the bottoms of our heartsand paws.In this edition, we have a round up of the2009 UKASFP conference which was held atKeele University in June. We also havecontributions from some of our membersand news from some of the local groups.We are grateful for all submissions andsupport our contributers give us. Keep theinput coming.Our next edition will be in time forChristmas, all being well. We will needarticles submitted by 1 November so wehave time to get them edited and typeset intime for the holidays.Vicky Bliss

From the ChairThings have changed.At Conference this year Paul stood down asco‐chair and now there is just me! Otherchanges have happened since so that theCommittee is depleted somewhat.My thanks then to Paul Hanton and CarlPlant for all the work they have done forthis association. Paul continues to work onaccreditation ( see the article in thisnewsletter ) and Carl amongst his manyactivities is studying at Masters level.As commented in the last issue we arehaving to prioritise our demands as acommittee and that will continue ‐ eventhough we have been joined by Paul Avardand Emma Griffiths, both worthy additionswho have already proved their worth!Thanks to them both for their willingness tohelp out and for the energy that they bring.The first quarter of this year followingConference has been quiet in terms ofactivity on mailing lists, although no doubtpeople are going about their business asusual where life takes over. We look forwardto a resumption in activities soon as autumnfades and winter begins.Finally my thanks to all members for makingthis organisation what it is ‐ without youthere is no organisation.Barry White

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Solution News Credits:Solution News is freely availableat:www.solutionnews.co.ukEditing of articles in this issue:UKASFP Committee.

The opinions presented in SolutionNews are those of the relevantauthors and do not represent theviews of the UKASFP.

UKASFP membership is only £25per annum. To join, visitwww.ukasfp.co.uk.

Copyright to the articles publishedin Solution News is vested in therelevant author(s) whosepermission should be soughtbefore reproducing their articleelsewhere. A copy may be madefor your personal reference. If youwould like to contact any authorthe editor will forward yourrequest.Design and layout© 2008 United KingdomAssociation for Solution FocusedPractice. All rights reserved.

Solution News may bedistributed freely in its entirety.

National Committee MembersChair Barry WhiteSecretary Paul AvardNationalDevelopmentOfficer Greg VinnicombeTreasurer Beverley Cameron YoungMembership Dorota RospierskaOtherCommitteePosts Becky Simm

Janet TurnerEmma GriffithsVacancy

WebManager Barry WhiteIf you wish to contact the NationalCommittee please email us [email protected] Paul Hanton

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Solution News

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Solution News Credits:Solution News is freely available at:www.solutionnews.co.uk

Editing of articles in this issue:Vicky Bliss.

The opinions presented in SolutionNews are those of the relevantauthors and do not represent theviews of the UKASFP.

UKASFP membership is only £25 perannum. To join, visitwww.ukasfp.co.uk.

Copyright to the articles published inSolution News is vested in therelevant author(s) whose permissionshould be sought before reproducingtheir article elsewhere. A copy maybe made for your personal reference.If you would like to contact anyauthor the editor will forward yourrequest.

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Solution Focused work with very young childrenJocelyne Pouliot

Before retiring from pre‐school & primary teaching in2006, I was looking for somespecialized training thatwould allow me to stay intouch, on an individualbasis, with children aged 3to 7.I had seenso manyneedychildren,in theschoolsystem,not gettinganyattentiondue tolack of resources andmaterials. I wanted to tryanother route that wouldallow me to work on their self‐esteem and make them feelbetter about themselves. Mypassion for children wasalways there but I needed torefocus my energy into somekind of rewarding “hobby”.Now, after years in privatepractice, let me say that myso called hobby has become afull‐time mission andI love every minute of it.

Jocelyne Pouliot has adiploma in Communityand Social Services fromCentennial College(Ontario), a B.A. inLinguistics from GlendonCollege (York.U.), a B.A.in Education and aMaster of Arts (U. ofToronto).She taught for 26 yearsin both French andEnglish languages inOntario and Québec. Shehas taught at thekindergarten & primarylevels and also to adultsin summer languageprogrammesShe is pleased to offerthis article for SolutionNews ‐ our thanks to herfor sharing with us herein the UK.

Our Québec school systemusually does its best to dealwith most “major problems”related to behavior andlearning disabilities.However, this special attentionis perceived as rather negative

sincechildrenare oftenlabeled orare seen asbeingdifferentwhich addsto theiralready lowself‐esteem

and ever growing guilt. Andtheir parents usually blamethemselves for their child’sdifficulties or feel verydefensive when faced with theschool policies.And what about the otherchildren whose needs are toooften ignored and would alsobenefit from some short termcounseling? For example, asteachers we have very littletraining to deal with a very shyor anxious child enteringpreschool, a depressed childgoing through his parents’

