From the author: The article is about a modern, highly effective short-term method of helping people resolve their difficulties, a method that is available not only to specialists in the field of mental health - psychologists and psychotherapists , but also to “home-grown psychologists” - raised at home, in the family, in life. Every sane person can have this wonderful communication tool. Will you take it? “Solution Talks” is another informal name for the SFBT method (“Solution Focused Brief Therapy”, authored by Steve de Scheizer). The method initially came to our country with the light hand of B.D. Karvasarsky entitled “Short-term positive psychotherapy” (this is how the book of Finnish colleagues whose articles were collected in it was renamed), which reflected the very philosophy of the method. The short-termism here is not so much a format of work as its ideology, from the standpoint of which the authors polemicized with representatives of psychodynamic approaches, who argue that personal changes should occur very slowly, gradually, in the long term. In fact, the authors do not argue about the timing of personal changes, they they simply do not set the task of personal transformation. The method raises another task - to help a person find a suitable solution in the current situation of impaired psychosocial functioning, which has become the cornerstone of his life path. Therefore, it is short-term. Moreover, the SFBT center was opened not in a metropolis, but in a relatively small city, in which many clients of these specialists found themselves passing through rather than living permanently. Life itself prompted the authors (co-author - Insoo Kim Berg, Steve's wife) to look for simple and elegant solutions that can keep a person afloat in his everyday life. Perhaps some experts may be confused by this term - “SHORT-TERM”, especially when applied to practice in areas of major (and minor too) psychiatry, narcology, when the patient’s problems are quite severe, the degree of disorder is quite deep... However, if we accept that sessions in the mode of short-term positive psychotherapy can be carried out not only within a course of 10 sessions (in fact, this the position appeared in contrast to the statement that psychotherapy can only be long-term), and, like Anatoly Mikhailovich Yalov (a carrier and teacher of the CPT method), gives an example - for 3 years, albeit with a frequency of meetings of 1 - 3 month, it is clear that here we will find (if desired, of course) both specific therapeutic relationships in the therapist-client system, special trust of the client in the therapist (like no one else), and therapeutic work, meaningfully aimed, albeit locally, at resolving current, current problems, but prospectively - to expand self-awareness - the formation of greater awareness, a positive attitude towards oneself and better self-regulation, greater independence and responsibility, adaptation in society, which is the meta-goal of psychodynamic psychotherapy, in particular, LORP (personal- oriented reconstructive psychotherapy, which sets the goal of personality reconstruction). Therefore, SFBT absolutely does not contradict the dynamic approach, nor does it contradict the humanistic direction. Having absorbed all the best, the method allows you to optimize psychotherapeutic work in the shortest possible time, which can be significant when working in TEPP services, in sanatoriums, when the client is temporarily in the city, for example, on a business trip, as “flying psychotherapy” at work, directly at work, in other conditions of limited time for the client and specialist. I am pleased to find the effectiveness of using the method in remote work, through chat, email correspondence, and, of course, in a live conversation (online) via telephone and/or Internet applications. There are also experts who talk about the format of work - short-term, medium-term and long-term, they say, anymaybe - what's new?! One cannot but agree with this, and at the same time, it is important to emphasize the exclusivity of the SFBT method. CPPt specifically sets the goal of achieving the result of therapy in a short time, i.e. short-termism is a position, and not just a work format. This does not mean at all that you need to work in this method only briefly, but it is quite possible to work just like that - quickly. This is facilitated by the technicality of the method, as well as the focus on developing a solution, the willingness to try it in life, and the basic principles (discussed below). SFBT (CPPT/ORCT) has its own philosophy, and when a specialist, even using techniques from this method, leaves it outside the brackets, then this will, of course, be a completely different job. It’s not the technicians who make the method. “Think globally, act locally” - this is exactly about CPT! If you use the method to optimize the conversation in everyday communication, introducing constructiveness into it, when the conversation is not for the sake of communication as such, but has a goal - reaching an agreement on something, actively helping the interlocutor in resolving his difficulties, then it is perfect for this goal. Many people, the content of whose work is interaction with people, can be satisfied with the elegant techniques of the method, the skillful application of which gives a consistently effective result. And one cannot fail to note the relevance of using the method in broad social life - in social work, in pedagogy, as organized (educational institutions, children's camps, pediatrics), and at home, in the family, with the interaction of adult family members, friends... CPT is characterized by an orientation towards discovering a certain option suitable for resolving a difficult situation. It