WORKSHOPS

SESSION A. Friday, 20. 11:00-12:30

WORKSHOP A.1. Ursula BühlmannAlways these solutions!? – Expanding hope by focusing on what is already there
The not entirely serious title is intended to stimulate a discussion about where the focus is placed in solution focused practice.
In the workshop, we will workout and actively practise how to bring instances, successes and resources, in connection with the preferred future, to the fore. Welcome to «the powerful contribution of the solution focused past»

WORKSHOP A.2. Frederic LinssenThe Changers Intervention – A real miracle pill


Changers are wafers printed with a goal image that are taken regularly like medication to help clients achieve goals. They are a novel solution focused intervention that help overcome problems by visually incorporating goals and abilities.
Changers combine numerous well-known active principles in one intervention:
1. Suggestion and autosuggestion
2. Visualization: motivating power of positive images
3. Expectation effects
4. Ritual: ritual of taking a remedy
5. Programming the subconscious
6. ‘smart’ defined goals
7. Humor/Creativity
8. Strengthening the coach-coachee relationship
9. Reminder function (goals are materialized as cans/changers)
10. Physical / material incorporation of the positive, similar to a host (becoming part / taking on properties)
11. Increase self-efficacy
12. Disrupting problem patterns (if consciously taken as ‘required medication’ in problem situations)

Changers enable creative, humorous change work and sustainable change processes. When developing the label for the Changers can, people almost always smile or laugh, especially when the possible consequences of an unintentional overdose are discussed. By taking it regularly, clients continue to work on their goals between sessions – consciously or unconsciously.

This workshop gives an insight to this new solution focused intervention by  a brief theoretical introduction,  a live demonstration and reflection of both.

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WORKSHOP A.3. Jacqui von Cziffra-BergsThe Positive Ripple effect of a Resilience rebrief: SFBT and clients managing trauma


Suppose you could create a ripple of positive emotion with clients managing trauma. Suppose our clients leave our office with a resilience flashback. Suppose we re-brief resilience instead of debrief trauma. And suppose we became resilientologists instead of victimologists. Our practices are full of stories of incredible people managing hardship and trauma and coping and surviving. As a resilientologist it is important to be very mindful of what you are amplifying and what you are making bigger in the session. As a resilientologist you do not want the client to become a victim of what happened and a victim of therapy. Instead, you want to create a ripple effect of pride and coping and you want the client to be able to look back and be empowered by their own resilience.

Aims of the workshop
– Identify the difference between trauma debrief and resilience re-brief
– Illustrate the importance of positive emotion in trauma
– Empower clients to recognize their strengths and coping
– Become a resilientologist instead of a victimologist


Outcomes of the workshop
– On completion of the workshop the participants will be able to:
– Become resilientologists that focusses on recovery
– Ask resilient building questions
– Re-brief resilience
– Build pride into the session
– Choose recovery words selectively 

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WORKSHOP A.4. Marie-Christine CabiéGo slow: change and continuity
One of the principles of SFT and the Bruges model is to “go slow.”
We’ll explore how this principle supports the subtle dynamic between the pace of the therapeutic process and the achievement of change goals:  how going slowly enables faster, more lasting change.  Solution Focused Approach and the Bruges Model,  centered on people’s resources and strengths, offer a unique framework for accompanying clients at their own pace, while promoting meaningful and lasting change.
We will emphasize the importance of therapeutic rhythm: how to adapt the pace of therapy to the individual needs of clients, enabling a process of change that respects the time required for each stage.
 We will also introduce the notion of transcontinuity, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining coherence and stability across different aspects of life and stages of change, enabling clients to build on their past experiences and successes to navigate new situations.
We will present two tools for adapting to the client’s pace: the flowchart of Bruges’ model of relationship levels, and the use of language based on the microanalysis of face-to-face interviews and the microanalysis of face-to-face interviews (notion of presuppositions, calibration, opportunities…).

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WORKSHOP A.5. Jannie Lund-NielsenImagine that the effect of the counseling was noticeable from the ripple effect of the solution-focused approach.
Then imagine entering a stranger’s home for the first time. 
Already on the way up the stairs to the apartment, there is a strong smell of garbage and food. 
When the father of the home opens the door, you see a floor filled with bags of old garbage. Inside one room, the family’s two youngest children are staying. They have spent the last several months of their lives here without contact with anyone other than their mentally ill mother. 
Inside the living room together with the father, the family’s eldest daughter is in the process of climbing around the family’s furniture. The father sits apathetically, staring into the air. He has just come from a night shift, and his wife is hospitalized in a psychiatric department. 
A common initial reaction, when a family like this comes under the municipality’s scrutiny, is forced removal of the children. 
But that is not what happened here. 
Come down memory lane with us and get a sneak peek into how flex family counseling is working in Denmark. Since 2005, Move1 has worked with high-risk families in Denmark. We have developed a tool to ensure that we work with the parents and children in the most solution-focused way – even though we sometimes have to guide and ensure that the children in the family do not suffer any harm.  
In this workshop, we will tell a story about a family that we have worked with. We will show and explain how the solution-focused approach has ensured that this family has developed and is now thriving. 