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separation or divorce, an upset child facingdeath for the first time at the age of 5, achild coping with the serious illness of afamily member, etc.How could I make a difference in the life ofthese” forgotten” children since it could notbe done in the classroom setting? My answercame, one night, while navigating on theWeb. In Montréal, the Centre depsychothérapie stratégique was offering atwo‐day workshop on what seemed to be avery positive approach to solving children’sproblems. I like what I read andregistered early for a workshop calledJE SUIS CAPABLE (KIDS’ SKILLS). I thenrealized I had ideal solution focused methodthat could help me work at building anyyoung child’s self esteem while hoping toreduce, at the same time, our ever growingnumber of high school outs. However, I hadto go through a few obstacles before thisdream could become a reality.First obstacleThe children I wanted to work with the mostcould not read nor write. But I knew theyloved getting stickers on a regular basiswhich I consider great self‐esteem boosters.So, on my way back home, a 7‐hour bus ride,I had plenty of time to think. How can I bestadapt this great method for these littlechildren coping with their own problems?Pencil and notebook out of my handbag, Istarted drawing pictures representing allKids’ Skills steps and finally designed a brandnew tool: a poster that would be printed onboth sides and on which children wouldplace mini‐stickers given on a daily basis fora period of two to three months. Then, theadult in charge would have the option of

Solution Focused Approach to working with very young children

5

having it laminated so the child could use itas a place mat at meal times. This wouldbecome a regular reminder of his successto family and friends.Second obstacleI had to get the author’s permission to havemy poster approved and in French. Sincethe author and his Institute were in Finland,I had some doubts about outcome due to apossible language barrier. My first languagewas French and English was second one.The fact that he had an English website toldme that I should try to contact him inEnglish. Surprise! A few days later, BenFurman, expressed his interest in myproject and wanted to know more about it.And the rest is history. If you visit the Kids’Skills website, you will find this new toolavailable in French and in English for now.And that is thanks to Dr Ben Furman fromthe Helsinki Brief Therapy Institute who haskindly offered his precious time tofinalize this project and help with theinstructions.

Now, here is a good example of a veryyoung child who benefited from workingwith a solution focused method and usingthe Kids’ Skills place mat. Also, a few moreexamples are available on my Canadianwebsite www.jesuiscapable.ca

An obsessive fear of making mistakesA 4‐year‐old boy named “Antoine” had anobsessive fear of making mistakes and usedcrying as a defense mechanism when facedwith stressful situations at home and at hisbabysitter. For example: at home, hisparents had to prepare him days in advancefor any outings that were out of his regularroutine; at his babysitter, any new activityintroduced to him like trying to draw theweekly letter, attempting to learn anunknown song, answering a questionfollowing the story reading period brought astream of tears to this very intelligent,artistic but sensitive child.For our first meeting, I suggested thatAntoine brought over his favorite stuffed toysince I had my own collection in my office.He was all excited to introduce me to Diego(Dora’s friend), a recent birthday present.He fully enjoyed our little talk and could notwait trying to win stickers to put on thetreasure chest every time he was able tocontrol his crying. He also learned to takedeep breaths and think about his friendDiego who would be there to encourage himand show him how to be brave just like him.Since he had answered my questions so well,I made him choose his first sticker beforeleaving. What a proud little boy!His family had to learn to make mistakes andnot take them too seriously. For example, Isuggested to his mother to draw a picture allcrooked. Who could do better in this familyof four? The older sister had to dress withher clothes inside out and ask who could dobetter? Dad would speak by mixing up hiswords to make everybody laugh and suggeststhat they all try to do this fun game.

And when Mom would drop something on thefloor, everybody would learn tosay: “Don’t worry Mom! Can I help you?”Avoiding anticipation stress was also workedon at home and at the babysitter. At bothplaces, the adults had to present as often aspossible some unexpected situations: e.g.surprise outings, sudden visitors, newgames, etc. Also, the babysitter had to learnnot to expect, after reading a story, that allchildren felt at ease answering herquestions. She had to adapt to each child’srhythm. And if a child made a mistake, theadult would make one too in order to makeall the children laugh and then say: “ That’sall right! It was just a mistake. Let’s tryagain.”Within three months, Antoine had learnedhis new skill. On his last visit, he camerunning into my office to show me his brandnew place mat filled with colorful stickers.His parents and babysitter were all so proudof his progress and his new way of copingwith stressful situations.And, last October, Antoine’s mother calledmy office to thank me again and to expressher surprise at her son’s easy adaptation topreschool with all its new activities. Assuggested to his parents, they hadapproached the school to make sure Antoinecould be in the same class as some of hisbabysitter’s friends. The school took thismatter very seriously and made sure thattwo of his best friends were in his class. As aresult, I had proud parents who felt so happyto have worked on their child’s self‐esteemwith the Kids’ Skills method and place matbefore he entered school. What a wisedecision! And, Antoine has since become asbrave as Diego.


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The Spirit Level: whymore equal societiesalmost always do better.Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett. Allen Lane,2009, 331pp, £20.00

Suppose we could abandon most of ourcharities, therapies, addiction treatmentcentres, prisons, healthcare, and replacethem with a collaborative, contented,healthy and trusting society of communitiesin which people treated each other asrespected equals, everyone contributed tothe common good, and the gap between richand poor was narrow. Unlikely? Of coursewe're adults here ‐ but – take a look at thisbook and wonder.The epidemiologist/economist authorsstudied 33 rich countries, as well as the 50separate US states, composed an index ofhealth and social care problems. Whichcountries or States would have the highestlevels of problems such as violence, mentalillness, addictions, obesity, educationalunderachievement, teenage births,imprisonment? Not, it seems, the leastwealthy, but consistently the least equal,measured in terms of the economic gapbetween rich and poor. This book reviewsthe research and finds, time after time,that the more equal a country is, the bettertheir showing in terms of problems, and thehealthier all the levels of society are ( theextremely rich, a minute proportion ofwhole populations, excepted). The 'best'countries – or perhaps we might use Layard'sterm 'happiest' – were Finland, theScandinavian countries, Japan, Belgium. Thehighest problem levels existed in the USA,the UK, Portugal, New Zealand.

