Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of an adjunctive, community-based, Solution-focused therapy (SFT) group for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in terms of change in clinical symptoms and the subjective experiences of participants. Methods: The study employed a mixed-methods, naturalistic, service-evaluation design in which 9 outpatients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) attended 16-session SFT groups, and were assessed on clinically-relevant outcomes at baseline, 8 sessions and following group completion. Participants provided qualitative information about pre-intervention hopes and were interviewed post-group about their experience of the groups. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to assess change in clinical symptoms during treatment, and a priori contrasts were conducted to explore significant results. Qualitative data was analysed inductively using semantic-level, thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clarke (2006). Results: Improvements were indicated across all clinical outcomes with the most robust evidence of significant effects for: phobic anxiety; paranoid ideation; psychoticism; interpersonal functioning; and symptom severity. Qualitative analyses indicated that the intervention successfully addressed the hopes of the participants and that they valued: normalisation; acceptance and safety; the opportunity to share and work together; mutual support; an informal and non-directive atmosphere; and assistance with the pursuit of personally meaningful goals. They reported noticing change, progress towards their goals, and a subjective sense that they were coping better and feeling better. Conclusions: The study provides some preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of the intervention and it may represent a more easily-accessible, resource-efficient, less intensive alternative to specialised services. More general implications in relation to approaches to treatment for BPD are discussed.

Over the years, many interventions have been used to ameliorate couple distress and increase relationship satisfaction. These interventions have been getting shorter in duration. The purpose of this pilot study was to test the feasibility and impact of a brief intervention using a solution-focused approach (SFBT) for couples. The brief intervention included two two-hour consultations. Data were collected from 30 couples and were analyzed using a repeated measures design. The analyses yielded mixed results. There were statistically significant improvements in the areas of individual well-being and relationship knowledge. There were no significant differences in terms of marital satisfaction, communication skills, and readiness to change, although positive trends were observed in this pilot phase. Implications for future research and development are discussed.

This research project utilized concepts and methods from the field of marriage and family therapy, to help leaders from business organizations develop greater relationship competency. A training workshop was designed and then evaluated to improve the quality of the training process, and to answer the following question: what, if any, effect did the workshop have on the participants1 relationship competencies in their work and/or family roles? The workshop participants were 12 people from small to medium sized business organizations who held leadership positions in their companies. The training model consisted of an initial three-day session, followed by a two-month interim period where the participants were given individual coaching, concluded by a two-day follow-up session. Several qualitative methods were used for obtaining data including the use of focus groups, in-depth interviews, and case notes. Formative evaluation processes provided information critical to the program1s improvement. Summative evaluation results indicate that the training was effective in helping individuals increase their relationship competency in the following four areas: 1) increased awareness, 2) greater relationship orientation, 3) new relationship-oriented behaviors, and 4) perceived outcomes. Participants reported having greater awareness of their own cognitive and emotional processes, as well as greater empathy for the experiences of others. Participants1 attitudes became more relationally oriented and were followed by new behaviors that promoted closer family relationships and collaborative work relationships. Participants credited the training with positive relational outcomes such as greater trust, more intimacy, and better communication in selected relationships. Other outcomes, specific to the experience of particular individuals, were also attributed to the training experience. The results provide preliminary evidence that MFT processes may be effective in helping leaders develop interpersonal or relationship competencies in a workshop setting. This study adds to the collection of research where family therapy models have been successfully utilized in diverse human systems contexts. / Ph. D.

No / This paper describes the evaluation of a short training course in solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) skills. This evaluation examined the relevance of SFBT skills to nursing and the extent to which a short training course affected nurses¿ communication skills. Nurses¿ communication skills have been criticized for many years, as has the training in communication skills that nurses receive. The absence of a coherent theoretical or practical framework for communication skills training led us to consider the utility of SFBT as a framework for a short training course for qualified nurses, the majority of them are registered nurses working with adults. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected: the former using pre- and post-training scales, the latter using a focus group conducted 6 months after the training. Data were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and content analysis. Quantitative data indicated positive changes in nurses¿ practice following the training on four dimensions, and changes in nurses¿ willingness to communicate with people who are troubled reached levels of significance. Qualitative data uncovered changes to practice, centred on the rejection of problem-orientated discourses and reduced feelings of inadequacy and emotional stress in the nurses. There are indications that SFBT techniques may be relevant to nursing and a useful, cost-effective approach to the training of communication skills. Solution focused brief therapy provides a framework and easily understood tool-kit that are harmonious with nursing values.