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WORKSHOP A.6. Tara GrettonThe Accumulative Effect – Micro-Moments of Kindness


This workshop, «The Accumulative Effect – Micro Moments of Kindness,» explores the transformative potential of small, intentional acts of kindness and caring in daily interactions. Emphasizing love and care for others, participants will learn to create a more compassionate environment, particularly within school settings. The workshop will integrate solution-focused thinking, allowing participants to develop practical strategies to foster kindness. As Rutger Bregman famously said, «Most people, deep down, are pretty decent,» this workshop aims to bring out and amplify that decency through micro-moments of kindness.

Best Hopes for the Workshop
Raise Awareness: Highlight micro-interactions importance and their long-term effects.
Encourage Positive Interactions: Inspire participants to enhance daily interactions with intentional kindness and caring.
Set Positive Intentions: Emphasize the value of setting positive intentions for daily interactions.
Implement Solution-Focused Thinking: Use solution-focused strategies to foster kindness and care.
Improve School Environments: Discuss the impact of kindness and care in educational settings.
Show Cumulative Impact: Illustrate how small acts can lead to significant positive changes over time.


And
Participants leave with a deeper understanding of the power of micro-moments of kindness and care.
Schools see a noticeable improvement in the overall atmosphere and student well-being.
Students feel a greater sense of worth, purpose, and belonging.
Participants continue to practice and promote kindness and care in their daily lives, creating a ripple effect in their communities.
By fostering an organic, interactive environment and incorporating solution-focused thinking, this workshop aims to inspire participants to embrace and promote micro moments of kindness and care, ultimately creating a more compassionate and supportive community.

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SESSION B. Friday, 20. 15.00-16.30

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WORKSHOP B.1.Tomasz SwitekToward ongoing not knowing through the fields of knowledge and experience – clinical applications within mental health crisis.
Joining SF club in 1998 brought a kind of revolution within my professional practice and everyday life. Now after 26 years of the journey with the SF as main way of working so many things has changed, so many things will change soon. During this workshop you will be invited to explore possibilities which arise from creating conversations centred on dynamics like self harm, panic attacks and more. Systemic thinking and traditions are obviously present within the diversity of solution-focused “styles”. Beginning with the inspirations from Bateson’s Team in MRI (Palo Alto), through the writings of Steve de Shazer and in the Bruges Model developed in Europe by dr Luc Isebaert. During this workshop we will utilize Witgenstein’s concept of language games and the game will be based on the construct called “symptoms”. Looking for the difference that makes a difference we will explore clinical usefulness of getting into detailed descriptions of symptoms. At first glance it may look like getting descriptions of co called problems. Nothing further from the truth, we’ll be teaching how to help the clients see that they havechoices and they make choices within the symptoms’ dynamics. Diagnostic constructs as depression, anxiety, addiction, self-harm, etc., they all have symptoms and the symptoms have various dynamics. When clients realize the differences within symptoms’ dynamics and they acknowledge their influence – choices are back on the table. Tomasz will describe implementation of BbraveC Model as hopefully useful map how to navigate through complicated waters of this aspect of clinical work. Our crucial intention is to help clients achieve more wanted lives within some very unwanted circumstances.

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WORKSHOP B.2. Gesa DöringerThe Mindsetter Game- the power of solution focus and game-based learning
The Mindsetter© is an innovative solution-focused intervention designed to apply the SF mindset and specific questioning techniques in therapy, coaching, education and teach them in workshops, and training. The game provides professionals and clients with the opportunity to experiment with the solution-focused mindset and take steps towards their desired future.

Reflecting
The game facilitates a collaborative and creative attitude among participants, inviting them to engage in conversation and develop new ideas together. By discussing the questions in small groups for each quadrant, players gain new insights, share sparkling moments, celebrate successes, create metaphors and formulate their own take-home messages.


Co-creating
There are so far 90 games in use across 19 countries worldwide. International facilitators are as diverse as their contexts and clients, including education at the University of South Wales, and University of Bath, SFT for children and youth in New Zealand or the US, an HR department in Romania, 88 women from STEMM professions during an expedition to Antarctica, and mental health patients in various countries. Colleagues and clients have contributed to further developing and evolving the game with their feedback, ideas, and enthusiasm. The design process continues.