The authors add some layers to Layard's'Happiness'. Layard investigated whatgovernment might do to promote individualhappiness, including advocating cognitivebehavioural therapy for individuals.Wilkinson & Pickett move up a level. Theypoint out that in less equal societies peoplevalue status more, and make greatefforts to maintain their place in the socialorder. Wealth, profit and economic growthdo not, apparently, contribute much tobuilding supportive communities, physicaland mental health, and contentment ingeneral terms. This may be a helpfulmessage in times like these.Why should solution focused thinkers beinterested in this book? The authorsestablish that societies which facilitatejustice, equality and community are likely tohave fewer health and social problems thanthose which are individualistic, competitiveand status‐hungry. Solution focusedpractitioners and those they work with are,like everyone else, affected by historical,political and societal influences, and anawareness of the influence of the society welive in can help us to understand the thestruggles of our clients and colleagues (andourselves) better. To know that we exist inthe context of a materialistic, unequalsociety can give us an even greaterappreciation of our clients in, say, addictionor homelessness services. Perhaps we mightthink more carefully about the concept ofindividual responsibility in a toxic society.Could changing our society be as importantas working with individuals? And since Ihappen to be English, this book has alertedme to my own need for status and the movesI make to maintain it. The anthropologistKate Fox's 'Watching the English' further

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Book Review The Spirit Level

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Your suggestions for thefutureThere are so many ways in which thisorganisation could develop. We have around 250 people on our mailinglist, and all of you with an influence asmuch as any other.It is your voice we need to help shape thisorganisation ‐ it is not wise to leave anyorganisation in the hands of a few peopleWith all that is happening in society aroundus both in terms of society andprofessionally we cannot afford to stand stillI believe.The committee has limited energy andresources ‐ we need more willing volunteersto join us, without which we will havelimited options and not so much will getdonePlease consider helping to shape theorganisation and volunteer for thecommittee! Simply send an email to me [email protected] if you have a desire tohelp out ‐ I look forward to hearing from you

WarmlyBarry White

illuminates just how carefully we Englishmaintain our class and economicstratifications. Since respectfulness,collaboration and the 'onedown' position arekey to solution focused thinking, thiscomprehension of context may help all of uswork in this way to be aware of, eventhough it may be impossible to entirelyavoid, the economic and statusbehaviour around us.This book is clearly written,comprehensively referenced, and even forthose of us who shy away from statistics,easy to understand. Oddly heartening, itreminds us of the invisible influences aroundus that we normally take for granted, andsuggests ways we can move forward.So how can we move on? One criticism ofthis book is that most of it lays out theproblems; there is less about solutions. Butsome suggestions are made: tax adjustmentstowards greater fairness, employee ownedbusinesses and other collaborative projects,freeware on the Internet, a refusal to beintimidated by wealth and hierarchy. Wemight learn more from the more equalcountries (notably Japan, Norway, Swedenand Finland). Many of us live in highlyunequal, hierarchical, capitalist societiesthat affect our physical and mental healthwith all that implies. But we can, it seems,take small, everyday steps to do somethingabout it.Carole Waskett 2009References:Layard R (2005) Happiness: lessons from anew science. Penguin.Fox K (2005) Watching the English: thehidden rules of English behaviour. Hodder.



Why Join UKASFP?We believe there are somecompelling reasons for joiningthe United KingdomAssociation for SolutionFocused Practice.MembersWe are privileged to countamong our members leadingfigures from different solutionfocused traditions.The organisation is shaped andformed by the ongoingthinking and ideas thatmembers regularly share. It isa very fluid process as weapply our approaches todevelopments both internallyand externally ‐ for example increating responses to themany different governmentinitiatives.Annual ConferenceWe have now been holding anAnnual Conference for the lastsix years ‐ 2010 to be ourseventh. Each of theconferences has allowed us toshare face to face in both aneducative and fun way ‐developing and cementingfriendships that have oftenbeen created in on lineexchanges between members.We always welcome newvisitors to Conference as wellas those who attend regularly

There is a reduction in theconference fee which isnormally equivalent or greaterto the membership fee for allmembers. This is just one wayin which you can benefit.SharingAlong with discussions viaemail list members sharefreely and often in verypractical terms, sharingdocuments, dissertations andother written material for thebenefit of others.We are also continually lookingto find new ways of usingtechnology to share amongst amembership that isgeographically very dispersed.Wider representationWe are also continually lookingto influence the wider pictureby writing to different bodiesand where possible taking partin consultations to ensure thatsolution focused approachesbecome even more widelyknown.The missing part of thejigsawThat would be you if you arenot yet a member! A widermembership is vital to ourgrowth and we invite you tojoin us .

