Tuesday, March 24, 2015

PROBLEM SOLVING THERAPY

Information gathered by Sonam & Aparna
II Year M.Sc.
Department of Psychology,
Jain University, Bangalore
Problem Solving Therapy is a brief intervention used in family therapy where the client and the therapist work together to identify and define the problems, solve these identified problems by coming up with practical solutions and improve the client’s general approach to problems.
It is also called as talk therapy.
Sessions in Problem Solving Therapy usually last for four to eight sessions.
It is associated with creative thinking. Steps in creative thinking include:
·         Orientation
·         Preparation
·         Incubation
·         Illumination
·         Verification
The problem is explained to every member of the family and the focus is on the client’s general approach to the problem.
Problem Solving Therapy involves seven steps. They are:
1)  Problem orientation:
In this step, the client’s attitude to solve the problem is evaluated. It must be noted that this is different from the actual problem solving skills they possess. There is an assessment of the client’s thoughts and feelings regarding the problem and also their ability and awareness about their strengths to solve problems. These two elements will determine how a client will respond in a stressful situation. All the dimensions about the problem are identified. To check whether the thoughts about problems are emotional or intellectual also becomes essential in this step. It is believed that many problems are created because people think about it emotionally rather than intellectually.
The kind of orientation about the problem that the individual has is also assessed. There are two kinds of orientation. They are:
Positive orientation - A person with a positive problem orientation is rational and effective in their problem solving style. They think about the positive aspects of the problem. They are also capable of bringing about a positive and effective problem solving style.
Negative orientation - Persons with negative problem orientation are impulsive, careless or avoidant in their problem solving style. They make immediate decisions without being ready to think about possible solutions. They also may ignore or deny the problem.
2) Recognizing and identifying the problem
Problem solving therapy aims to develop positive problem orientation in the client which can be achieved by helping the client recognize and challenge the negative orientation, and by motivating the client to believe in their ability to solve problems through positive experiences. In this step, the client is taught to recognize a problem so that the client’s can begin to solve the identified problem. This can be done by:
·         Making the client report the current problem and making a problem list
·         Learning how to track problem indicators and helping them understand the interconnection between thoughts, emotions, behavior and physical symptoms.
·         Educating the clients about some procedures to solve problems.
·         Using a checklist
This process of recognizing and identifying will help in the production of a list of problem areas which will serve as the foundation of the client and therapist working together.
3)  Selecting and defining a clear problem:
The focus of this step is to assist the client to select one clear problem that has to be solved first from the list of problems that have been identified in the problem list. Once the problem is selected, the client has to clearly define it so that possible solutions can be found and worked on. A problem has to be chosen in such a way that it also solves other related problems. The client is then asked to define the problem from his/her own perspective. While defining the problem, the client understands all the aspects related to the problem, for example, what is the problem? When does it occur? Where does it occur? How does it occur? Why is that problem a problem? Who is involved? What have you done to solve the problem in the past? Do you have control over the problem?
4) Generate solutions:
In this step, a process of brainstorming happens to create as many solutions as possible for the problem. The client is asked to generate solutions that are practically relevant and has a chance of solving the problem.  Every solution that the client comes up with is written down and the potentiality of each solution is identified.
5) Decision making:
In the decision making step, as a consequence of the brainstorming process, the client checks the pros and cons of the relevant solutions which was generated and hence, a decision is made as to which solution out of the listed can be implemented effectively and accurately.
This stage can become difficult for the clients, therefore, the therapist has to assist the client a systematic way to sort the solutions by using decision making guidelines. First, checking if there are solutions that can be discarded immediately (initial selection). Then, similar solutions are grouped together to determine the options available (grouping solutions) and finally, choosing very few (2 or 3) solutions which will have to be evaluated in depth (weighing the advantages and disadvantages).
6) Creating or implementing a SMART action plan:
The achievable steps are identified. In this step, the client creates and then implements the action plan. The action plan should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. Each family member including the children can be approached to establish the procedures that they want to follow. The client can also include a time-line. Targets reached have to be reviewed.
7) Reviewing the progress of the process:
This step basically reviews the client’s progress with the action plan. The therapist has to check if the clients are underway with their plans, if the plan has the desired impact on solving the problem, to check if any more needs to be done to make the plan more workable and to check if any areas or skills of the client’s needs to be  repaired/fixed or improved.
Advantages of Problem Solving Therapy:
·         It improves problem solving skills, communication, coping skills and reductions in family conflict.
·         Problem solving therapy is systematic and pragmatic.
·         Allows the client to come up with different solutions by himself/herself. Focus is on the client.
Disadvantages of PST:
·         It is too scientific and less humanistic.
References:
University of Auckland, (2015) from http://www.problemsolvingtherapy.ac.nz/index.php?p=steps

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