Encounters with Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg

Inside stories of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Edited by Manfred Vogt, Ferdinand Wolf, Peter Sundman and Heinrich N Dreesen

ISBN 978-0-9933463-0-9, 212 pages

Available in paperback and Kindle formats.

Originally published in German as Begegnungen mit Steve de Shazer und Insoo Kim Berg (Verlag Modernes Lernen, 2012, ISBN 978-3808086863), with new material added for the English edition.

When Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg founded the Brief Family Therapy Center (BFTC) in Milwaukee in 1978, they set out on a journey which led not only to the development of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) but also to a revolutionary influence across and beyond the whole psychotherapeutic field. Terms such as solution focus, resource orientation, scaling, miracle question and many more are taken for granted today, and the broader implications of their work on how we think about therapy are still emerging.

Steve and Insoo worked all over the world, introducing people to their practices and inspiring many to get involved with SFBT and take their ideas into fields such as coaching, teaching, social work and organisational change. Their journeys created powerful and lasting connections, which are still producing new work and developments. This book lets you eavesdrop on many of the meetings and friendships which they developed over the years, and appreciate even more their work, ideas and contribution. The book contains memories and stories from former BFTC team members as well as numerous colleagues from Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the USA.

"47 essays compiled by people who knew Steve and Insoo well - some recording the first appearance of some very familiar ideas. Every solution-focused worker will find familiar ideas in this book. There are many poignant memories here, reviving the understated style of Steve de Shazer and the vivid energy of Insoo Kim Berg. Readers will also find unexpected and interesting sidelights on both their characters and their practice. This book is a charming way to examine the beginnings of solution-focused approaches and their ground-breaking style of work."
Dr Alasdair J Macdonald, Consultant Psychiatrist and Trainer, UK
 

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