How to joinhttp://www.ukasfp.co.uk/Click on this link to betaken to our main site. Youcan sign up to theAssociation from the mainpage. The current cost is£25 per annum.That gives you access towww.ukasfp.comA further site for members,including forums and othermeans of sharing informallywww.mailtalk.ac.uk/solution‐focused

This is a discussion list formembers only and is a greatway of keeping in touchwith the members as awhole ‐ please post andshare your solution focusedideas with us1

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Guide to UKASFP Membership Why Join?



Relationships for DummiesPaul Hackett

I was intrigued when I readChris Iveson’s article on ‘thedeath of relationships.’ Ihoped it would provide mewith the razor to cut awayall I did not need.The trouble was that for me atleast it beautifully highlightedthe difficulties in thereification of ‘therelationship,’ but that isdistinct fromthe value of arelationship inwhich aconversation willhave thepotential to beuseful. I foundthat Chris’ articleshined a light on therequirement of arelationship rather thanburying it.If as Chris suggests he can seethe importance of arelationship ‘if the therapist isasking the client to entrustdifficult information to them,such as problems’ it seems tome that given the value weplace on clients’ competences,resources and future hopes theimportance of a relationship ismultiplied. I do not want to

Paul Hackett is a SocialWorker and long timeuser of solutionfocused approachesHe writes in answer toan article written byChris Iveson from BRIEFin London.

entrust my hopes, dreams, andhidden abilities to someone Ifeel is bored, ambivalent,untrustworthy and/or lackssocial grace. These thingsspeak to the core of my beingand really I don’t want sharethem with an ignoramus.The beauty of solution focusedthinking for me is that if one

is, to use Chris’ words‐courteous, friendly,shows a genuineinterest in answers,engages the client ina conversation‐more often thannot a relationshipwill develop whichwill be useful for

the client in ‘discover[ing] apossible way forward.’That is the questions in asolution focused tool boxasked from the statementsabove are relationshipbuilding.s an experiment just ask thequestions of a colleague in themost disinterested, rudefashion you can, early onbreak conversational rules bytalking over someone and delisten to the extent that you

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So why do weconsider therelationship

between therapistand client to be so

important?


constantly get their words wrong. Thefurther beauty is that the can act as a rapidrelationship builder‐ so much so that we canview it as a given. It is a small step fromviewing it as a given to viewing it asunnecessary. So I think a relationship is anecessity, something which Chrisacknowledges at the end of his article, thequestion, and it is a good one, is what statusdo we accord it?Given Chris’ courage in trying to highlightthe confusion that putting the relationshipon a pedestal causes I wanted to challengemyself to demystify something.If I was to try and demystify something‐ andI think someone of Chris’ stature could reallyhelp me here though I am not sure it issomething he would agree with me on‐itwould be the viewing of Steve de Shazer’swork as the gold standard. The difficulty isthat it becomes unavailable to (public)critique. Often times critique of Steve’spractice was disguised in statements like“that was just Steve’s way” or attending tofuzzy, confused practice through the veil ofgreatness.I am not sure that Steve de Shazer wouldthank us or be comfortable with thedeification of his practice. Indeed I amreminded of the story of Milton Erickson,visibly ailing and failing asleep. Practitionerswould take this as a message from the greatman rather than tiredness after a life spentfighting a debilitating medical condition(Cecchin, Lane & Ray, 1992).I am not doubting the brilliance of Steve deShazer or Insoo Kim Berg (they through GuyShennan altered my life) rather I amsuggesting that not everything they did was

brilliant and I would hope that they wouldbe the first to acknowledge this.If we could generate a proper, honest debateabout the fit of their legacy into the systemsmost practitioners find themselves workingin, that does not obfuscate the debate bytautological appeals to their work, I thinkwe will be in a healthier position tochallenge the reification of ideas like “thetherapeutic relationship.”The test of a historian’s life is whether heor she can ask and answer questions,especially ‘what if’ questions about thematters of passionate significance tothemselves and the world, as though theywere journalists reporting things long past‐and yet not as a stranger but as one deeplyinvolved. (Hobsbawm, 2002 p417).For historian read practitioner.ReferencesCecchin, G., Lane, G. & Ray, W.A (1992)Irreverence: A Strategy For TherapistSurvival, Karnac, London.Hobsbawm, E. (2002) Interesting Times: Atwentieth‐Century Life, Allen Lane, London.

Relationships for Dummies

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UKASFP 7th Annual Conference"Title to be announced"

Thursday June 10th PM 2010Annual General Meeting and Musical Extravaganza

Friday June 11th 2010 all day ‐ ConferenceKeele University

StaffordshirePrices to be announced

A date for your diary ‐ after the success of Conference 2009 we wouldlike to invite you to book ahead for next year's conference.