Studien ämnade att undersöka området för lösningsfokuserat arbetssätt. Lösningsfokuserat arbetssätt handlar om att skifta fokus från problem till att istället fokusera på lösningar. Tidigare har arbetssättet främst initierats i klientsamtal men idag är det även förekommande inom ledarskap. Lösningsfokuserat ledarskap handlar om att hjälpa medarbetaren hitta vägar framåt med fokus på målet som medarbetaren har. Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur chefer inom den offentliga sektorn använder lösningsfokuserat arbetssätt och hur cheferna upplever att det fungerar i organisationen och i relationen med medarbetarna. En kvalitativ forskningsansats valdes som metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer som datainsamlingsmetod. Vid analys av det insamlade materialet genomfördes en manifest innehållsanalys. Studiens resultat visar att chefernas intresse för lösningsfokuserat arbetssätt väcktes för att det fokuserade på lösningar istället för problem. Detta kan koppla samman med ett salutogent perspektiv, där det handlar om att fokusera på vad som gör människor friska istället för på vad som gör människor sjuka. Cheferna upplevde också att de arbetar med lösningsfokus som en pågående process och hade bland annat uppnått resultat i form av delaktighet, kreativitet och medskapande hos medarbetarna. Detta kan kopplas till socialkonstruktion, vilket är utgångspunkten för lösningsfokuserat arbetssätt. Då handlar det om att verkligheten skapas i dialogen mellan människor. Cheferna upplevde också att effektiviteten hade ökat inom organisationen och att det hade resulterat i ett öppnare klimat på arbetsplatsen. Detta i sin tur kan kopplas samman med hälsofrämjande arbetsplatser då det är viktigt att det finns utvecklingsmöjligheter och möjlighet till välmående. / The intention with this study was to gain broader understanding for solution-focused brief therapy. Solution-focused brief therapy is a method that is shifting focus from problems to focus on solutions instead. Previously, the work method has been initiated in client talks, but today it is also used in leadership. Solution-focused leadership is about helping employees to find ways forward with a focus on the goal that they have. It is about asking solution-focused questions. The aim of the study was to investigate how public sector managers use solution-focused brief therapy methods and how they experience that the method works in the organization and in the relationship with the co-workers. A qualitative research method was chosen with semi-structured interviews as the data collection method. When analyzing the collected material a manifest content analysis was conducted. The results of the study show that the managers’ interest for solution-focused approaches was created because it focused on solutions instead of problems. This can be linked to a salutogenic perspective, which focuses on what makes people healthy instead of what makes people sick. The managers also experience that working with solution-focus is an ongoing process and, among other things, achieved results in terms of participation, creativity and employee co-creation. This can be linked to social construction where solution-focused work methods have it origins from. In social construction it is about creating reality in the dialogue between people. The managers also felt that the efficiency had increased within the organization and that it had resulted in a more open climate at the workplace. This in turn can be linked to health-promoting workplaces as it is important that there are development opportunities and opportunities for well-being.