The workshop introduces participants to the training version of the game. During the workshop, participants will mainly engage with the Mindsetter themselves but will also briefly hear about the lessons learned from 1 year of the Mindsetter. Let’s play!
What I hope participants will take away from my workshop:
That you will always draw the right card from the 96 cards of the game.
That cheating is an effective form of co-creation.
To experience how game-based learning and SF together provide both depth and lightheartedness.



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WORKSHOP B.3. Hans Jara.«Radical trust»: more than a concept, the heart of solution-focused practice
The obvious is not seen, said Michel Foucault. This workshop wants to invite you to rethink the position of
the professional in solution-focused practice. Remembering that the practice
makes sense of the theory, over the last few years Hans has developed ideas about the concept
of trust and noticed the effects in each encounter. This space is to connect with
new ideas that refresh our practice from a quite creative activity.
We wait you
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WORKSHOP B.4. Andreea ŻakGoing down the rabbit hole in search for the difference that makes the difference. Beyond the behavioralization of emotions
In the Solution-Focused approach, emotions are recognized though their behavioral expression, the “doing” projected in the future. Emotions are utilized as a means to describe the preferred difference (What will you feel instead?) and future (What will you do when you’ll feel…?).The interest is in the preferred emotional state, while not addressing the current one. This can be an issue when current emotional state continues to steer the client’s life.
While working in a psychotherapeutic setting I often encounter clients able to imagine a preferred future, to identify personal resources and ways of using them, and then get stuck by saying “I know the theory and it all makes sense, yet I don’t know why I still feel the way I do”. For them, creating small exceptions is not enough to make a big difference, not when the internal emotional compass runs by its own unknown rules. At that point, the “doing” of different emotions is not enough. This may be one potential explanation (among others) for the research results which showed that the solution-focused approach is rather effective for mild than severe psychological problems, in the educational than psychotherapeutic setting. It is my view that when emotions are in, a dive into the depth becomes a first step to move forward.
During this workshop I invite you to consider the utility of emotions within the solution-focused process beyond their transformation into behavioral acts. By using fragments from sessions and interview with clients I invite you to discuss the usefulness of going down the rabbit hole to identify the solution that lies into the depth and can become the difference that makes the difference.

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WORKSHOP B.5. Anne-Marie Wulf, Jacqui von Cziffra-BergsEchoes of Hope in the Solution Focused Approach: Female Voices Ripple Around the World.
In the newly published 2024, groundbreaking book; ‘Women’s perspectives on the Solution Focused Approach: International Applications and Interventions’ we went on an incredible journey around the world with 16 women and invited them to share their voices on how and where they use the Solution Focused approach. As these female voices started rippling through the book, we started hearing the echoes of what being and doing SIn the newly published 2024, groundbreaking book; ‘Women’s perspectives on the Solution Focused Approach: International Applications and Interventions’ we went on an incredible journey around the world with 16 women and invited them to share their voices on how and where they use the Solution Focused approach. As these female voices started rippling through the book, we started hearing the echoes of what being and doing Solution Focused work looks like and how it is used in each unique context. One of the loudest echoes and common factor is that we are all HopeCatchers.
During this workshop, we would like to reflect on the what HopeCatching meant to the authors, what it means to us as editor leading to creating a flutter echo by asking the workshop participants to reflect on what HopeCatching means to them.
By echoing these reflections back and forth we hope to build a co-constructive reflection on not only the authors and editors voices of hope, but also the workshop participants voices of hope to create a collaborative summary of what doing HOPE looks like.


Aims of the workshop:
Reflect on the common factor of HOPE in the book
– Show examples across 5 continents on how women using the SF approach DO hope
– Discuss the editors’ reflection on what DOING hope looks like
– Create an interactive reflection between the workshop attendees on what this means to them and how this is HopeCatching to them
– Collect all the reflective echoes of HOPE and construct a HopeCatching checklistst


Outcomes:

Reflect on female stories of hope in the book
– Build on the reflections of hope by discussing what the editors noticed
– Integrate and co-construct the new HOPE learning by hearing the workshop participants reflections of HOPE
– Understand what doing HOPE looks like
– Co-construct what small steps of HOPE means
– Build a HopeCatching checklist


“Women’s perspectives on the Solution Focused Approach: International Applications and Interventions” is a collection of narratives of female Solution Focused practitioners, from across six continents, sharing their individual and unique ways of using the Solution Focused Approach in different settings across the globe. It’s a book of high relevance in times of equality, where more than ever there’s a global focus on women’s right to choose for themselves and to create the life they want. One only has to look at the women of Iran, standing up for their rights and cutting off their hair in public as a demonstration and voice against the regime. Women voices want to and need to be heard, especially when it comes to change, both on personal and social levels.
In this book we invite female practitioners to share their practice, experience, good ideas and best hopes with other practitioners; on how different women use the approach in different ways within an array of cultural, sociological and socio-economic contexts. It’s also a book about hope and common factors, when a large group of women are being asked the same questions. Hope sprouts when you find common factors, when you see yourself in others, and when you know there are others like you. This experience of ‘belonging’ strengthens our self-image and works against loneliness and isolation. And by reading about other women in the field using the Solution Focused Approach, we hope it gives women courage to stand up for themself, and to have faith and belief in oneself to develop ‘their own style’ – whatever that might be.


