Ronald E

Ronald Warner, a practicing psychologist and Ryerson University Professor Emeritus, specializes in the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) model. For two decades, he taught counselling psychology courses at OISE–University of Toronto. In his third decade, he limited his teaching practice to a course he developed, Brief Counselling Strategies, which is devoted to the practice of SFBT. The success of the latter course led to the establishment in 1999 of the Solution-Focused Counselling certificate program in the U of T Faculty of Social Work, the first SFBT graduate-level professional-development program in Canada. After more than a decade of operation, this program has given rise to the Solution-Focused Coaching program, which started in October 2010.

Requests from the community for SFBT training for mental health professionals in hospitals and clinics, and for healthcare and other helping professionals, led to Dr. Warner’s private practice, offering solution-focused training workshops locally and internationally.

Professional Background and Publications

Dr. Warner spent 30 years in clinical practice at Ryerson University. During his last five years at Ryerson, before taking early retirement, he established the Solution-Focused Counselling training program at Ryerson University. In terms of international appointments, for six years Dr. Warner was an Honorary Research Fellow in the Centre for Studies in Counselling at the University of Durham (UK), where he offered training and made presentations during annual visits. He has presented and offered workshops at international counselling and therapy conferences in Auckland, NZ; Valletta, Malta; Durham, UK; Tampa, Florida; Singapore; and Kuala Lumpur. In 2000, Dr. Warner was appointed Chief Examiner for the Certified Solution-Focused Specialist credentials offered by the Canadian Council of Professional Certification (www.ccpcglobal.com).

On topics related to the practice of brief therapy, Dr. Warner has published more than 30 articles and a recent book for healthcare and other helping professionals. His publication topics have ranged from assessment of solution-building skills to the application of SFBT to professionals in specific disciplines, such as professional counselling, mental health nursing, social work, rehabilitation, family medicine, teaching, and administration.

Over the last few years, Dr. Warner’s interests have increasingly focused on strength-based approaches to the reduction of stress and the treatment of trauma. Related to the latter interest, he held a six-month appointment in crisis management and risk assessment for inmates at Millhaven Institution, a federal maximum security facility. Currently, Dr. Warner has an appointment at Canadian Forces Base Kingston, treating soldiers for stress, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Biographical Data

Ronald Warner was born and raised in Toronto, where he received his early education. At age 19, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he received training as an instrument technician. His first posting was at Chatham, New Brunswick, where he continued his education. Leaving the military after four years, he enrolled at the University of New Brunswick, where he completed his undergraduate education with a BA, and a year later a BEd (Education and Guidance). After working as a high school teacher and guidance counsellor in Quebec and Ontario for five years, he completed an MA (Counselling) at Assumption College, and then joined Ryerson Polytechnic Institute (as it was then known). In 1978 he completed an EdD (Applied Psychology) at OISE, and a year later fulfilled the requirements for registration as a psychologist in the province of Ontario.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: Introduction

Developed by Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg, and their colleagues at the Brief Family Therapy Centre in Milwaukee in the early 1980s, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy has been described as a paradigm shift in psychotherapy treatment. The central assumption of this model, the assumption that sets it apart from conventional, problem-based therapy, is that constructing a solution to the client's problems is independent of those problems; little or no attempt is made to address, remove directly, or reduce the patient’s problems. The emphasis is on what is wanted rather than what is wrong. Therapeutic discussions are centered on exploring what the client wants (goals), identifying and expanding existing solution behaviours, and asking outcome questions about how the client's life will be different in the future when the problem is resolved, or the client is coping as well as possible with an unresolvable problem. Insoo Kim Berg eloquently described SFBT as follows:

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: Description

As the name suggests, it is about being brief and focusing on solutions, rather than on problems. We learned a long time ago that when there is a problem, many professionals spend a great deal of time thinking about, talking about, and analyzing the problem, while the suffering goes on. It occurred to a team of mental health professionals at the Brief Family Therapy Center that too much time, energy, and resources are spent on talking about problems, rather than thinking about what might help us to get to solutions that would bring on realistic, reasonable relief as quickly as possible. We discovered that problems do not happen all the time. Even the most chronic problems have periods or times when the difficulties do not occur or are less intense. By studying these times when problems are less severe or even absent, we discovered that people do many positive things that they are not fully aware of. By bringing these small successes into their awareness and repeating the successful things they do when the problem is less severe, people improve their lives and become more confident about themselves. And, of course, there is nothing like experiencing small successes to help a person become more hopeful about themselves and their life. When they are more hopeful, they become more interested in creating a better life for themselves and their families. They become more hopeful about their future and want to achieve more. Because these solutions appear occasionally and are already within the person, repeating these successful behaviours is easier than learning a whole new set of solutions that may have worked for someone else. Thus, the brief part was born. Since it takes less effort, people can readily become eager to repeat successful behaviours and make further changes. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy has taken almost 30 years to develop into what it is today. It is simple to learn but difficult to practice, because our old learning gets in the way. The model continues to evolve and change. It is increasingly taken out of the therapy or counselling room and applied in a wide variety of settings where people want to get along or work together. – Insoo Kim Berg