The positive psychotherapy focused on for this study is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). Insoo Kim Berg and Yvonne Dolan (2001) once described the essence of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) as the “pragmatics of hope and respect” (p. 1) and despite Berg and Dolan’s declaration of hope’s importance in SFBT, little process research has been published looking at the “pragmatics” of hope in SFBT practice. Hope is seen as a common factor in psychotherapy since the human relationship, also known as the therapeutic alliance, is a foundation of psychotherapy. Hope plays a significant role in every human interaction and it is seen as a common factor in human relationships. To begin to address this gap, a pilot study was conducted of an Insoo Kim Berg training recording, Irreconcilable Differences, in order to explore how she listened, selected and built hope in her work. Based on a SFBT technique focus, the preliminary results suggested Insoo Kim Berg builds hope relationally through the solution-building by working within the clients’ focus and their presenting problem. Four different yet interrelated hope phases in the SFBT solution building process were identified. To address this gap further, based on a SFBT stage focus, three cases by Insoo Kim Berg were analyzed in this study, Irreconcilable Differences, Over the Hump, and I’d Hear Laughter. The goal of this research was to demonstrate the how Berg listened, selected, and built hope with clients to validate her progression within and across the five SFBT solution-building stages, in all three cases through constant comparison, and to show how these findings are congruent with SFBT hopeful tenets. All with the intention of allowing the pragmatics of hope and respect to become more transparent for future SFBT practitioners. Findings suggested building hope appears to be a relational process to building solutions and is co-constructed. Berg demonstrates how she embodies a hopeful stance throughout the duration of therapy. Results show how Berg builds hope within and across her progression of the solution-focused brief therapy solution-building stages, utilizing SFBT techniques and processes, which all align with the foundational SFBT tenets.

Studien har ämnat att undersöka om den lösningsfokuserade metoden kan användas för att skapa ett tillitsbaserat ledarskap som är aktuellt inom offentliga verksamheter. Den lösningsfokuserade metoden har sin grund i att fokusera på resurser och tillgångar hos individen, deras önskade tillstånd i framtiden samt på vad som fungerar istället för att fokusera på vad som inte fungerar. Lösningsfokus har sin grund i samtalsterapi men är idag en evidensbaserad metod som används inom både ledarskap och organisationsutveckling. Studiens syfte har varit att undersöka hur ledare använder den lösningsfokuserade metoden i praktiken samt vad detta har gjort för skillnad för dem, deras ledarskap och deras verksamheter. Studien har även noga undersökt vad tillit som begrepp innebär och om det lösningsfokuserade arbetssättet bidrar till en ökad tillit och ett tillitsbaserat ledarskap. Teoriansatsen har bestått av systemteori, socialkonstruktivistisk teori, lösningsfokuserad metod samt teorier om tillit. En kvalitativ forskningsansats har valts med fem stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer. Intervjupersonerna är ledare inom offentlig verksamhet samt managementkonsulter inom lösningsfokuserat ledarskap. Vid analysen av det empiriska materialet användes en innehållsanalys. Studiens resultat visar att den lösningsfokuserade metoden har skapat en stor skillnad för våra informanter i deras ledarskap och organisationer. Deras upplevelse av lösningsfokus är att det inte bara är ett metodarbete utan även en värdegrund samt ett sätt att förhålla sig till livet på och andra människor. Den lösningsfokuserade metoden erbjuder samtalstekniker där man med specifika frågor letar efter styrkor och bygger vidare på individens resurser. Informanternas upplevelse är att den lösningsfokuserade metoden sparar tid, förhindrar energiläckage, arbetsmiljön blir bättre, effektiviteten höjs, man når målen fortare och har roligare på sin arbetsplats. Studiens resultat visar även att den lösningsfokuserade metoden bidrar till en hög grad av tillit inom och utom organisationer vilket skapar stora vinster såsom enade ledningsgrupper och höga resultat på medarbetarenkäter. / The study aims to investigate whether the solution-focused method can be used to create a trust-based leadership that is highly relevant in the public sector. The solution-focused method is based to focus on the resources and assets of the individual, their desired state in the future and the focus on what functions, rather than what does not function. Solution-focus is based on individual therapy but is today an evidence-based method used in both leadership and organizational development. The purpose of the study has been to investigate how leaders in the public sector use the solution-focused method in practice, and what difference this has made for them, their leadership and their organizations. The study has also carefully examined what trust as a concept means, and whether the solution-focused approach contributes to increased trust and trust-based leadership. The theory approach has consisted of system theory, social constructionist theory and theories of trust. A qualitative research approach has been chosen with five semi-structured interviews as a method. The interviewees are leaders in the public sector, and management consultants within solution-focused leadership. In the analysis of the empirical material, a content analysis was used. The results of the study reveal that the solution-focused method has made a great difference for our informants in their leadership and organizations. Their experience of solution-focus is that it is not only a method of work, but also a value base and a way of relating to life and other people. The solution-focused model provides conversational techniques where you look for strengths with the help of specific questions, and build on the individual resources. The informants’ experiences show that the solution-focused method saves time, prevents energy leakage, improves the work environment, increases efficiency, leads to faster goal achievement and creates a more enjoyable workplace. The results of the study also present that the solution-focused method contributes to a higher degree of trust within and outside organizations which also creates large profits such as united management teams and high results on employee surveys.

