The Art of SFA – perspectives on solution focused practice and teaching today

Many years have passed since the early years of the Solution Focused Approach (SFA) in Milwaukee. SFA has developed and grown. In the last decades the SFA has spread in many countries and various workfields. Thousands of practitioners around the world apply solution focused principles in their daily work. In some fields and areas, goal and resource oriented work has become common ground and mainstream.
So we believe it is time to check how the approach is developing in different contexts and variations.
The first IASTI Symposium gives trainers of SFA the opportunity to learn about how this precious approach is developing around the globe. SF trainers from various work fields and countries will meet on 26.10.2024 to share and reflect upon their way of practicing and teaching.
From August to October we will give a monthly update on the changes of our growing program on the symposiums website. Check out our program and spread the message: The Symposium is not only for IASTI members / alumni but is open to any SFA training colleague. Sign up, join and participate!

Date: 26.10.2024
Time: 3h-Slot A 09.00 – 12.00 CEST / 4h-Slot B 16.00 – 20.00 CEST (check your local time here)
Fee: 25€ (for both slots)
For registration click here.

Schedule / Program

09.00 – 09.15	Welcome / Check-in / Introduction	moderated by Anne-Marie Wulf (Denmark)
09.15 – 10.30	SF self experience and mutual counseling as a way of teachingBeing counseled and counsel fellow participants is a powerful experience and can enhance modesty, mutual trust and personal growth. In this workshop we will try out mutual mini counseling and will collect ideas for the transfer into our everyday teaching practice.	Lilo Schmitz (Germany)
10.30 – 10.40	Coffee Break
10.40 – 11.50	The Metaphysics of change, the philosophical underpinnings of what we do? Metaphysics sounds lofty, but it is simply taking seriously the questions small children ask: “What’s that?” and “why?”. The basic assumptions of SFP are a kind of metaphysics. So let’s look at some alternative views on kid-like questions like: what is change, what is a person, what is dialogue, what is a question, what is motivation, what is the future and the past, and more.	Michael Hjerth (Sweden)
11.50 – 12.00	Reflection / Evaluation / Closing Comments	moderated by Anne-Marie Wulf (Denmark)
	EVENING SLOT
16.00 – 16.15	Welcome / Check-in / Introduction	moderated by Michael Hjerth (Sweden)
16.15 – 17.30	Tricks of the trade of a seasoned SFT trainer In this workshop Ben will present some of his favorite tried and tested self-experience exercises and vintage teaching videos for teaching.	Ben Furman (Finnland)
17.30 – 17.40	Coffee Break
17.40 – 18.55	The Changers Intervention – A real miracle pill Changers are wafers printed with a goal picture / symbol that are taken regularly like medication to help clients achieve goals. They are a novel solution focused intervention that helps overcome problems by incorporating goals and resources. Changers combine numerous well-known principles of change in one intervention: 1. Suggestion and autosuggestion 2. Visualization 3. Expectation effects 4. Ritual: ritual of taking a remedy 5. Programming the subconscious / priming 6. ‘smart’ defined goals 7. Humor/Creativity 8. Strengthening therapist – client relationship 9. Reminder function 10. Physical / material incorporation of the positive 11. Increase self-efficacy 12. Disrupting problem patterns Changers enable creative, humorous change work and sustainable change processes. When developing the label for the Changers can, clients smile or laugh, especially when thinking about possible consequences of an unintentional overdose. By taking it regularly, clients continue consciously or unconsciously to work on their goals between sessions. This workshop gives an insight to this new solution focused intervention by a brief theoretical introduction, a live demonstration and reflection	Frederic Linssen (Germany)
18.55 – 19.05	Coffee Break
19.05 – 19.50	Discussion Panel: How to teach the Solution Focused Approach?  In this slot Anne-Marie invites participants to engage in a lively discussion and reflect upon their way of teaching. Some questions to reflect upon…  As we have different ways of practicing and doing SF, which impact do your way of working (and thinking) SF have on your teaching? (what to do and not to do) What is your perspective on the approach and how is this visible in your way of training? How do we take into account and consider IASTI guidelines and requirements in our training?  How do we integrate other approaches into SFA, and what impact does it have on our training?	Anne-Marie Wulf (Denmark)
19.50 – 20.00	Reflection / Evaluation / Closing Comments	moderated by Anne-Marie Wulf (Denmark)