Welcome everyone, especially newly enrolled members of the Solution Focused University (SFU), to whatever this is! I'm going to share with you what the term 'solution focused' really means for me: The first time I met Elliott Connie in person, he said something that made me sit up straight. I heard him say "I grew … Continue reading Something In The Way
I watched a programme on BBC 2 over Christmas called 'Pilgrimage, The Road to Rome'. It was about a bunch of celebrities walking an old pilgrimage route to Rome to meet the pope. One of the celebrities, Stephen K Amos, had a personal agenda; he was determined to challenge the Catholic Church’s apparent traditionally disapproving … Continue reading Adjectives Are Meaningless
When people ask me what I do, if I reply with “I’m a mental health nurse”, they often say something like “that must be hard”, “that must be difficult”, “that must be rewarding” or “that must be interesting”. My response is generally along the lines of “yes it can be, sometimes”. Above all, and mainly … Continue reading It’s Like This
I can't remember the last time I made a New Year's resolution. I don't have any intention of making one this year. But I will have hopes for the year ahead. I'll also be thinking about the implications of what I'm hoping for. What I hope for from what I hope for will be in … Continue reading New Year’s Hopes
I caught a bit of a tv show, in which artists were competing to produce the portrait that would delight the judges most when the allotted time for their painting activity was up, although it was clear that taking part was rewarding for all involved anyway, no matter who actually 'won'. One of the contestants … Continue reading Painting
People often comment that there seems to be some magic in Solution Focused working; the client simply describes being a preferred version of themselves, then they seem to magically transform into that version! Everything we regard as science was once thought of as magic. The technology at work in your mobile phone is all explainable … Continue reading It’s A Kind Of Magic
1: Thanks for seeing me at such short notice, I’ve just been so stressed 2: No problem. What difference are you hoping this’ll make? 1: Just to help me cope with it all. I’ve got so much going on and it’s really affecting my mood. I just can’t find the motivation. Even when I do … Continue reading As Yourself
Talking about our problems doesn't help. That's a myth. Talking about our hopes and achievements despite, or in response to, our problems helps. We've all found ourselves sitting in a group of people bonding through a shared moan about politics, societal issues and the state of the world; 'putting the world to rights'. Think about … Continue reading Myth Busting: Problem Talk
I’m trying something a little different this time around; a short video blog (or ‘vlog’). There’s a transcript and further discussion below. This also marks the launch of my new YouTube channel, here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI_dwh-vpxOznEI5IvVFH6Q/featured It is intended as an introductory piece beginning to explain the solution focused approach, or at least my personal … Continue reading A Signal In The Distance, To Whom It May Concern*
There's this popular idea that 1 in 4 people suffer with 'mental health problems', which has led to the instinct to try to identify which amongst us is that 1, so that we might help them. Looking for signs of 'mental health problems', then, has become the go to starting point in 'mental health awareness', and 'mental … Continue reading 1 in 4 (All You Need Is Love)
Keep Calm and Solution Focused 