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WORKSHOP B.6. Marga HerreroRe-elaborating trauma through drawing
Trauma is an overwhelming experience that, in many cases, leaves a lasting mark on the body and mind. Despite adversity, many people find the strength to keep going.
The workshop seeks to present the DRAWING technique as a tool through which clients can access their strengths and the factors that promote resilience in order to move towards a healthier and more compassionate future.

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SESSION C. Friday, 20. 17.00-18.30

WORKSHOP C.1. Naomi Whitehead and Marcos Pérez Lamadrid.Soulful, microanalysis infused solution-focused practice
Here are the ideas that Marcos and Naomi shared about their collaboration when preparing to deliver this workshop in Tenerife, and which they decided they would like to explore with you.

Marcos Pérez Lamadrid “This is an anticipated event because there are many voices that need to be heard, and the solution-focused approach has been a humble yet consistent way to honour them. The opportunity to reflect on what you know in different contexts gives freedom. Solution-focused-conversations are a generative relationship (cumulative effect of hope). We live together thanks to language (Language – verb), solution-focus helps give prominence to people in communities, generating a transformative micro-coexistence. Solution-focused conversations help call people to the present (call the «ajayu» which would mean «soul» in Aymara). Solution-focused questions are the keys to different multiverses, which cannot be explained, but can exist in conversations. Knowing Naomi gives me the possibility of being a bridge to live with her and her community, connecting coexistence in the communities I visit in the Bolivian highlands. Knowing Naomi makes me value it much more, what it is like when you want to communicate something and also want to listen. The client is more important, but each solution-focused practitioner carries the language of her clients in her context” 

Naomi Whitehead “Marcos creates an innate sense of safety to explore the following aspects which I feel are incredibly important and he enables new approaches and possibilities to emerge because of his intelligent and skilful style, knowledge and experience. We discuss how indigenous wisdom, social justice and feminism influence our work and how we aim to weave these into evidence based practices such as microanalysis and outcome based research to increase the quality of our interactions with others. Marcos invites a multicultural curiosity and commitment to academic rigour alongside a profound trust in and care for human beings and equity, and can always summarise what is most meaningful in clear and powerful ways. For example, all that he has written above, and his conclusion here “We believe people can do great things, through their own ways of seeing and doing and with their own new ideas about their unique realities” 
Warmest wishes,
Naomi and Marcos

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WORKSHOP C.2. Eha RüütelSolution-focused image work
Solution-focused verbal techniques can be easily integrated with artwork. For example, the therapist’s question can be answered by depicting a desired future, life experiences, or strengths.
Rather than making an aesthetically and artistically perfect work, the importance is in the process that becomes observable through the image creation. The art work brings a phenomenological aspect to solution-focused work with questions “What do you see? What is in the picture? What attracts your attention the most?».
Reframing through distancing. Observing from distance and turning the picture, opens up new perspectives and new possibilities for making sense of the image in the focus.
Changing the focus. Externalising the problem in the art work and creating the background – what else happens in your life?
A series of pictures can help find the solution – what would the next picture be?
In the workshop, I introduce cases and offer the opportunity for practical image work.

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WORKSHOP C.3. Rytis Pakrosnis, Andreea ŻakResearch on the Solution-Focused Approach in 2023: insights for the future from the SFA PubList by EBTA
Using the data from the SFA PubList by EBTA – a collection of published papers on research, theory, and practice of the solution-focused approach (SFA), we conduct annual Scoping reviews of the research published in the previous year to keep track of the emerging trends in the outcome and process research on the SFA. We believe that this work is important for better understanding and establishing SFA as an evidence-based approach. To successfully move forward as a community, we all could contribute to envisioning, planning, conducting, and disseminating rigorous research on the approach. Thus, we invite participants to discuss together trends from the research on the SFA published in 2023, share best hopes and first steps for the future.
In the workshop we will briefly overview main findings from the Scoping review of the research published in 2023 and discuss the most intriguing trends from methodology and results. Then in a group exercise we will develop best hopes on how we would like research trends to look like in 10 years from now and what we, as a community, and personally could do for at least a part of those best hopes to become a reality.
The workshop is aimed at researchers and SF practitioners interested in research on the SFA and its development.

