Solution-Oriented Therapy [Paperback]

Tim Rowan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393704238 | ISBN-13: 978-0393704235 | Publication Date: February 17, 2003 | Edition: Revised

The expanded paperback edition presents a classic statement on the concepts, methodologies, and goals of solution-oriented therapy.

Recognized leaders in the solution-oriented movement, O’Hanlon and Weiner-Davis provide guidelines for clinicians in implementing solution-oriented language and explain how to avoid dead ends. New material brings the reader up-to-date on advances in this field since the book’s original publication in 1989.

Editorial Reviews

Review

O’Hanlon’s books are always filled with precious clinical nuggets. (The Milton H. Erickson Foundation Newsletter )

From the Back Cover

The idea of brief, solution-oriented therapy for severe mental illness flies in the face of conventional wisdom. But then, so does almost everything else about the psychotherapeutic approach developed by Bill O'Hanlon, coauthor of this groundbreaking book. Concepts such as forming client/therapist partnerships and creatively engaging the person beyond the illness are at radical variance with the mainstream view that disorders such as schizophrenia are completely neurobiological in nature and, hence, impervious to all but a battery of debilitating psychopharmaceuticals. Nevertheless, the long and growing record of inspiring results obtained by the authors of this book and like-minded practitioners speaks for itself. Now, in the first practical guide to solution-oriented interventions with severe mental illness, therapists Tim Rowan and Bill O'Hanlon acquaint readers with the core principles of the solution-oriented model. Also, with the help of many vivid case examples, they describe the proven strategies and techniques they have developed for treating patients suffering from severe depression, schizophrenia, and other severe, chronic, and persistent mental illnesses.

Unlike traditional psychotherapeutic models that focus on pathologies and limitations, the solution-oriented approach emphasizes health, competence, and possibilities. Its ultimate goal is to help clients learn to marshal their own resources to deal with their own problems. Consequently, the book describes several "unorthodox" methods such as mining moments of crisis for functional models; exploiting individual and family expertise with mental illness; externalization techniques for helping patients identify the effects of their illnesses and reclaim self-agency; and psycho-education for the prevention of relapses. The authors also provide helpful pointers on how to constructively manage psychotic experiences, as well as violence and the threat of suicide.

Solution-Oriented Therapy for Chronic and Severe Mental Illness will make fascinating and instructive reading for all mental health practitioners, regardless of their current theoretical slant.

A groundbreaking guide to solution-oriented interventions with severe mental illness

Solution-Oriented Therapy for Chronic and Severe Mental Illness is the first guide to applying the increasingly popular solution-oriented approach to treating mental illnesses generally considered beyond the scope of "talking cures." In a series of brief, engagingly written chapters, studded with vivid case examples, authors Tim Rowan and Bill O'Hanlon demonstrate the solution-oriented approach in action with patients suffering from severe depression, schizophrenia, and other severe, chronic, and persistent mental illnesses. You'll learn their proven techniques for dealing constructively with severely ill clients, even during moments of extreme crises, and for helping them to cultivate the internal resources needed to successfully manage their own illnesses. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Revised edition (February 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393704238
• ISBN-13: 978-0393704235
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #578,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, October 9, 2009

By 

Aaron M. Good (Northwest, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Solution-Oriented Therapy (Paperback)

This is a great book. It is a very easy read. In fact, i read this book before I purchased it and thought it is a must have for anyone in a therapist type role. I work in an adventure therapy field and found the information as well as the style it was written in very useful. I was also pleased with the condition and the timely arrival of this product. Thank you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Could go into deeper details, May 19, 2010

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Marcellus B. Lima (Brazil) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Solution-Oriented Therapy (Paperback)

Although their advices and examples are very intriguing, I doubt this book alone will be of much practical use for the everyday psychologist. This book seems like an appetizer and leaves you waiting for the real dish. It looks like the authors wanted to share their (good) ideas, but did not have the time or intent to create a structured and complete method.
Would I recommend it? Yes, with a word of caution about the brevity of the material (and the price tag is more compatible with a thicker volume).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too little information; very small book for the price!, March 10, 2010

By 

J. Schmidt "luv2read" (Central Coast Ca) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Solution-Oriented Therapy for Chronic and Severe Mental Illness (Hardcover)

For the price I figured I would get at least 200 pages of great interventions, not so. I got 165 pages (more or less) of stories, and humane philosophies about the chronically mentally ill. The key points found at the end of the chapter would be droll to the seasoned (over one year) therapist. It's an okay reader for the truly green. Authors could have done a much better job. Insight oriented therapy is extremely limited in this population, but was everywhere throughout the book.For someone looking for new and profound interventions and deeper thoughts, save your eighty some bucks for a couple of different therapy planners, or an on-line solution oriented course. Very disappointed in the content and the slim amount of reading. The steep and unfounded price left it with 2 stars.