Eric E. McCollum

Solution‐Focused Group Therapy for Level 1 Substance Abusers

The present study compared solution-focused group therapy (SFGT) with a traditional problem-focused treatment for level 1 substance abusers. Outcome research on the effectiveness of solution-focused group therapy is minimal, especially in treating substance abusers. In the present study, clients were measured before and after treatment to determine therapeutic effectiveness. Clients in the solution-focused group significantly improved on both the Beck Depression Inventory and the Outcome Questionnaire. The clients in the comparison group did not improve significantly on either measure. Therapist skill level and adherence to theoretical models were measured in each group to reduce confounding variables.

A scale to measure Bowen's concept of emotional cutoff

This paper describes the Emotional Cut-off Scale (ECS), an instrument designed to measure Bowens concept of emotional cutoff. The development of the scale and psychometric data from its use in three later studies are presented. The concept of emotional cut-off is critical to Bowens broader theory. It is hoped that the ECS will allow researchers to begin to empirically examine propositions derived from Bowens theory.

Mother-blaming in family therapy: An empirical investigation

Abstract This study tested two hypotheses derived from the feminist critique of family therapy in a sample of AAMFT members. The stimulus was a brief vignette of an initial therapy session with a family presenting a teen-aged child as the identified patient. It was hypothesized that family therapists would rate the mothers in the vignette as more dysfunctional than fathers. It was also hypothesized that mothers would be asked to bear more of the burden of change in treatment plans written by subjects. Neither hypothesis was supported. However, respondents did rate the concerned parent, regardless of sex, as more dysfunctional. Since this is a role often occupied by women, this finding may indicate some gender bias.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Addressing both researchers and practitioners, a distinguished cast of international, interdisciplinary contributors review the current state of research on SFBT interventions and illustrate its applications--both proven and promising--with a diverse variety of populations, including domestic violence offenders, troubled and runaway youth, students, adults with substance abuse problems, and clients with schizophrenia.

The development of the Solution Building Inventory.

Throughout the past 70 years, a great deal of research conducted on defining and testing problem-solving skills has led toward solution-focused practices and philosophies. As a result, some literature exists illustrating the efficacy of solution-focused practices. However, no published research exists on the factors that contribute to solution building. This study tested for components of solution building while creating a solution building inventory. Results from a factor analysis failed to find specific factors within solution building; thus solution building appears to be a unidimensional concept. Implications for using the solution building inventory are discussed.

Is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Evidence-Based?

This article describes the process of having solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) be evaluated by various federal registries as an evidence-based practice (EBP) intervention. The authors submitted SFBT for evaluation for inclusion on three national EBP registry lists in the United States: the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Results of our submission found SFBT was not reviewed by SAMHSA and WWC because it was not prioritized highly enough for review, but it was rated as “promising” by OJJDP. Implications for practitioners and recommendations regarding the status of SFBT as an EBP model are discussed.

participating in a couples therapy outcome study: Participants' views

Discovering that participants who received therapy in a research project and were being debriefed in a therapy outcome study considered those assessment sessions therapeutic, the authors conclude that participants: (a) are aware of the research context, (b) have some idea about how it affected the treatment they got, and (c) see positive outcomes for taking part in the study. Assessment and treatment were not separated in the minds of some participants, as they had been in the mind of the researchers.

Integrating structural-strategic and bowen approaches in training beginning family therapists

This paper presents a model aimed at integrating two views of training beginning family therapists which have heretofore been seen as polarized. One view is that training should best be aimed at teaching skills and theory in order to prepare therapists to knowwhat to do when they meet with a family. The other school focuses on the personal development of the therapist in order to train therapists who knowhow to be with a family in therapy. The principle which organizes this model and which forms the basis for deciding which approach to supervision is most useful in any given situation is a description of the developmental process beginning students experience in learning family therapy.