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WORKSHOP C.4. Maarit PietiläinenThe challenges and power of rich imagination
This is a workshop that aims to awaken our imagination and to help us see the issues our clients bring up to us during meetings from different perspectives. In the workshop we find out ways to help people with rich imagination in solution-focused ways. The workshop also brings up issues our clients might face with diagnoses such as OCD, personality disorders, psychosis etc. We discuss about how we can prepare our clients to face the challenges later in life set up by different environments and societies, which they might have to face for years. This workshop includes a lot of examples, stories and discussion.

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WORKSHOP C.5. Katrin BergerThe Ripple Effect in Schools: Solution-focused support for classes on the path to self-regulation and cooperation

A wide variety of people come together at school. They have not chosen each other and have to learn to get along with these very people. And thanks to compulsory education, almost everyone goes through these institutions and team-building processes.
What a wonderful opportunity to equip these institutions in such a way that the children, teachers and parents experience community and their differences as something enriching and experience themselves as an important part of the community that receives support and is prepared to take on responsibility. The solution-focussed approach can contribute to this and accompany this learning and team-building process with a variety of methods.
This workshop will provide an interactive insight into current solution-focussed work in schools. What works and has proved successful? Which approach has a good chance of triggering a ripple effect and makes you want to do more?
The methods for strengthening self-regulation and cooperation are generally also suitable for teams in a work context.

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WORKSHOP C.6. Sebastien VernieuweThe App is not territory: solution focused strategies for the digital era
Digital technology in our modern society is evolving at a fiberwire speed, seemingly following Moore’s law.
The pace of human evolution, adaptive capacity and even neuroplasticity seems sometimes lacking to be able to support us in keeping up.
An almost unfathomable array of challenges and opportunities present themselves, all with mostly unknown impact on human wellbeing, for better or for worse.
Together we will be looking at how the Solution Focused approach can be a support for all-age inhabitants to navigate in this digital era.

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SESSION D Saturday, 21. 12.00-13.30

WORKSHOP D.1. Toni MedinaUseful micro-practices in family preservation: simple lessons learned from the Tenerife experience and ripple effects


In this workshop, participants will be able to train and experience the effects of incorporating differents collaborative and solution-focused micro-practices, which have been useful in Tenerife, in working with children and adolescents at risk of lack of protection and their families, as well as micro -practices that the interdisciplinary teams can incorporate, and that promote constructive, collaborative and more solution-focused habits among team members. The objective is that you can take away concrete ideas that you can apply tomorrow if you want to promote the protection of children and adolescents in a more collaborative and perhaps more useful way.

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WORKSHOP D.2. Magdalena SzutarskaPicture the word – using metaphorical cards in therapeutic work with teenagers. 



I have been working as a therapist and have been using SF for 20 years. In my work I use metaphors and metaphorical cards, both with children and adults. During the workshop, I would like to show how to usefully support the therapy of teenagers by enriching talk therapy with «above-verbal» elements.

During the workshop, we will immerse ourselves in the world of metaphors and utilize them for the purpose of therapy

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WORKSHOP D.3. Dragana KnezicFireflies in the dark – small rays of hope
Working as human rights advocate and SF practitioner, helping traumatized, oppressed and people experiencing poverty and marginalization, is both exciting and challenging. One is constantly aware of the systemic disadvantages standing in the way of clients’ living the best lives they can. In this workshop participants will be invited to co-construct what helps to sustain hopefulness and optimism and continue trying to make a difference in a world that is increasingly unjust. And what our clients, kindly and generously sharing with us their most painful experiences, hopes and exceptions, are teaching us on how to ripple off “small acts of everyday living and resistance” into a wave of solidarity and change.

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WORKSHOP D.4. Felipe GarcíaOvercoming traumatic experiences: an intervention protocol
The available evidence shows that trauma-oriented psychotherapeutic models are more effective than more general models. Based on this, a brief trauma-oriented systemic therapy protocol of six individual sessions, weekly, was constructed and compared with a positive cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol and with a waiting list group, oriented to people who have experienced a highly stressful event in the last six months. The workshop seeks to review the protocol proposal session by session and show the preliminary results of the clinical trial.