Don't miss the event of the year!

www.solutionnews.co.uk 13

Pictures from Conference 2009


Pedagogy, Power and PreventionDr Geoffrey James

The ‘Every Child Matters’agenda emphasises thefuture‐focused model of thepreventative work ofChildren’s Services, wherethe purpose of Services iswritten in terms of theimproved outcomes forchildren and young people.As a theoretician andpractitioner in a regionalChildren’s Service, I carry theshared hope that we cancreate coherence in planningto match the outcome focusedpurpose of the Service to theactual support we provide forchildren and young people,who experience barriers toparticipation, learning andachievement in school and inthe wider community.In the East of England a broadrange of services has grown upover the last decades, inseparate agencies, each withtheir own distinctive nature.Within each agency there is aculture that tends to focus onskills, taking theoretical issuesfor granted or activelymarginalising them. In orderfor agencies to work togethercoherently whilst maintaining

the focus on outcomes there isa need to unpick and reinstatesome of these theoreticalissues.A coherent approach stands onfirm foundations. Underlyingeach sort of practical work tosupport children is a set ofvalues and principles fromwhich the work springs.Coherence can be createdthrough establishing Children’sServices’ values andprinciples, the values andprinciples that underlie eachspecific program of work andin a general senseCoherence throughout thecomplex structure that is aregional Children’s Servicerequires a robust, simple,outcome focused organisingframework.Where do we talk aboutpedagogy?In the UK pedagogy is a termthat some people in UniversityDepartments of Education mayhave heard of. In Government,it’s newly arrived in thelexicon of Departmentalmissives. In teacher training

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Pedagogy, Power and Prevention

15

courses it’s barely spoken of. In the UK weare beginning the dialogue on pedagogy andare at the stage of considering the existenceof pedagogy at all, of multiple pedagogiesand their natures (Watts, Bridges and Eames2008). Meanwhile in Norway studentteachers spend two years studying pedagogybefore they move onto to other aspects ofthe professional practice of a teacher(Noralf Mork pers. comm.). In Germany,pedagogy is read as social pedagogy.In Europe in general, the discourse hasmatured;‘In England we do not often use the term‘pedagogy’ except in the context of theclassroom and formal education. OurEuropean neighbours often apply it to amuch broader set of services … the word‘pedagogy’ relates to the overall supportfor children’s development. In pedagogycare and education meet.’ (Petrie et al2005)In the mature European discourse, in Nordicand Germanic countries, a specific‘pedagogy’ has been agreed as‘a foundation concept that informs manysorts of services, providing a distinctiveapproach to practice, training and policy …(that implies) work with the whole child;body, mind, feelings, creativity. Cruciallythe child is seen as a social being,connected to others and at the same timewith their own distinctive experiences andknowledge.’ (Petrie et al 2005)‘In Sweden the employment of pedagoguesin schools has been central to recenteducational reforms. Policy addresses thewhole child, rather than the child conceived

in narrow educational terms. Around onethird of school heads have a background inpedagogy, rather than teaching.’ (Cohen etal in press)In the UK at present there are a number ofpedagogies in action, more‐or‐lessexplained. There is a well‐developeddiscourse on the ‘capture by practice’ of thefield of learning, development and changethat can be seen in both Government policyand in Norfolk Children’s Servicesprogrammes and strategic plans.In Norfolk we are at the starting point ofappreciating pedagogy as connector oftheory and practice that can contribute tomaking the Norfolk framework forcoherence, which can be strengthened bybeginning the critique of the theoreticalassumptions made about pedagogy. Petrie etal (2005 p. 5) support this view;‘Pedagogy as an overarching concept …could bring greater coherence to Children’sServices.’What we call in Norfolk terms child‐centredsolution focused pedagogy, described as‘pedagogy’ in Petrie et al (2005) ensuresthat‘whilst child protection issues are treatedwith all due seriousness, they remain child‐centred rather than procedure focused.Procedures are a necessary part of theprocess; they are not its basis.’

The solution focused model of change takesthe social constructivist view of learning.

This conceptualises learning as a person‐centred process of change (Rogers 1983) inplace of the dominant cause‐effect/teach‐test competency model.Rogers (1983) quoted Aspey’s (1975) researchfinding that teacher empathy was the bestpredictor of children’s achievement inschool. at the UK’s current stage ofdevelopment this is school‐centred pedagogyand is not the same as the North Europeansocial pedagogy of Petrie et al (2005), whichextends ‘pedagogy’ into all aspects ofchange in a child’s life.In taking small steps in the UK context, mybest hope for the first small changes towardsa full social pedagogy in due course is toraise awareness that pedagogy in general issomething we can discuss. Out of thediscussion we can begin to make informedchoices.Power and the idea of the expert studentKnowledge of the possible paradigmaticconflict between solution focused pedagogyand expert‐professional pedagogy isimportant in thinking through the meaningof the inclusion of individual students and itsconsequences. Understanding the theoryunderlying pedagogy could enable the choiceof the problem‐focused deficit model or thesolution‐finding strengths model, accordingto the contextualised needs of the child.Avramidis, Baylis and Burden (2000) foundthat both teachers with university basedprofessional development and those who hadbeen implementing inclusive programmesheld more positive attitudes to the inclusionof children with special needs in mainstreamschool.