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

ONLINE INFORMATION

For complete information on the U of T certificate program in SFBT, please see www.socialwork.utoronto.ca\conted\certificate\solfocus.htm.

WORKSHOP: SOLUTION-FOCUSED INTERVIEWING

A Two-Day Skill-Development Onsite Workshop

Tailored to Your Workplace/Organization Setting

Asking helpful questions that empower clients to discover

how lasting solutions to their problems reside in using their own

strengths and resources

DESCRIPTION

The Solution-Focused Interviewing (SFI) training addresses solutions rather than problems by emphasizing client strengths, competencies, and possibilities, rather than weaknesses, deficits, and limitations. An adaptation of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, the SFI training is directed at all helping professionals who are interested in learning how to incorporate strength-based questions and strategies into their professional practice. The SFI workshop module has been approved for 12 CEU credit hours by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Ontario College of Social Workers, the Commission of Rehabilitation Counselling, the Ontario College of Teachers, and the Canadian Council of Professional Certification.

SFI is based on a tri-phase approach which consists of conceptualizing the interview as consisting of three separate but interactive components or phases and offers the novice a template for learning solution-focused interviewing skills. This process is described in Solution-Focused Interviewing: A Tri-Phase Approach to the Application of Positive Psychology, which is intended to provide a resource for participants attending the Solution-Focused Interviewing workshops.

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES:

Develop the skills and knowledge to:

recognize the difference between problem-solving and solution-building questions/interventions
learn the solution-building process using a simplified three-step/phase model
empower clients to move beyond “problem talk” to solution-building
implement strength-based interventions that enhance resiliency in dealing with stress and trauma
apply solution-building to yourself for personal development

PRE-ATTENDANCE INFORMATION:

Benchmark Questions

Prior to attending the workshop, participants are encouraged to read and answer the four “benchmark” questions below. The questions are addressed in Fast Track to Beginning Practice (Chapter 2) from Solution-Focused Interviewing: A Tri-Phase Approach to the Application of Positive Psychology. This book provides an overview of the model and the core essentials of the solution-building process. Understanding the answers to the benchmark questions will prepare participants to benefit optimally from the workshop experience.

What are the major differences between problem-solving and solution-building questions?
What is the difference between positive and negative goals, and why is this important in solution-building?
What is the purpose of the tri-phase approach to solution-building?
What are the key assumptions underlying the “not-knowing–non-expert” posture, which is of primary importance in the solution-building interview?

Small-Group Practice Sessions

For training purposes, the participants in the workshop are divided into groups of four or five, based on specific common objectives – something they would like to change/improve in themselves. Examples of objectives in these highly structured groups include time management, stress reduction, weight loss/healthier eating, improved partner communication, fitness improvement, handling criticism better, dealing with difficult relatives, better parenting, coping with a physical/health limitation, smoking cessation, handling aging parents better, and overcoming perfectionism.

Recommended Texts: DeJong, P. and Berg, I. Interviewing for Solutions (3^rd edition, 2007). Brooks-Cole. This is the required text in Dr. Warner’s Counselling Psychology graduate course, and is the “Bible” of SFBT. Participants will also benefit from reading Dr. Warner’s Solution-Focused Interviewing: A Tri-Phase Approach to the Application of Positive Psychology.

Primary Internet Resources:

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Association: www.sfbta.org

European Brief Therapy Association: www.ebta.nu

ELIGIBLE FOR BASIC SKILLS MODULE IN THE U of T PROGRAM

Participants completing the SFI workshop are eligible for a credit for the Basic Skills module in the Solution-Focused Counselling certificate program offered at the University of Toronto. The Solution-Focused Counselling certificate program requires an additional five modules for completion. For more information about the U of T program, visit www.socialwork.utoronto.ca/conted/certificate/solfocus.htm or phone 416 978 3259.