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WORKSHOP D.5. Cornelie op ten NoortSolution-focused thinking mediates the effect of solution-focused group therapy on well-being and affect in a military population with a DSM-5 classification
Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a therapeutic approach with the focus on strengths-based, future-oriented strategies and identifying past successes. SFBT is effective in a broad spectrum of psychological problems. However, which exact solution focused technique or mechanism supports positive therapy outcome is not completely known. Previous studies have shown that a solution-focused mindset is associated with positive emotions and psychological well-being. In turn, well-being reduces the risk of developing psychological problems. At the Dept. of Military Mental Healthcare of Defence at the Netherlands we started a study that investigates if solution-focused thinking (SFT) mediates well-being and positive affect, after participating in solution-focused group therapy (SFGT). In general, solution-focused thinking requires a single-minded approach towards personal goals, concentrating on identifying and using strengths and resources, while also being alert to disengaging from problems and problem-focused thinking. Participants of the study were 54 military personnel and veterans with a DSM-5 classification. At pre- and post-treatment , we assessed SFT, well-being and positive affect trough questionnaires (SFI, MHC-SF, PANAS). The participants took part in an average of 10 sessions of SFGT. Bootstrap mediation analyses showed that the effects of SFGT on well-being and positive affect were entirely mediated by increases in SFT. These findings are clinically important for a better understanding of the working mechanism of SFBT and group interventions of positive psychotherapy.
In the work-shop I will discuss the research and findings of the effect from solution-focused thinking on well-being and affect after participating in solution-focused group therapy. Additionally, I will explain the background of solution-focused group therapy and how it is implemented at our Mental Health care department.

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WORKSHOP D.6. Jody VagnoniInformal Conversation and Pretreatment Change as a Ripple Effect in Expanding Hope

«Problems are formal, while solutions are informal.»
Introduction
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) stands out for its pragmatic approach, concentrating on clients’ resources rather than problems. It uses targeted conversations to identify and enhance the skills already present in clients’ lives. Insoo Kim Berg revolutionized this field by taking SFBT outside traditional clinical settings and successfully applying it in informal contexts such as
soup kitchens, streets, and institutions for troubled children through the WOWW (Working on What Works) project. Her innovation demonstrated that therapy could be effective even in unconventional environments, promoting a more inclusive, practical, and accessible approach to mental health.
Problem Statement
Most people do not attend therapy but solve their problems informally. Michael Hoyt, one of the leading experts in brief therapy, states, «The most common number of psychotherapy sessions is zero because people solve problems on their own.» Informal conversations can be a framework to bring people closer to therapy.
Readiness for the Ripple Effect – Pretreatment Change
A solution-focused practitioner helps clients notice positive changes in their natural environment before receiving any treatment. The concept of pre-session change assumes that change is ongoing and initiated by clients, not professionals.
Weiner-Davis, De Shazer, and Gingerich (1987) found that two-thirds of their clients showed positive changes between the time they agreed to the helping relationship and their first appointment.
Informal conversations can act as a ripple effect in a person’s life.
Workshop Objectives
During this workshop, we will introduce an informal solution-focused approach as pre-treatment change. We will provide practical tools to transform everyday conversations into opportunities for support and personal growth. The goal is to make each participant feel capable of applying therapeutic principles in daily life, facilitating the discovery of solutions, and improving quality of life.
Practical Demonstrations
Throughout the workshop, informal practical demonstrations will be conducted, such as using Tibetan singing bowls to illustrate the ripple effect. We will show how vibrations, similar to those created by a drop of water, can expand within a finite space and have a significant impact on people’s lives, creating hope.
Conclusion
It is essential to make therapy not only brief but also accessible and inclusive for those populations and individuals who do not believe in, reject, or have lost hope in formal practices. I hope this workshop serves as a Ripple Effect for future conversations on informal solution-focused practices.
«Every symphony begins with a single note.»

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SESSION E. Saturday, 21. 15.00-16.30

WORKSHOP E.1. Ben Furman.How to use exercises and games to teach solution-focused child rearing methods to parents
This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to a skills-based parenting approach to support children’s growth and help them overcome both minor and major developmental challenges. Unlike conventional approaches to child psychology, this innovative approach focuses on developing children’s skills rather than focusing on their «problems» and trying to solve them. Furthermore, instead of blaming parents for their children’s challenges, the skills approach provides them with the keys with which they can train and motivate their children to overcome challenges by learning the necessary skills. This workshop will help professionals support parents, who will be able to put this approach into practice immediately with their own children and families

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WORKSHOP E.2. EBTAOPEN EBTA BOARD MEETING.

This is a new initiative, inviting members of the association and everybody with interest in EBTA to join a board meeting and a special one as it’s the first after the Members Annual Meeting (MAM), friday.
This unique meeting will welcome new members of the board, presentation and explanation of the board, its constitution and work.
Everyone participating will be involved to the extent possible, taking into account the association’s statutes and internal rules.
From the EBTA-board will elected members at the MAM Friday, participate and host the workshop.