<p>Author: Nilsson Linda</p><p>Title: Appraisal talk- new ideals and new forms</p><p>The purpose of this study was to examine the concept of the appraisal talk. More specifically its aim was to find out more about the function and the meaning of the appraisal talk, for the organization, managers and co-workers point of view, and if there was any specific method applied. Two of the central questions were: How did the managers and co-workers describe the function and the meaning of appraisal talks? Were there any differences or similarities of the respondent’s point of view, depended of their position in the organization? The method of analysis was qualitative with a critical reflective approach. The study was based on interviews with three managers and four co-workers, in the public service of elderly care in Kalmar municipality. A central finding of the study is that the implementation of the appraisal talk is a tool for the organization to make effectiveness, but also to create a meaningful atmosphere. It seems to depending on the respondent’s position in the organisation. The managers use a solution focused work method in the appraisal talk.</p>

In a press release from the Swedish church it says that the pressure from people who are in need is increasing on the deacons in Sweden and that it’s getting higher each year. This study contains the search of knowledge about the deacons of the Swedish church, if they actually feel an increasing pressure and in what way, how they are handling the possible pressure from people in need, if that pressure is too high and if the deacons feel that they can assist the people seeking their help. The study also aim to provide more knowledge about the deacons experiences of the opportunities and boundaries (or obstacles) they meet in their line of work and how they handle the boundaries when/if they can’t provide the help that the people need. This is a qualitative study, using interviews as a tool to get the appropriate information to answer the questions at hand. Six deacons in different parishes in Blekinge and Skåne participated and the interviews took place at the parishes. The empirical material has been analyzed thematically. The theoretical viewpoints has been liberation theology, solution focused approach and empowerment. The analysis shows that the deacons experience an increasing pressure from the people seeking help especially from some groups in the community, especially from people feeling lonely. It shows that the deacons especially feel like the people mostly turn to them because they have a need to talk to someone, for example about their difficulties in life. It also shows that the deacons want to be sufficient, enough, and when they leave their work at the end of the day they want to feel that they’ve done everything they can to help the people in need. It also shows that they want to see the boundaries more as challenges to find new solutions. The analysis also shows that the deacons seem to use empowerment and that they have a solution focused approach in their work with the people in need. They also seem to have a viewpoint that looks like liberation theology. When the deacons experience that they have internal conflicts the analysis shows that they use different ways to deal with these. For example retreat, their faith, supervision/tutoring and a balanced free time.

Author: Nilsson Linda Title: Appraisal talk- new ideals and new forms The purpose of this study was to examine the concept of the appraisal talk. More specifically its aim was to find out more about the function and the meaning of the appraisal talk, for the organization, managers and co-workers point of view, and if there was any specific method applied. Two of the central questions were: How did the managers and co-workers describe the function and the meaning of appraisal talks? Were there any differences or similarities of the respondent’s point of view, depended of their position in the organization? The method of analysis was qualitative with a critical reflective approach. The study was based on interviews with three managers and four co-workers, in the public service of elderly care in Kalmar municipality. A central finding of the study is that the implementation of the appraisal talk is a tool for the organization to make effectiveness, but also to create a meaningful atmosphere. It seems to depending on the respondent’s position in the organisation. The managers use a solution focused work method in the appraisal talk.