is a funny situation when, when asked about trial options client in relation to resolving a difficult situation that has arisen, he replies: “Well, I came to you right away, how did it happen!” - “How?! Haven’t you tried anything yourself?! Amazing...” – “I didn’t have time, I’ll come straight to you! Why waste time in vain..." Well, it’s true, why waste time - after all, it is valuable - that resource that tends to melt... Timeliness of treatment is of particular importance in an emergency situation, in difficult, suicidal conditions - in In these cases, help should be immediate. And then the CPT specialist can immediately offer, thereby organizing the work space, focusing on the joint search for an optimal solution to the problem, as a subject of cooperation between the client and the specialist: “Then let’s look for possible options together and test them on the subject of accessibility, feasibility, acceptability, efficiency, constructiveness ... "The method is not aimed at developing the client’s personality. The person’s personality remains outside the focus of the work, although its features can be taken into account when selecting suitable means. And the specialist works as a technician, and he turns to the person’s goals, to his resources, tries to discover new opportunities to correct the current situation, which in general is understandable and desirable and to the client himself. Especially when a person first resorts to the help of a CPT specialist (psychologist) - there is a difficult situation, and there is a means to improve it - through a specially organized psychological conversation about solving the problem. This focus on the task also creates a working mood, when relationships develop around a matter that has become general, and are not a goal in themselves, and there is no goal of forming such unconditional trust that, “like no one else,” no differently. And even from the very first minutes... On the contrary, the specialist is happy to show the client’s critical thinking, express doubts, and supports him in finding a suitable option for himself, supports the client’s activity, the authorship of his life. Relationships are not a means of therapy, since there is no goal of reconstruction personalities, i.e. they are extremely functional - the task is solved, the meeting (work) can be completed. And this criterion also emphasizes the purpose and meaning of this work. Not just “Our time is up, see you”, but there is a result - a solution has been found that can betry it out in a real situation. Which is, in fact, the main homework. There may be other tasks, and each has its own goal. And then at the next meeting you can evaluate the effect of the application, consider other previously unaccounted for circumstances, clarify something, correct it, and try the updated solution again... There are, of course, cases of such complexity that a solution cannot be found immediately, no matter how much you cry don’t think about it, but it doesn’t work out at once, it takes more time or something interferes with the search process... Then you need to take a break, resolve doubts, conduct the necessary research to make an amendment, and then continue to look for options... But it is the suitable solution found that will be a sign of the end of the work. This is the most important distinguishing feature of the method - focus on results. In any case, all work revolves around the client’s goals and the ability to realize them. But before implementation, we still need to build these goals. This task only seems simple and easy. Indeed, it would seem that it would be simpler - ask a person about his desires, goals... Of course, it happens when a person clearly represents the desired goal, but often these goals are clouded by various obstacles, for example, ideas about false selfishness, impermissibility, impossibility. People are often so focused on their problems, that the desired goal is formulated according to the type of denial of these problems - “I want this not to happen...!” Such a formulation can be accepted, but it is unlikely to be the final option, because the question remains about what will appear instead, it is known that “a holy place is never empty!” And then, indeed, a wonderful question takes us into the space of being, when the problem is resolved, and this is what happens there and then, how a person’s life goes, what he thinks about, what he feels, what he is doing, with whom he communicates, what , and how, by what signs do these people notice changes in a person’s life? Often, before forming a goal, it seems useful to assess the availability of resources. After all, as it happens, there seem to be resources, but access to them is lost. And often people build goals directly depending on this factor. It is very rare when a person goes towards a goal, attracting the resources necessary for its implementation. This is also important due to the fact (back to the philosophy of the CPT method) that the goal is a category of the future. And when talking about a person’s future, the specialist himself goes beyond the limits of expertise, which is necessary in another psychotherapeutic method, where the specialist knows about the norm, pathology, how to treat correctly and well in order to ensure recovery, reconstruction of the disturbed personality to its normal functioning as far as possible. This is generally possible. In the case of CPT, the specialist is not thinking about this. It’s not that the CPT specialist considers the expert approach to be wrong, it’s just that in this case, he omits these questions as redundant in the search for a suitable trial solution in relation to the difficult situation that has arisen. It is not the client’s psi status that