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WORKSHOP E.3. Natalia GrubiznaSolution-focused Sex Therapy Utilising The 4-D Wheel of Sexual Experience
This workshop is an invitation for all solution-focused practitioners who either work with sexual issues specifically or encounter such subjects in their therapeutic work to explore The 4-D Wheel of Sexual Experience. This model is highly complementary with solution-focused approach, adaptable to many therapeutic settings (individual, couple or group processes) and very helpful in terms of constructing client’s visions of their best possible sexual and relational future.
Exploring 4 elements of sexual experience: Heart, Body, Mind and Spirit not only helps us discover the richness of client’s resources but also explore exceptions and client’s hopes around their sexuality.
During the 90-minutes session the attendees will have an opportunity to experience a live demonstration taster of 4-D Wheel interviewing with the solution-focused lense, familiarise the model and associated questions, as well as shortly practice what they have learned.
I’ve been working in the field of sex and relationship counselling for over 12 years, moving towards a solution-focused modality in 2020, after realising its strength in terms of targeting sexual problems in a client-centred, sex-positive way. I’m deeply interested in integrating psychosexual therapeutic interventions with a solution-focused approach.
She has been working in the field of sex and relationship counselling for over 12 years, moving towards a solution-focused modality in 2020, after realising its strength in terms of targeting sexual problems in a client-centred, sex-positive way. She is deeply interested in integrating psychosexual therapeutic interventions with a solution-focused approach.


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WORKSHOP E.4. James BeaucheminSolution-Focused Wellness: An Evidence-Based Approach To Wellness Promotion For College Students
Research indicates that college students are experiencing mental health challenges of greater severity, and an increased number of students are seeking help. Contributing to the compromised wellness of the college student population are the prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle habits and behaviors such as alcohol consumption, tobacco use, dietary concerns, risky sexual behaviors, and lack of physical activity. Alternative approaches are needed for this population that emphasize prevention and holistic lifestyle change that mitigate mental health and wellness challenges, and alleviate strain on campus resources. This workshop will introduce a Solution-Focused Wellness (SFW) intervention model and examine wellness domains, solution-focused strategies to promote personal well-being, and provide supporting research from multiple studies that illustrate intervention effectiveness with a collegiate population.
Given the subjective and personal nature of wellness, a therapeutic approach that provides the opportunity for individuals to conceptualize and operationalize wellness themselves is critical to facilitating lasting wellness-based change. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a strength-based modality defined by its emphasis on constructing solutions rather than focusing on problems, and the assumption that clients have the resources and capacity to change. SFBT has demonstrated effectiveness as a brief therapeutic intervention with the college population, in groups, and related to health and wellness. By integrating SFBT strategies with personal wellness, a brief intervention was developed to support college students in establishing lifestyle trends consistent with their conceptualizations of wellness.
Research supports the effectiveness of a SFW model in improving college student wellness in both face-to-face and web-based formats. Outcomes of controlled and longitudinal studies will be presented demonstrating significant improvements in perceptions of stress, life satisfaction, happiness, mental health, well-being, and resilience. Overall, there is compelling evidence that utilization of a Solution-Focused Brief Therapy approach with college students can help to improve personal wellness and establish healthy lifestyle trends, providing an effective prevention-focused strategy for college counseling centers and wellness centers to employ.

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WORKSHOP E.5. Nicolas HeuxIncreasing hope by observing the horizon with the Solution-Focused Approach
«The horizon is the promise of a new world.» – Unknown Author
In coaching or therapy, whether individual or couple, our primary goal is to set individuals or groups in motion and help them break free from the “negative spirals” that make change difficult. Often, people facing major challenges end up creating what they fear most, a
phenomenon Paul Watzlawick called “self-fulfilling prophecies.”

As solution-focused practitioners, our main concern is to ignite hope by guiding individuals towards the first useful changes, which are precursors to positive spirals. In the practice of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy 2.0 (SFBT 2.0), we no longer work solely towards a specific
objective, which is often reductive and corresponds poorly to the absence of a problem. Instead, we aim to focus on a “desired outcome,” or in other words, to set a destination within the therapeutic work (BRIEF International’s taxi metaphor).
At the AOS Institute, we also speak of the horizon, inviting the client to reach the summit of their mountain (achieving the objective) to then project themselves towards new possibilities.
This approach allows us to work on describing a desired state, continuing the intervention logic of solution-focused brief therapy. Reaching the summit is then just a step towards new
ascents.
We eagerly await you at our workshop to present this idea and take you on a journey towards new horizons. We look forward to seeing you there