Wehby, Lane and Falk (2003) discussed theposition of children categorised as havingemotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD)in schools, where progressively morerigorous academic standards leave thesechildren poorly prepared to succeed.Trout, Nordness, Pierce and Epstein (2003)reviewed the literature from 1961 to 2000on the academic inclusion of children withEmotional and Behavioural Difficulties. Inassuming that effective academic instructioncannot take place unless a student’sbehaviour is under control, more attentionhas been paid by educators and researchersto techniques aimed at addressingbehavioural deficits (Pierce, Reid andEpstein 2004; Trout et al 2003) than to apedagogy which might facilitate suchstudent’s social and emotional learning .Wehby (2003) found that teachers ofchildren with EBD spent only 30% of theirtime on academic instruction. Wehby, Laneand Falk (2003) suggested that in the light ofempirical evidence of the link between lowacademic achievement and problematicbehaviour, ‘the need for behaviouralsupports should not overshadow the impactof effective academic instruction inaddressing disruptive behaviours in theschool setting.’ (Wehby, Lane and Falk 2003p.195)Wehby, Lane and Falk (2003) providedextensive references to evidence thatdisruptive students influence teacherbehaviour and suggested that ‘EBD’ studentsmay be directing the level and amount ofacademic instruction in the classroom.Reducing the disruption caused may enableteachers to regain direction in class andincrease the quality of academic instruction.The work I have been doing to support




children with ‘emotional and behaviouraldifficulties’ out of class may support theirlevel of overall achievement in class. In theclassroom the teacher taking the solutionfocused approach there might be effectivein supporting previously disruptive studentstoo. This would require the teacher tochange their approach to difficult‐to‐manage students by focusing on theirstrengths.The possibility for change is supported by arecent shift that has taken place in thehealth services with the introduction of theExpert Patient Programme (EPP) in the UK(Department of Health 2001). This wasintroduced into the National Health Servicein April 2002 (Agnew 2004) to respond to theparticular needs and demands of people withchronic health problems. This shift inperspective seems particularly relevant withthe introduction of combined Children’sServices in my Local Authority area in linewith the current ‘Every Child Matters’ (DfES2004) agenda. A key aspect of the ExpertPatient Programme is the shift in power thatthis thinking entails, where the professionalis not the only expert in the room. Itparallels the power shift necessary forsolution focused thinking to provide analternative to the dominant positivist mode.In education this change could mean seeing‘the disruptive student’ as ‘the ExpertStudent’.Leaving aside a detailed discussion of terms,for example the meanings of ‘expert’ and‘patient’, [see Wilson 2001] traditionalassumptions about the power invested in theprofessional are reversed when thinkingabout the Expert Patient as they are in thesolution focused conceptualisation of theExpert Student. With the conventional focus

on behaviour using disciplinary systems,what is being sought is the submission[Galbraith 1984] of children to school power.This is true even where submission is notrecognised, for example in theencouragement of parents to ensure theirchildren attend school because of thepositive outcomes of a good education,reinforced by on‐the‐spot fines shouldparent’s not enforce attendance.In Foucaultian critique of a move to ExpertPatient/Student, [Foucault 1976] employingthe concept of ‘panopticism’, (constantsurveillance by the State), people wouldkeep themselves under surveillance, judgingthemselves by standards set by experts,rather then by their own standards. Theattempt in Health services to establish anethos of concordance, as opposed tocompliance and adherence, is an effort toredress the power asymmetry in therelationship between patient and healthcare professional. However, an outcomemight be what Foucault termed ‘pastoralpower’, where ‘the most intimate areas of apatient’s life including their home are nowopen to surveillance’ where ‘there has beena move from the objectification of patientsto their subjectification.’ [Wilson 2001p.139].I introduce this idea as a necessary cautionto the possibility of a move to the ExpertStudent in their Expert Family but feel it isdealt with by solution focused brief therapy,where the text of the student, locatedwithin their family, is the important one andonly they have control over the telling of theparticular story they wish to reveal.

Pedagogy, Power and Prevention

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CommentaryIn this paper I have developed my argumentthat pedagogy is a useful organising conceptin looking at the power aspects of mysolution focused pedagogy.In the process of this work I was struck bythe learning and change that children andyoung people achieved. All the referrals tome came out of 'stuck' situations. Myprofessional colleagues in and out of schoolhad tried everything they knew as powerfulexperts to make children behave better andhad failed, as evidenced by the continuingand continuous referrals for children andyoung people near to exclusion form school.Professionals had made the assumptionabout young people that they weremotivated to misbehave and get excludedfrom school.However when I asked the solution focused'best hope' question, not one child or youngperson said they hoped that they would beexcluded from school. Their hopes wereuncontroversial and conventional; theywanted to make the best of themselves, tobe liked, to be happy and to achieve well inschool. This seems to provide evidence ofthe alignment of the best hopes of ExpertStudents with best hopes of the educationsystem giving the possibility of the combinedpower of the two rather than the apparentlyoppositional relationship that is commonlyrepresented.In the UK today, pedagogy is being seen as anew idea, almost as if it’s clear of anyhistory. For example in the General TeachingCouncil magazine sent out to teachers,(Issue 17, Spring 2009) Lesley Saunders, asenior policy adviser for the GTC stated:

