Main description:

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.

Contents:

Arild Aambo, Oslo, Norway: Keep it clean and simple!Corina Ahlers, Vienna, Austria: Memories of Steve and InsooMarianne and Kaspar Baeschlin, Winterthur, Switzerland: Steve de Shazer and educatorsJanet Beavin Bavelas, Victoria, BC, Canada: Memories of Steve and InsooHans Benniks, Hilversum, The Netherlands: How Steve de Shazer has influenced my life as a therapistUrsula Buhlmann-Stahli, Bern, Switzerland: Encounters for lifeHelene Dellucci, Lyon, France: My encounter with Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim BergKirsten Dierolf, Frankfurt, Germany: Found in translationYvonne Dolan, Chicago, USA: Hope is in the details, good days and bad daysHeinrich Dreesen, Bremen, Germany: A talking shirt and three orangesWolfgang and Marianne Gaiswinkler Roessler, Vienna, Austria: Our learning journeyEvan George, London, UK: "Just a bunch of talk"Wallace J. Gingerich, Cleveland, USA: Observing what worksJoachim Hesse, Euskirchen, Germany: The miracle question as the beginning of a potentially wonderful healingDebbie Hogan, Singapore, Republic of Singapore: A lasting legacySvea van der Hoorn, Cape Town, South Africa: Tragedy excavating to compost-making: A journey that has progressed while reading Minimal Elegance by Steve de ShazerMichael F. Hoyt, San Rafael, California, USA: Remembering Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim BergLuc Isebaert, Bruges, Belgium: Steve in BrugesPeter De Jong, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA: My time with Steve and Insoo in MilwaukeePeter Kaimer, Bamberg, Germany: Markers in rough terrain: Three memories of Steve & InsooEsther Maria Keil, Berlin, Germany: KonsteveziusHarry Korman, Malmo, Sweden: Meeting Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim BergJan Kuipers, Groningen, The Netherlands: Respectful - Patient - Creative - Original - Unique: an encounter with Insoo Kim BergJacek Lelonkiewicz, Lodz, Poland: Miracles, earthquakes and lessonsEve Lipchik, Milwaukee, USA: MemoriesKurt Ludewig, Munster, Germany: The return to useful practice - or 'What I owe to Steve among other things'Alasdair J. Macdonald, Carlisle, UK: Meeting Steve and InsooMark McKergow, London, UK: Steve de Shazer: A different kind of cleverness (...and Paul Gonslaves)Gale Miller, Milwaukee, USA: A guy from Milwaukee: Memories of Steve de ShazerScott. D. Miller, Chicago, USA: Harumph and hard work: Five years with Steve de Shazer and Insoo Berg at BFTCThorana S. Nelson, Utah, USA: MemoriesPlamen Panayotov, Rousse, Bulgaria: Farewell to Insoo and SteveHarvey Ratner, London, UK: Insoo: A woman of many partsGudrun Sickinger, Bremen, Germany: The wonder of the miracle question - you may wonder...Therese Steiner, Embrach, Switzerland: Some memoriesPhilip Streit, Graz, Austria: So dry, so warm, so austere, so emotional - Steve de Shazer's exciting therapyVratislav Strnad, Prague, Czech Republic: Paradigmatic Suspense Summoned up by SFBT with Steve and InsooPeter Sundman, Helsinki, Finland: "Be creative!" - Steve's motto for how to develop solution-focused practicePeter Szabo, Basel, Switzerland: Time with Steve and InsooFrank N. Thomas, Ford Worth, Texas, USA: Recursive memories of Insoo and SteveTerry S. Trepper, Chicago, USA: "We have chairs here"Coert Visser, Utrecht, The Netherlands: "You don't know what a mountain is, do you?"Manfred Vogt, Bremen, Germany: A question of attitudeMichele Weiner-Davis, Boulder, USA: Thoughts of Steve and InsooJohn Wheeler, Newcastle, UK: Memories of Insoo and SteveFerdinand Wolf, Hornstein, Austria: Three episodes with Steve de Shazer: personal and professional Sabine Zehnder Schlapbach, Bern, Switzerland: After 10 years Steve and Insoo are still ever present!Yvonne Dolan, Chicago, USA: Recipes from MilwaukeeAcknowledgements Abbreviations