Youth2Youth - Terre des Hommes Schweiz

1. The solution focused approachIntroductionThe Solution Focused (SF) approach was developed by Steve de Shazerand Insoo Kim Berg as a therapy model. The two lived in Milwaukee, USA.Insoo was originally Korean, Steve American. They worked mainly withAfrican-Americans living in very poor conditions.They worked with mainly poor clients with many problems: unemployment,substance abuse, violence, and illnesses.Steve and Insoo realised that a problem solving approach did not workin such complex situations. They started to focus on the strength of theclients. This meant focusing on the things that people are already doingwell. It also meant focusing on the skills and ideas that people alreadyhad. Steve and Insoo also found it helpful to focus on the exceptionsthat means on time when the problem is less severe or doesn’t show upat all. This is when the desired behaviour or circumstance is happeningalready, maybe only a tiny little bit.Exceptions are times whenthings are different to usual. In SFthis means looking at the timeswhen the problem is not presentor less impedimentary. Whenthings are going better than usual.They called their model Solution Focused (SF). Their model was firstdeveloped for counselling. Now a day it is used in many different contextslike schools, business and youth organisations, prisons etc.9