‘Since the Education Reform Act 1998 theidea has been that teachers deliversomething that’s created elsewhere. Nowthere’s an opportunity to change that, butteachers need to see themselves as ‘creatorsof a body of professional knowledge’ whoengage in a serious discourse about teachingand learning.’This is a great opportunity to returnprofessionalism to teachers. The solutionfocused approach to pedagogy offers ameans to develop and engage with thediscourse, in respecting Carl Rogers’ idea ofself‐actualisation, to promote children asactive agents in constructing their ownsuccessful lives.ReferencesAspey D (1975) Empathy: let’s get the Hellon with it The Counselling Psychologist 5:10‐14Cohen B, Moss, Petrie P (forthcoming) A newdeal for children – Re‐forming children’sServices? Policy Press; BristolPetrie P, Boddy J, Cameron C, Heptinstall E,McQuail S, Simon A, Wigfall V (2005)Pedagogy – a holistic personal approach towork with children and young people acrossservices; European models for practice,training, education and qualification BriefingPaper June 2005, Thomas Coram ResearchUnit, Institute of Education: LondonRogers C (1983) Freedom to learn – for the80s Merrill:Columbus, OhioWatts M, Bridges D, Eames J (2008) Wideningparticipation and encounters with thepedagogies of higher education Von HugelInstitute, St Edmunds College, Cambridge


UKASFP and Accreditation

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UKASFP & AccreditationPaul HantonAccreditation has been on the lips ofmembers for a number of years now ‐ eitherfor or against but a subject that has notgone away, with a final decision to moveforward on this topic taken not long ago.No doubt then many of you will bewondering where the accreditation processis at the moment.We have finished a first pilot, where acouple of people put in applications and I,along with some other committee and noncommittee members 'assessed' these. Thepilot was then extended to another 12people so that we might iron out anyglitches before reviewing and adapting theforms and the process in order to go live.Unfortunately of those 12 that volunteeredmost have not yet submitted applications tothe pilot, something that needs chasing upon our part.As in all things in life this does not alwaysappear to be a priority for some ‐ which maymean that those of us doing the hard workbehind the scenes might at times get a littleweary! However what makes up for that arethe applications that are beginning to comethrough from a range of people ‐ somethingwe will be advertising both internally andexternally. Our website is now ready to showthose who are accredited as part of theinformation available to the public.We will in early October be reviewing all theforms and process and submit amendeddocuments to the committee for their

approval and/or amendment with a view to'going live' ‐ something I am happy to go onbeing involved in.How can you help?In order to go live we need; a pool ofassessors , we need an appeals procedurewhich Barry has volunteered to write ‐ andwe need to agree a pricing structure.The 'live' bit depends on your help ‐ but weare still hopeful that this will be achieved bythe end of the year.Watch this space....we are not far off!!

UKASFPConference ‐Help NeededWe are holding Conference2010 once more at KeeleUniversity.The dates for your diary areJune 10/11th 2010 and we willneed some help in gettingready for the conferenceAny offers of help please sendan email to editor@solution‐news.co.ukGloucestershire SolutionsGroupThere has been a lot ofactivity in Solution Focusedcircles in Gloucestershire –interest and numbers arerising and we have had a rangeof inspiring hostedconversations covering a broadrange of SF topics andapplications.Over the past year these havebeen the speakers/ topics atour monthly meetings:Using Solution‐FocusedApproaches with Children inSchools – Teresa McIlroy,Ed.Psych ServiceSolution‐Focused Approacheswith Excluded Pupils – Stafffrom Behaviour Improvement

Base in GloucesterOnly 5 minutes spare? – JennyClarke, www.sfwork.comEnhancing our skills incoaching and communication:Lessons from the world of jazzand improvisation: Hostedconversation and live jazz! –Alex Steele and the ImprowiseQuartet,www.improwise.co.ukNLP tools you can use in yourSF work or whenever yourelate with people –UtaLangleywww.2thepointtraining.co.ukFeedback from Scott Miller(www.talkingcure.com)training – Mike Porter,Wiltshire PMHTUKASFP ConferenceReflections and Reports – MarkMcKergow, Danny NugusSF Leadership: Leader as Host– Mark McKergow,www.sfwork.comApplication of SF Practice inSpeech and Language Therapy– Sheila Croney, Glos PMHTWe have also had peersupervision using SF ReflectiveTeam model.Some members ofGloucestershire Solutions

attended (and presentedworkshops at) UKASFPNational Conference andhave had paperspublished on variousaspects of SFapproaches.Please contact DannyNugus at Winstons Wish ifyou need any furtherinformation ‐[email protected]

Want yournews here?Please do let us know inplenty of time ‐ thisedition has had a greatresponse .Future editions may wellhave dedicated space fortraining details ‐ pleasedo let us know what youthink.