ADVANCED TRAINING: SFI WORKPLACE CERTICATE PROGRAM

The SFI workplace certificate program, modelled on the U of T program, consists of another five workshops (12 hours each) tailored to the professional development needs of the specific clinic/organization sponsoring the training. For those who have previously attended solution-focused training, credit for up to two workshops (24 hours) may be transferred. The spacing of the workshops for workplace certificate programs conducted in Toronto, Kingston, London, Durham (UK), and more recently William’s Lake, BC, was between one and six months apart (contact Dr. Warner for more details). This program meets the requirements of the Canadian Council of Professional Certification for the Solution-Focused Specialist designations (Therapist, Practitioner, and Coach) offered by the Council. See details at www.ccpcprofessionals.com/solution-focused-specialists-therapist-practitioner-and-coach.

COST OF SFI WORKSHOPS

The cost of the SFI 12-hour training workshop depends upon the number of participants, but generally works out to $250 per person, or if over 20 participants, a flat rate of $5000, plus travelling and accommodation expenses (from Kingston, Ontario) and HST. Organizers of the workshops are entitled to pre- and post-workshop telephone/video conference calls, and if interested in continuing local training, help with setting up train-the-trainer sessions.

WEBCAM & TELE-CONFERENCE DISTANCE EDUCATION

The small-group delivery format employed requires a minimum of four to an upper limit of about eight participants and involves completing assigned readings, conducting recorded interviews, and doing a microanalysis of the interactions. The training sessions are usually spaced from two to four weeks apart, depending on the needs of the participants. The first to complete the full workplace certificate program was a group of five counselors and a family support worker from Williams Lake, BC, who went on to obtain CCPC national certification. For details about this option, contact Dr. Warner.

CERTIFICATION

University of Toronto Programs

The certificate program in Solution-Focused Counselling is offered through the Faculty of Social Work and teaches solution-building clinical skills at the specialist level. The program consists of six two-day modules for a total of 72 classroom hours. The program is directed to professionals in human services fields, such as social workers, counsellors, psychologists, and healthcare practitioners. Due to the increasing interest in the expanding field of life- and executive-coaching, a new Solution-Focused Coaching program is scheduled to be launched in the fall of 2010.

More information about the Solution-Focused programs is available from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Social Work, Continuing Education Coordinator. Email: fsw.conted@utoronto.ca. Voicemail: 416 978 3259. Website: www.socialwork.utoronto.ca/conted.htm

Canadian Council of Professional Certification

In 1975, The Canadian Council of Professional Certification (CCPC) was granted a federal charter for the purpose of recognizing the accomplishments of professionals working in their specific disciplines. Since its inception, the CCPC has granted certification to professionals in a wide variety of disciplines: addiction counsellors, gambling counsellors, community service workers, solution-focused specialists, and business managers, among others. The CCPC is unique in that its federal charter is not restricted to recognizing Canadian residents. The wording of the charter explicitly permits it to extend its recognition beyond Canada. A new logo, CCPC GLOBAL, was adopted in 2009 to reflect the participation of the CCPC in the global market.

Solution-Focused Credentials: Background

Some of the early graduates of the U of T program expressed interest in pursuing professional recognition beyond the university level. On behalf of these students, Dr. Warner made an application to the Board of Directors of the CCPC to establish a Solution-Focused Specialist certification. In 2001, that board created a new professional designation – Certified Solution-Focused Therapist (CSFT) – using for its standards the U of T Solution-Focused Counselling certificate program. In addition to requiring the completion of 72 hours of classroom or workshop training, the CCPC mandated the completion of a supervision component for this certification.

Although the U of T Solution-Focused Counselling program was originally intended for counsellors and therapists, other helping professionals, including healthcare providers, educators, human resource specialists, and life coaches, began attending classes. These helping professionals also expressed interest in obtaining CCPC certification. The CCPC therefore created two other Solution-Focused Specialist designations – the CSFP (Practitioner) and CSFC (Coach). Interest in these solution-focused certifications has been steadily growing both within Canada and abroad. In addition to Canadians, the CCPC has awarded solution-focused certification to professionals in England, Scotland, Poland, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.

The addresses for the Canadian Council of Professional Certification are as follows:

National Office: 1 Edenmills Drive, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1E 4L1

Tel: 416-724-5339; Fax: 416-724-0884

E-mail: info@ccpcglobal.com.

Website: www.ccpcglobal.com

Western Canada Office: No. 3404, 3000 Somervale Court SW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2Y 4J2

Tel: 403-201-2123

E-mail: wco@ccpcglobal.com.