is important. it, of course, matters, but it will not affect the method, just as it will not affect the purpose of the work within the framework of CPT. Undoubtedly, even with similar problems, different people’s goals will still differ. But, it is more important to discover them, to recognize them as feasible and constructive, effective. Then you can do without researching the client’s history, how it began, how certain symptoms were formed, in general, the topic of symptoms disappears or is transferred to another plane. The study of the causes of the emergence and consolidation of problems remains without development. This shows a refusal to establish cause-and-effect relationships. Indeed, for the expert approach, this provision is its essence. How can it be otherwise, without understanding these patterns?! It turns out that it is possible. When the topic and essence of the conversation is not diagnosis and proper treatment, but life, even with a clinical diagnosis, then the issues of organizing life itself are more important. And a conversation of this kind is no longer carried out from the position of a doctor (another expert), because we are not talking about treatment, butinterested interlocutor. Who is keenly curious about this and that, regarding the possibilities of resolving a person’s problem that has arisen or organizing life with it, when it is such that it cannot be solved at once. For example, he will be more likely to be interested in exceptional cases than, albeit frequent, but problematic manifestations. The very interest of a specialist in CPT will be directed towards solving, rather than collecting an anamnesis, about what is different with the client as it happens with an expert, in particular, clinical approach in psychotherapy. When a specialist is not afraid to go beyond the limits of his expertise, he finds himself in a complex and difficult world of uncertainties, a world of creativity And wonderful discoveries that the spirit of enlightenment is preparing for us, And experience, the son of difficult mistakes, And genius, friend paradoxes, And chance, God the inventor. (A.S. Pushkin) (A moment of insight, a comforter of extensive thoughts And a consultant, not a friend, But the closest caregiver) (@) Of course, a specialist’s anxiety can be greatly increased, as well as a client’s. And you can say excitement, how not to confuse them?! What helps them is the reliance on the method, on its provisions that, in particular, activity is better than passivity (which is not indisputable, of course, and yet)... This reflects the philosophy of CPT. Let me emphasize that technique is not as important as the purpose and context of its application are important. Then the techniques can be invented for a specific case, like this, even for a one-time use. The expert formulates questions in order to collect the necessary information in order to draw his own conclusion based on its analysis, think about it, of course, and make an expert conclusion, interpret. Of course, completeness and accuracy of information is valuable for this. The CPT specialist formulates and presents questions in such a way as to encourage the client to think, to look for a suitable solution for his situation, which he knows like no one else. And this also reveals the philosophy of the method, emphasizing the importance of the client’s activity in organizing his life, with respect for his doubts, anxieties and, perhaps, a difficult and lengthy search for a solution. But who knows if it is correct? Until you check, you won't know. That’s why, having found it, chosen it from the list, you still need to try it out, test it in life. And this idea of ​​​​testing is also the most important working principle, and not just like that, some kind of trick, a fashionable gadget. Indeed, it’s easier to decide on the first step when there is an opportunity, having assessed it, return to the starting position than when you are at the World Championships and millions of eyes are watching your every move, holding their breath waiting for you to make a victorious leap. This is support in finding a solution, and not giving advice, as people often expect. They expect, and at the same time, the attitude towards this is often ambivalent. After all, how difficult it is personally for some people to ask for advice, first you need to admit that you are unable to find it yourself, admit that you are dependent, weak. But this is exactly what the clinician relies on in his at work - “What are you complaining about?” – a person is expected to admit that he is suffering and to accept the position of a patient/client – ​​“You know, doctor, I have a problem, can you help me?!” At the same time, it may be otherwise, when a person is interested in placing the burden of responsibility on a specialist, removing it from himself, finding it too much to bear at the current moment. It’s a completely different matter in the CPPT - the interlocutors gathered to talk... Find the benefit, sense, meaning. The roles are distributed in such a way that one thinks, the second helps to think positively, productively, supports and accompanies this process of creative search for the optimal solution, sometimes unique in its kind, suitable exactly this time, exactly for this situation, for this particular person. This is “Conversation about a decision”: – “I have a thought and I think it... What do you say about it?” Recommendations of the method When asked about the recommendations of the method, I would strongly recommend it to a person who is in a state of acute crisis, a suicidal state (it would be good if the specialist was also familiar with crisis psychology in general, and knew not only this method, but was generally qualified as crisis