Linda Metcalf, MEd, PhD, LMFT, LPC, is currently a Professor of Graduate Counseling Programs at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas where she created a COAMFTE accredited doctoral program in marriage and family therapy. She is past president of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and has been president of the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy twice. She is the creator of the Solution Focused Schools Unlimited podcast and the free Solution Focused Connection webinar, created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contents

Foreword by Elliot Connie, LPC

Preface

1. Meaningful Solutions

The Search Is On . . .

From Modern to Postmodern: Seeing Clients as Experts

Postmodern Models at Work

Applying the Blend of Ideas to Valerie’s Case

Rebuilding a New Presentation

Adding Noteworthy Encouragement

The New Brand Sells

The Power of Redescription

Using Redescription to Create New Presentations

Results of the Blend

Summary

Personal Exercise

2. Solution Focused Stories

Combining Strengths of Both Models

Guiding Constructs of Solution Focused Narrative Therapy

Putting the Constructs to Work

Summary

Personal Exercise

3. Action-Filled Narratives

Solution Focused Narrative Therapy: Conversational Ideas

What About the Next Session?

Summary

Personal Exercise

4. Triumph Over Trauma

Storytelling 101: Finding Resolution to a Plot

Seventy-Seven Years: A Timeline to a Preferred Future

Composing a New Chapter After Trauma

From Trauma to Resolutions: Let the Words of the Client Guide the Way

Dear Client: Teach Me How to Talk to You

Summary

Personal Exercise

5. Relationship Presentations

Therapists Make Presentations, Too

Changing the Rules

To Change Someone, Change Yourself

Relatable Moments That Build Trust

Doing Things Differently With Adolescents

Packing Up the Baggage and Reclaiming a Relationship

Summary

Personal Exercise

6. Dangerous Habits

Habits Happen as a Method of Coping

Gaining Personal Control

There’s a Monster in My Head

Coping Safely

Assumptions About Clients With Dangerous Habits

Substance Abuse Habits

Moving Beyond the Roadblocks

Rearranging the Furniture

Distancing From Self-Injury

Reclaiming Health From Eating Disorders

Guiding Template for Clients With Dangerous Habits

Summary

Personal Exercise

7. Timeless Influences

Videos, Ornaments, and Aftershave

The Art of Re-Membering

Finding Peace for Lilly

Addressing Early Childhood Issues

Summary

Personal Exercise

8. Reintroducing School Clients

Making a Campus Appearance

How Schools Respond to Problems

Attempts to Change Behavior

Academic Labels

Notifications No More

Summary

Personal Exercise

9. Writing Miracle Days With Families

Writing New Miracles With Families

Guiding Ideas for Working With Families

Gaining Control of a Diagnosis

A Blended Family Gets Together

Creating a New Chapter After Loss

Parenting and Couplehood

Reconciliation Forever

Family Sculpting: Managing a Change of Characters

Summary

Personal Exercise

10. The Path to Less Distress

Gaining Distance From a Diagnosis

Externalizing Diagnoses

Ideas and Steps for Externalizing Problems

The Woman I Used to Be

Exceptional Descriptions

Always Seek Exceptions for Direction

Summary

Personal Exercise

11. Treatment Planning and Group Therapy

Collaborative Approach to Assessment and Transition Planning

Solution Focused Narrative Approach

Changing the Focus of Staff

From Admission to Discharge in One Conversation

Group Therapy for Solution Building

Steps to Take When Beginning a Group

Summary

Personal Exercise

Appendix: Guiding Constructs of Solution Focused Narrative Therapy

Index