Thought For The Weekend on Motivational Interviewing

In a country where resources, both personal and public are likely to be shrinking for the immediate future, do skills like Motivational Interviewing become MORE relevant (because of their impact on health behaviours) or LESS relevant (because we will only end up working with clients who are already at an Action stage) ?www.skillsdevelopment.co.uk

The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves make all the difference

In the middle of Tim Wilson's Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change. Wilson's thesis is one familiar both to CBT practitioners as well as Narrative Therapy & Solution Focused folk, namely the way we integrate ourselves into the narrative of our existing circumstances has a mega-impact on our emotions and behaviours. What's unusual about Wilson's book is that he makes it sound soooooooo easy to develop techniques and interventions to facilitate this. Which in honesty it is.....as long as we escape the prison of thinking everything we do should be so complicated. Will certainly recommend this on both our Solution Focused and CBT training courses www.skillsdevelopment.co.uk

NEW Glasgow CBT certificate course

After being away from Glasgow for a while, we're returning with our BPS Approved Introductory Certificate in CBT.Please pass details on www. Skillsdevelopment.co.uk/seminars.php?coursed=69. Thanks Paul

Book writing

Just finished my chapter on Milton Friedman. It's interesting how there's so little research looking at the complimentary processes of conscious and unconscious problem solving

Delegate Debate: Which of your clients can spot positive change the easiest?

Have you ever wondered why some of your clients find it more difficult to spot improvement than others? They seem tied into a pathological model of themselves that fails to recognise their own resources, successes or potentials.

I had two new clients in July who illustrated this well. One, whom we’ll call Joe, had multiple problems ranging from obesity and emphysema through to OCD. He had been seen by a range of other professionals already. He also had a diagnosis of ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder). His referral letter was perfunctory and I got the feeling that he’d been “sent” to get him off someone else’s back.

The other client was one whom we’ll call Carl. Carl is a lawyer. He’s bright, is able to grasp psychological principles easily and has problems relating to work stress triggered by his wife’s illness.

I’ve seen both of them three times now. Who do you think is turning out to be the easier to work with?

You probably think this is a trick question and so have said Joe. And you’d be right. When I asked Carl for examples of where he hadn’t failed in his life, he said there was no point because these were “miniscule”. Joe finds it easier to spot success than Carl does.

I mention this because our Brief Solution Focused Therapy (BSFT) training specialises in enhancing clients’ capacity to detect positive change in themselves and others. It does this in a variety of ways by using the client’s selective attention. By selectively attending to positive change clients begin to orientate towards it and automatically produce more of it. Get more details by clicking here: http://skillsdevelopment.co.uk/seminars.php?courseid=43

Brief Solution is sometimes accused, however, of being overly optimistic or only useable with “easy clients”. This doesn’t fit with the evidence base, but you know how myths develop… Further more this belief doesn’t this fit the situation with Joe and Carl – it happens to be the exact opposite!

Recent research from the University of Edinburgh suggests a reason for it which also turns our client assumptions on their head.

Dr Sue Fletcher-Watson and her colleagues in Edinburgh* have a special interest in “change detection” and ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder). The capacity (or otherwise) for “change detection” is, of course, a well-established psychological process – as is its converse “inattentional blindness” – the repeated failure to see self-evident things happening because we are not expecting them or attending to them. Dr Fletcher-Watson discovered that ASD children aged 11-16 are substantially more able to detect changes in visual scenes than both “normal” children AND adults.

This fits with many Brief Solutions Therapists empirical experience that ASD can be viewed as an ASSET in therapy rather than a deficit. Paradoxical as it sounds – this is one of the strength of BSFT amongst many others. Get more solution focused tools for your therapeutic toolkit with difficult and complex clients by signing up here: http://skillsdevelopment.co.uk/seminars.php?courseid=70

It will be interesting to see how Joe and Carl work out. I’ll keep you updated. However, I’m sure this situation isn’t unique and I’m interested in YOUR thoughts on it.

What clients have YOU worked with where you’ve found that their therapeutic response challenged assumptions about their ability to change? WHY do you think this was?

Write to me and let me know. I’m genuinely interested…. as I’m sure others would be too. Your responses will be published anonymously in our blog: http://sdsmedia.blogspot.com/

Best Wishes and looking forward to seeing you soon on one of our training courses.

Paul


• *Fletcher-Watson, S., Leekam, S., Connolly, B., Collis, J., Findlay, J., McConachie, H., and Rodgers, J. (2011). Attenuation of change blindness in children with autism spectrum disorders. British Journal of Developmental Psychology

24 Hour Deals

We are extremely excited to bring to you today an amazing 50% discount on one of our most popular and demanded courses:

THE ESSENTIAL TOOLKIT FOR RUNNING GROUPS http://www.skillsdevelopment.co.uk/seminars.php?courseid=67

Please explore the website for detailed description of the course and download PDF leaflet for further particulars.

This special deal is available for 24 hours only. Until midday tomorrow (7 September 2011) you can book this course online with 50% discount, paying only £70 + vat for it. Same discount applies to telephone bookings made within this period (call: 0870 241 7294 with your credit card details).

If you are not paying for yourself and need your organisation to be invoiced – please make sure that the letter of authorisation from your manager with the invoice address reaches us by the midday tomorrow by fax (fax 0870 199 1838) or e-mail (info@skillsdevelopment.co.uk) and you will still be able to enjoy the same 50% discount.

We hope you will find this course topical for your work and take advantage of this short-term offer.

More 24 hours deals are coming to you shortly – keep an eye on our e-mails or our Facebook page (search “Skills Development Service Ltd”).

5 Myths about CBT

Dear reader!

I don’t know what you think about CBT, but I bet you’ve got SOME opinion about it. It’s hard not to these days.

• Maybe you think it’s the only true scientific psychotherapy?
• Maybe you see it as a superficial approach that’s got too big for its boots?
• Or maybe you just see it as a set of additional tools to add to your therapeutic repertoire?


Whatever the case, CBT has attracted a mythology which at best, consists of partial truths and at worst downright lies

I wonder if you can guess what they are and whether they’re true.

If you’re interested, have a look at the brief video I’ve made which explores this. It’s FREE. Just turn up your speakers and click on the link below:

http://www.skillsdevelopment.co.uk/seminars.php?courseid=69

As always, feel free to get back to me with your comments and I look forward to see you at our courses this year.

Take care

SDS Team