Association and Member News

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UKASFP Conference 2009

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UKASFP Conference 2009What can we say?? It seems from thefeedback that many found thisconference one of the better ones wehave managed to put on so far ‐ so whywas that?I think there were a number of reasons thatthings worked so well for me this year ‐some of which I highlight below. Please feelfree to write to the editor with anyagreements or disagreements you mighthave wihat is very much a personal viewWorld Cafe ApproachOne of the main focii this year was thedecision to adopt a world cafe styleapproach to the conference. This workedreally well and enabled people to talk to farmore than most conferences where if youare lucky you get to talk to people alongsideyou. On this occasion we got to talk to lotsof different people ‐ and the quality ofcomments recorded on the tableclothswould suggest that it worked incredibly well!TechnologyIt was fantastic to have such a technologicalwizardry that took the conference out of theordinary in another way ‐ sharing withpeople across the world as it happened inboth photo and in word. It was hard work forthose involved but such excellent results!You can see some of those things atwww.ukasfp.com .

PresentationsIt was also wonderful to have a variety ofpresentations ‐ all showing how solutionfocused approaches can be used across awide variety of settings to help people get abetter deal out of life. It seems that theonly restriction is the limits of ourimagination in how SF can be applied to allsituations we work with. The presentationswere also excellent in terms of content andour thanks to those concerned.FinallyMy thanks to the Conference Committee ‐Carl, Kidge, Clare ‐ all of whom worked hardto ensure the conference went well. Pleasedo look at ukasfp.com if you can bear to seewhat you missed on this occasion. We havebooked the same venue for next year and weare hoping to surpass even this year!Thanks to all who attended ‐ look forward toseeing you there next year !Barry White

SFCT ‐ new professional bodyfor solution‐focused coaches,consultants and managersWe in UKASFP are a talented bunch ‐always looking to see how to expandwhat services we can offer in ourrespective corners of the SF World.Please see below for new ofdevelopments from Mark McKergow andcolleaguesSFCT – the Association for the QualityDevelopment of Solution FocusedConsulting and Training – was launched inMay 2009 and offers internationalprofessional recognition and standards toanyone using the Solution Focused inbusiness and organisational settings.SFCT also publishes the InterAction journal,and offers national chapters throughout theworld including the UK, Germany and Japan.Full details are on the organisation’s websitewww.asfct.org.The non‐profit organisation has beenfounded by a dozen leading SF practitioners,authors and developers in the organisationalfield. Over the past ten years it has becomean increasingly widely used approach in theworlds of coaching, team development andOD.Full membership of SFCT is gained by aninternational review of one of theapplicant’s pieces of work. “It’s a little likea driving test”, said co‐founder Dr MarkMcKergow of the Centre for SF at Work.“The point is not where you trained, or forhow long – it’s whether you can use theapproach sensibly in your own situation.”The new standard will also help clients

wishing to ensure quality andprofessionalism.SFCT’s code of ethics, signed by allmembers, includes keeping SF practice inthe public domain and protecting againstany claims of ‘ownership’ of the field.Mark is very clear that SFCT is acomplementary organisation to UKASFPrather than a competitor. “UKASFP gathersUK practitioners from all fields, while SFCToffers an international focus for those in themanagement sphere. We intend that thesuccessful SOLWorld conferences will alsocontinue as an open‐access gateway foreveryone interested in the SF approach.”Membership costs € 50 per year for thosesigning up in 2009, including two issues ofInterAction. Key sample articles from thefirst issue are available free on the website.For more details go to the website atwww.asfct.org.SFCT is registered in Germany as a non‐profitassociation. The association’s formal address isSFCT, Stefanstrasse 36, 86573 Obergriesbach,Germany.Founder members include:Kirsten Dierolf, Peter Röhrig, Horst Reisch, IngridReisch ‐ GermanyMark McKergow, UKAlan Kay, CanadaJenny Clarke, UKShaun Lincoln, UKBjörn Johansson, SwedenDanius Baltrusaitis, LithuaniaLouis Cauffman, BelgiumYasuteru Aoki, JapanGünter Lueger, AustriaFor more details in the UK, contact MarkMcKergow ([email protected]) or Jenny Clarke([email protected]) at the Centre for SolutionsFocus at Work, 26 Chrischurch Road, CheltenhamGL50 2PL, 01242 511441.



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• Download past issues of Solution News and podcasts at www.solution‐news.co.uk• UKASFP web‐site is at www.ukasfp.co.uk and at www.ukasfp.com• UKASFP mailing list is at www.mailtalk.ac.uk/solution‐focused• European Brief Therapy Association web site is at www.ebta.nu• The SFT‐L international discussion list is athttp://www.lsoft.com/scripts/wl.exe?SL1=SFT‐L&H=LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG• SOLUTIONS‐L is an international discussion list for those using a solution focused approachwith organisations. It’s at: http://www.solworld.org/index.cfm?id=5• The Brief Family Therapy Center (Milwaukee, US) website is at www.brief‐therapy.org

For those of you interested in statistics we have the latest results for you As at30.9.09 for the last six months:The total number of copies of Solution News March 2009 issue downloaded from the web‐sitewas 778.The total number of first time visitors to the Solution News web‐site was 2000The total number of countries Solution News had been downloaded from is 69.Countries Where Solution News has been Read this year, In Red! If you look at the map itseems fair to say that we are read in the four corners of the globe!(World map created by World66 (visit www.world66.com))

Solution News September 2009

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Transcript of Solution News September 2009