Book review: Focus on solutions, by Kidge Burns
Book review: Focus on solutions, by Kidge Burns
The book is about solution focused brief therapy (SFBT): a talking intervention intended to support patients in finding their own solutions to problems. It is written for practitioners, including nurses.
The author is a speech and language (SLT) therapist in the United Kingdom. The majority of examples of delivering SFBT are taken from her own practice and are persuasive in illustrating how it can complement traditional SLT interventions for speech problems. The book begins with an account of SFBT, which draws on sources written by the pioneers of the therapy. The titles of chapters 2 and 3 imply that they explore the application of the intervention in acute and home care settings, respectively. These chapters do give examples of using SFBT in acute and home care settings, but also include other interesting but tangential information. For example, chapter 2 'Clients in the acute setting', includes a section about training students. Chapters 4 and 5 are the most valuable. These chapters provide transcripts of therapeutic encounters between the author and clients. The transcripts are supported by a description of the SFBT techniques illustrated through the dialogue and how these were therapeutic. The final chapters look at the use of SFBT with groups, as opposed to individuals. Throughout the book, a limitation is its signposting. I read from beginning to end, then I tried to return to those topics that interested me most. This book is difficult to navigate.
Traditional health care provides solutions for clients' problems. Solution focused therapy takes a different approach. It is based on the assumption that the client has the solution to their problem, but needs help to discover it. The emphasis is on empowerment. Integrating this approach with traditional service delivery presents many challenges. These challenges include a cultural shift in the understanding of what a healthcare professional does. Integrating SFBT with biomedical interventions and traditional care is not simple. It is disappointing that the book does not include a discussion of the contextual obstacles to delivering SFBT and how these have been overcome in the author's experience.
This text is a brave attempt to disseminate an innovation in SLT practice. I am uncertain that it would enable a nurse to practice SFBT, but it could ignite interest in the approach and provide impetus for similar innovation in general nursing practice.
1861564791
p.353
Hopkinson, Jane B.
c656f8e9-7962-4bdc-87ea-e26e12ff1d24
February 2007
Hopkinson, Jane B.
c656f8e9-7962-4bdc-87ea-e26e12ff1d24
Abstract
The book is about solution focused brief therapy (SFBT): a talking intervention intended to support patients in finding their own solutions to problems. It is written for practitioners, including nurses.
The author is a speech and language (SLT) therapist in the United Kingdom. The majority of examples of delivering SFBT are taken from her own practice and are persuasive in illustrating how it can complement traditional SLT interventions for speech problems. The book begins with an account of SFBT, which draws on sources written by the pioneers of the therapy. The titles of chapters 2 and 3 imply that they explore the application of the intervention in acute and home care settings, respectively. These chapters do give examples of using SFBT in acute and home care settings, but also include other interesting but tangential information. For example, chapter 2 'Clients in the acute setting', includes a section about training students. Chapters 4 and 5 are the most valuable. These chapters provide transcripts of therapeutic encounters between the author and clients. The transcripts are supported by a description of the SFBT techniques illustrated through the dialogue and how these were therapeutic. The final chapters look at the use of SFBT with groups, as opposed to individuals. Throughout the book, a limitation is its signposting. I read from beginning to end, then I tried to return to those topics that interested me most. This book is difficult to navigate.
Traditional health care provides solutions for clients' problems. Solution focused therapy takes a different approach. It is based on the assumption that the client has the solution to their problem, but needs help to discover it. The emphasis is on empowerment. Integrating this approach with traditional service delivery presents many challenges. These challenges include a cultural shift in the understanding of what a healthcare professional does. Integrating SFBT with biomedical interventions and traditional care is not simple. It is disappointing that the book does not include a discussion of the contextual obstacles to delivering SFBT and how these have been overcome in the author's experience.
This text is a brave attempt to disseminate an innovation in SLT practice. I am uncertain that it would enable a nurse to practice SFBT, but it could ignite interest in the approach and provide impetus for similar innovation in general nursing practice.
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Published date: February 2007
Additional Information:
Edited by Graham R. Williamson, Focus on Solutions: A Health Professional's Guide by Kidge Burns . Whurr Publishers , London and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA , 2005 , 180 pages , £18·99 , IBSN 1 8615 6479 1.
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 59111
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/59111
ISBN: 1861564791
ISSN: 0309-2402
PURE UUID: c51de1ea-bcac-4f50-ad90-b0f27e92890e
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Date deposited: 26 Aug 2008
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 11:14
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Author:
Jane B. Hopkinson
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