ent Relationship. Finally, the practical implementation of the two types of therapeutic processes will be presented by discussing the stages of the therapy, the role of the therapist and their applications to a case study.
Origins and Originators of Therapies
Developed by Steve de Shazer, solution-focused therapy represents a departure from the problem-focused orientation of the brief therapy of the Mental Research Institute (MRI) by placing the emphasis on solutions. Nonetheless, solution-focused therapy retains the model of MRI's brief therapy by: a) emphasizing the brevity of the therapeutic process; b) shifting attention away from the client's past; c) seeking to formulate goals in behavioral terms; and d) using reframing and interactions to reorient the perspective of the client (Stalker et al., 1999).
The shift from the emphasis on the problem to the solution occurred with de Shazer's experimentation with the therapeutic technique called the "formula first session task" (Molnar & de Shazer, 1987, p. 349). In this task, the therapist informs clients at the end of the first session to observe positive instances in their lives, which they "want to continue to have happen" (Molnar & de Shazer, 1987, p. 349). With this request, therapists begin to help the clients re-orient their thinking towards solutions by establishing the expectation that positive things have happened and will continue to happen in the future. The radical movement of solution-focused therapy from its predecessor lies in the fact that the solution is unrelated to the presenting problem. Moreover, the therapist focuses primarily on the positive aspects of the clients' lives (Molnar & de Shazer, 1987, p. 350).
Other early concepts of solution-focused therapy also form the foundation of its central tenets. First, with the "Crystal Ball Technique," as derived from Milton Erickson, therapists encourage clients to pursue their solution-oriented pe...