Discussion: Solution-Focused Model: Asking Questions
Briefly identify and describe the problem as perceived by the client, family, or group that you dealt with in your past fieldwork or professional experience.
One client I worked with recently lost her employment due to being late on numerous occasions due to not having reliable transportation. Additionally, the apartment she anticipated was for sure will give to her did not due to her credit score being scaled as poor. Unfortunately, the client experience two extreme losses that affected her psychologically and emotionally, almost breaking her sobriety.
Coping Question
Intern: Hello, I know you have experienced detrimental losses in the same week, and your sobriety has grown substantially; how do you think you can move forward in a positive direction?
Client: I am very emotional right now; the only thing that would make me feel better is to have a drink.
Scaling Question:
Intern: To better understand how you feel toward the future, please rate how you feel about becoming sober again. 1-10, 1 meaning you can not move forward without a drink, to 10 meaning you do not need to drink to recover from these losses.
Client: As of right now, I am at a 5. I want to drink to cope with my problems; however, being sober is essential. I just want to find a way to relieve some stress without resorting to my past ways.
Explain how asking these two questions would help the client in coming up with the solution.
These important solution-focused questions would give me an understanding of the client’s current mental state and how she can cope with her problems without resorting to substance use. It is essential to analyze her mental stability to determine whether more interventions are suitable. The coping question is to geared focus on the resiliency of the client, as opposed to focusing solely on the problem. “Solution-focused therapy focuses on what clients can do versus what clients cannot do. Instead of discussing or exploring clients’ problems or deficiencies, the focus is on the successes of clients in dealing with their problems, and how to notice and use them more often” (Turner, 2017). As for the scaling Question, I want to learn how she is feeling about her present situation compared to her past crisis to gain an understanding of methods that helped her in the past with her sobriety. This question would allow the client to assess the current situation in collaboration with her sobriety.
Reference
Turner, F. J. (Ed.). (2017). Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Colleague 2
In 1–2 sentences, briefly identify and describe the problem as perceived by the client, family, or group that you dealt with in your past fieldwork or professional experience.
A twenty-five-year-old female had a physically and emotionally abusive father who was an alcoholic. She suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has a difficult time trusting others.
Identify two different types of questions.
Scaling Question: Here is a mental health pain scale. There are several faces on this scale. Can you please point to the face you are currently feeling. Next point to the face that represents you when you interact with your father today. Explain the thoughts that occur.
Coping Question: I have noticed that you picked two different answers for the questions. What do you believe are some good techniques to use in order to feel less angry when around your father?
Explain how asking these two questions would help the client in coming up with the solution.
These two questions can help my client search for her triggers when interacting with her father. When she feels angry with her father, we will be able to take steps to help her find out what triggered her in the interaction. When we figure that out, we will be able to find the best fitting coping skill to use. This coping skill would hopefully begin to help her heal from past traumas. By continually prompting coping questions this could help the client reframe her thinking of being helpless. This would potentially empower her to take back control of her emotions