Solution-Focused Groupwork
John Sharry
Sage Publications, 2001
The dynamics of groups are one of those eternal and wondrous mysteries. There is no predicting them, even from one meeting of a group to another They can be a source of light and of darkness, thes two elements often rotating and interchanging. One might even say ³if you haven¹t got any problems in your group, then something must be wrong². The focus on what has happened, rather than what could happen, has possibly contributed to the fear that many people have about joining a group for any kind of self-improvement.
So, it is refreshing to read a book which takes a more optimistic view of human nature. While it accepts that problems as such cannot be ignored, and that groups need skilled and careful handling, it persuasively makes the point that a positive focus on what can be achieved through the hidden talents and resources of the group can be extremely productive and rewarding. Both individually and collectively group members can, by focusing on positive outcomes and using present aptitudes and strengths rather than problems and pathologies, achieve significant goals and solutions to what might have seemed impenetrable problems. ³ There¹s nothing wrong with you that what is right with you couldn¹t fix², as Baruch Shalem says in one of many telling quotes in the book.
The principles of Solution-Focused Groupwork are
* focusing on change and possibilities
* creating goals and preferred futures
* building on strengths, skills and resources
* looking for what¹s right and what¹s working
* being respectfully curious
* creating cooperation and collaboration
* using humour and creativity
Each of these holds a set of options. For instance in OBeing respectfully curious¹ one could ask Ogoal-setting questions¹: what would you like to be different by the end of the group?
Omiracle questions¹: if a miracle were to occur overnight, what would it be and what would be the first signs that it had happened?
Oexception questions¹: tell me about the times when the problem does not occur.
Ocoping questions¹: how do you mange on a day-to-day basis?
Oscaling questions¹: on a scale of 1 to 10, where would you place yourself today in respect of the problem?
Problems can often be taken so seriously that the very existence of the problem becomes a problem in itself. Humour and creativity can release both members and the group as a whole from becoming bogged down in problems and generate a lot of self acceptance and energy in the pursuit of goals that are both meaningful to and usable by the client.
You will see from this that problems are not ignored or by-passed; rather they are used as a stepping stone to the future. Indeed Sharry¹s rule of thumb for the group is a balance of 20:80 between problem talk and solution talk.
Each of these is illustrated in examples, case studies and quotations and the many references give further richness and opportunity to the reader.
An early example of the solution-focused approach in the book is provided in the following dialogue:
Client: I¹ve felt so low over the past few years. Things got so bad that I lost my job.
Therapist: Sounds like your job was important to you².
Client: ³It was, and it was something I was good at.²
Therapist: ³You were good at it?²
Client: ³ Yeah, I¹ve always been a dedicated worker and responsible provider (...... ) but in the last few months I haven¹t been able to work. I¹ve been too low and busy trying to get myself and my family sorted².
Therapist: ³Sounds like you¹re doing a different kind of work now....in the past few months you have taken on the very important job of sorting yourself and your family out.
Client: ³That¹s right, I need to get things sorted².
Sharry rightly points out that an interaction like the above, which may feel didactic and hierarchical when conducted on a one-to-one basis, can be more dispersed in a group where ideas can be shared and debated and where members can learn from each other. The book is replete with such dialogues and with charts drawing contrasts not only between both individual and group approaches but also between problem-focused and solution-focused approaches. It is thus a practical Ohow-to-do-it book as well as one that puts the specific method in perspective. In one sense this is both its strength and its weakness. In order to be accessible and in itself solution focused it has not looked at the range of approaches to group therapy such as Group Analysis, Gestalt, Tavistock and some of the assumptions that underpin these: the unconscious processes, transference, countertransference and so on. But then, why should it?
So what are the other differences? In Solution-Focused Groupwork facilitators initially take what one might call a gently directive role through which they gradually delegate responsibility to the group both by modelling the relevant techniques and by inviting group involvement in issues such that the therapeutic relationship becomes dispersed and members gradually adopt a co-leadership role. They place a strong emphasis on the planning, design and selection processes for each group, on the induction of members, on building cohesion, and in conclusion, on action planning and the celebration of change. And, lest it be thought that the author believes that such groups are always suffused with sweetness and light, he has included a salutory chapter on Managing Difficult Groups.
The book¹s style is very Oup-front¹. Sharry clearly wants the reader not merely to be convinced of the value of solution-focused groupwork, but almost ready to practise it. The book falls fairly comfortably between an well-argued textbook a persuasive training manual. And the chapter ³creative exercises to enhance group process² which, though designed to energise and enable Solution-Focused Groups, is of use to anyone running groups for learning purposes.
My only serious cavil about this book of democratic strategies is the section on evaluation where the author seems more concerned with measurement rather than the potential for formative and reflective learning in the group. There is a big difference in the impact of evaluation through criteria that are created, formulated and agreed in and by the group than through those that are generic and pre-formulated. This seemed to conflict with the overall philosophy of collaboration and shared exploration that infuses the rest of the book. However, if this is intended for practitioners to gain reliable evidence of the outcomes of their work, it would be nice to know what evidence has been delivered thus far on the method.
All in all, I found this to be an enlightening book, clearly written, helpfully presented and, dare I say it, educational. It makes many proper and relevant references to the literature, is very easy to dip into and provides a logical and purposeful progression in its organisation.
Whatever context, background or approach its readers bring it will cause them to reflect, by comparison, on the many ingredients that form the recipe of groupwork. The book echoes what Solution-Focused Groupwork is all about - being practical and optimistic about human potential.
David Jaques
FSEDA,ILTM, MPhil, Ac. Dip. Ed.
Trainer/Consultant in Higher Education
7 Stanley Road
Oxford
OX4 1QY
Phone/Fax: (0)1865 203255
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