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WORKSHOP E.6. Alesya CourtnageSolution Focused One at a Time Therapy (SF-OaaTT): Small Conversations for Big Social Change
In Canada, many of our most vulnerable clients are reluctant to engage in traditional mental health intervention models with service providers as a result of stigma, negative past experiences and expectations of long-term commitment. As a result, One at a Time Therapy, sometimes referred to as Single Session Therapy bypasses many of these systemic barriers by offering a service that is easily accessible and clinically effective. However, the time-limited nature of One at a Time Therapy requires collaboration from the system around it to be effective. This can often create points of tension for One at a Time Therapy practitioners, especially those who are practicing in settings that continue to be heavily influenced by dominant medical-model approaches to mental health.
This workshop will examine One at a Time Therapy from a Solution Focused perspective. I will provide an overview of the current status, learnings and challenges of One at a Time Therapy. I will discuss the importance of hope in Solution Focused One at a Time Therapy, both as a clinical construct and as way of interacting with the larger systems that are impacted by the One at a Time approach. I will focus not only on what happens in the small intimate spaces of a clinical practice, but also on how the very presence of One at a Time Therapy on the mental health landscape is an intervention in and of itself.

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SESSION F. Saturday, 21. 18.00-19.30

WORKSHOP F.1. Alba GarcíaYou also play with therapy. Creative scales in working with children
In this workshop we will play with scales and stimulate our creativity. The participants will experience on their own skin what it means to play and for this, dynamics will be carried out where they will have to represent therapists and children. The material I will bring will be various toys and consumables.
WORKSHOP F.2. Carolina CalligaroWhat about us?: solution-focused approach for therapists’ personal development
Designed for professionals in the fields of mental health, social services, education, and healthcare; it offers a pragmatic and hopeful approach to integrating solution-focused practice into personal development. Taking time for professional self-care is not selfish, but self-protective. It is a vital investment in one’s own health and well-being that allows us to better face life’s challenges, maintain physical and mental health, and lead a fuller, more balanced life. Prioritizing self-care is an act of self-esteem and self-preservation that can have far-reaching positive effects on all aspects of life. In caregiving professions, the culture often emphasizes kindness and caring for others over oneself. The mental health pandemic has demanded a lot from clinicians, educators, and health professionals. Taking care of oneself in this time of great need is essential. And this is where solution-focused tools and techniques can help (Mache et al., 2016). Self-care involves intentionally doing things to improve and maintain mental, physical, and emotional health. In this workshop, we will experiment with different self-care activities that can be incorporated into our daily lives.

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WORKSHOP F.3. Joaquim Framis, Plàcid Fusté, Mercè RivedSolution Focused in Social Services: tactics and strategy of group treatments to improve parenting
We present a experiential workshop on coping with the reality of social care with men, who are parents of childrens and adolescents with risk files and who are intervened by teams of local public administrations. Practical cases will be presented and we will work on differents solution focused interventions for group work with mens

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WORKSHOP F.4. Jacek Szczepkowski, Artur LewińskiPractice, supervision, supervison of supervision- meta-levels

During the workshop we will invite you to actively participate and in small groups experience and practice supervision based on constructivist assumptions. We will share an idea that we successfully use in our trainings and therapeutic practice. We will work on the real needs of the participants on many levels, referring to the «classical structure» of consultation, monitored session and multi-session format, i.e. group simultaneous session.

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WORKSHOP F.5. Tara Gretton, Anne Marie Wulf, Ursula Bühlmann, Dragana Knezic, Naomi Whitehead, Mirjana Radovic, Geert Lefevere«Club of 8 – A Box of Delights»


Discover the transformative power of the «Club of 8,» a unique and enriching experience designed to foster a bubble of safety, shared values, non-hierarchical interactions, and a rich bank of resources. This workshop will explore how being part of a club, without the pressure of expectations or goals, leads to expanded minds, new ideas, and a profound sense of connection and support.

Best Hopes
Introduce the concept and principles of the «Club of 8.»
Highlight the benefits of a no-expectation, trust-based environment.
Encourage networking and the formation of new clubs among participants.
Facilitate an open exchange of ideas and experiences.


Hoped for Outcomes
Participants understand the «Club of 8» and its benefits.
Formation of new clubs and strengthened networks among attendees.
Attendees leave with new ideas, resources, and a sense of being heard and seen.


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WORKSHOP F.6.  Leos ZatloukalCreativity and improvisation in solution-focused therapy
Workshop is focused on creativity in solution-focused therapy and on utilization of clients‘ resources in the process of change. Some ideas about the role of creativity in therapy and about the ways how to develop it in therapeutic practice will be presented briefly. The main focus of the workshop will be on practical exercicies connected with therapist’s improvisational skills, flexibility and creativity in conversation.  

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