Synopsis:

Are you interested in using people’s strengths and expertise to help themselves? Are you ready to empower your clients and students to tap into their resilience? Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a strengths-based approach developed based on the postmodern worldview that (a) recognizes people are healthy, competent, and resourceful in creating their own solutions, (b) values the power of language in creating meanings and solutions, and (c) believes that helpers and helpees are co-facilitators and co-creators of change and solutions. SFBT is radically different from traditional problem-solving approaches. It is useful in helping people who are (a) stuck in a rut of problem behavior, (b) not making use of their strengths, (c) feeling disempowered and negative, and/or (d) overlooking or neglecting what is working for them.

 This is a 12-hour workshop designed to help participants (a) gain an understanding of the basic tenets and assumptions of solution-focused approach and (b) learn to apply specific solution building skills in their work settings. Half of the workshop will be devoted to experiential learning (i.e., role-play, skill practice, and case studies).

Objectives:

Participants will gain:

• an understanding of the assumptions and tenets of SFBT
• an understanding of the stages of solution building
• skills specific to SFBT

Participants will learn how to:

• explore and identify clients strengths and successes
• use clients strengths and expertise to help themselves
• use appropriate solution building questions (e.g., miracle question, exception question, coping question, scaling question, etc.)
• motivate clients to make well-defined action-oriented goals
• use intentionality through language to encourage change
• incorporate basic listening skills into SFBT
• conceptualize client issues using social constructionism
• apply SFBT in counseling children, adolescents, and adults.

Workshop Schedule (March 9 and10, 2010)

March 9

8:45: Registration

9:00 a.m.: Program begins

10:30 – 10:45 a.m.: Break

12:00 – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch (on your own)

1:15 p.m.: Program resumes

2:45 – 3:00 p.m.: Break

4:45 p.m.: End of Day 1

March 10

9:00 a.m.: Program begins 

10:30 – 10:45 a.m.: Break

12:00 – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch (on your own)

1:15 p.m.: Program resumes

2:45 – 3:00 p.m.: Break

4:45 p.m.: End of Day 2

Maximum enrollment per workshop: 30

Fees: $80.00 (students); $150 (professionals)

NBCC Continued Education Certificates (6.0 hours) will be issued to licensed professional attendees only.

Presenters:

Kok-Mun Ng, PhD, NCC, LPC

Dr. Kok-Mun Ng is an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  He frequently conducts skill-based training workshops in the U.S. and other Asian countries in solution-focused brief therapy, couples and family counseling, and emotional intelligence skills. Dr. Ng has published many research articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented in regional, national, and international professional conferences. Dr. Ng is a licensed professional counselor in North Carolina, Texas, and Malaysia.

Jared Lau, MA, NCC, LPC

Jared Lau is a doctoral candidate in counseling at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  He has practiced in both school and university counseling settings utilizing solution-focused brief therapy and currently practices in an outpatient mental health agency where he works with couples and families.  Lau has published research in peer-reviewed journals and has presented at numerous professional conferences both nationally and regionally.  Lau is a licensed professional counselor in North Carolina.