you might have been puzzled or intrigued by all the talk and chatter about the Solution Focused Approach. This site hopefully provides some sort of start so that you can get an idea of what that is, but if you’d like to know more, I’m pleased to announce that this upcoming Wednesday I am hosting a short webinar on the topic.
In the webinar, I’m going to walk you through and introducing you to an approach that changed my professional (and bits of personal) life. If you’ll feel like this might be for you, I’ll also present an opportunity for you to get trained in the basics of the approach – for free. For the past year, we have worked hard with partners from Estonia and Poland to make this happen and now it’s finally here – a brand new online training that will teach you the basics and in this webinar I’ll be so pleased to give you a chance to see it and later on try it yourself should you wish to.
If you’d like to attend the webinar, please register here.
Hope to see you on Wednesday, 9am GMT+1 (10am CET).
despite mainly working internationally, I try to organise at least one Solution Focused training event in Slovenia. In 2020, this will be a Masterclass focusing on supporting young people, families and discovering the use of Solution Focused approach in agencies (schools, social services, parenting services, etc.). Ribalon Institute is therefore proudly hosting two special guests from United Kingdom and offering you a 2-day Masterclass in Slovenia for professionals working with families, children and young people in school settings, social services youth field or another educational sector. Here is a detailed Masterclass content, which will take place in Ljubljana on 1st and 2nd February 2020.
The course will:
introduce you to the principles and practices of solution focused interviewing when working with young people and/or whole families
teach specific interviewing skills
relate the learning to your everyday work, taking into account each person’s role and discipline.
For whom
The course will be useful to anyone who works with young people and/or their families including social workers, teachers, psychologists, mentors, teaching & learning assistants, youth workers, and anyone else concerned with helping young people and/or families develop. It is also a very good refresher for those who wish to keep their SF skills sharp and up to date. The course will be designed in the broadest sense so that each participant will find a way to apply solution focused skills in the different contexts in which support is likely to be offered. This will include working directly with parents, children, adolescents families and colleagues.
Solution Focused approach
The solution focused approach is based on the principle that we all have our own solutions, including each of our ‘clients’ and the job of the professional is to help their clients discover what these solutions. This is done by focusing on the future, on where the client wants to get to, and then concentrating on helping the client discover his or her own pathway to that future.
The solution focused approach is based a number of core principles:
All service users have resources and tapping into these resources produces the best outcomes.
Agency and client outcomes need to be equally addressed in order to maximise collaborative working.
Building on success is one of the most effective ways to produce rapid change.
We are the experts in our own lives and each person including each client should have an equality of opportunity to have their voice heard.
Course content and methods
The course will contain a lively mixture of presentation, video of actual sessions, discussion, and exercises. The exercises in pairs, threes and small groups are intended to introduce the skills, give participants the chance to practice these skills and offer the opportunity to reflect on current work.
Day one will cover all the basic building blocks of solution focused interviewing and will serve as both an introduction and as a refresher to the approach. Its main focus will be working one-on-one, with specific focus on young people and/or their parents.
Day two will build on the introductory skills giving participants a chance to develop their skills in a way that fits their everyday work. The focus will be on working with groups/whole units/multiple agencies.
As each course group will undoubtedly bring different skills and their clients will also present different challenges, so will our course be a unique event. All courses we offer teach the essential Solution Focused skills, but the balance of talking, watching video and practicing will show slight variations. Our courses are known for their flexibility and responsiveness, based on what we learned from BRIEF, which is considered the ‘gold standard’ of solution focused training across the world.
Day 1 (1st February 2020): Working Solution Focused 1-2-1 with individuals
Participants’ stories of good practice
Overview of solution focused practice: intentions behind Solution Focused questions
Solution focused Listening when working one-on-one with young people, children, parents or professionals
5-10 minutes conversations: creating motivation and building conversations
Charting better futures and (re)discovering hope
Day 2 (2nd February 2020): Working with more than one (whole families, schools, agencies)
Eliciting competence and resources of groups and whole family units
Identifying the client’s agenda when working with multiple agencies (i.e. teachers, parents, social services, colleagues in schools)
Finding out what is already working in negotiating conflict (common best hopes when multiple people are involved)
Building on success and pathways to good relationships
Using multiple Solution Focused scales
Attending to safety (how to work Solution Focused in Problem Focused environments)
Trainers
Ben Scott trained in Solution Focused Practice with BRIEF in London, and has since gone on to receive accreditation with UKASFP (UK Association of Solution Focused Practice). Ben works in the Education department of Bedford Borough Local Authority, co-ordinating a schools-based Solution Focused service, and providing targeted Solution Focused training to senior school staff. This training targets family support workers, pastoral leads, and Heads of Year. In addition, Ben uses Solution Focused Practice when volunteering for ‘Azalea’, a charity that supports women to exit from sexual exploitation and that offers mentoring to men who purchase sex and wish to quit doing so.
Greg Oberbeck has been using the Solution Focused approach for over seven years now, working with families as part of an ‘edge of care’ team within Essex County Council. In addition to working with families, Greg helps to develop practice through regular workshops, SF supervision as well as SF trainings. He has also wanted to continue to do more with the approach, and so over the past few years has been working with the Young Women’s Trust, providing SF telephone coaching and also has an online-based private practice. Like Ben, Greg has also been trained in Solution Focused Practice with BRIEF in London and is also received accreditation with the UKASFP.
In January 2019 Ben, Greg and myself formed a new organisation in the UK called SF Possibilities, at which we are designing and delivering face-to-face and online training courses in Solution Focused practice in the UK and beyond with the mission of keeping the practice succinct, minimalistic and straightforward. Some of our work you will be able to experience in this two-day Masterclass, which will be geared specifically towards teachers, psychologists, learning support staff, mentors, youth workers, social workers and any other professionals working with children, young people or whole families. The course will be in English, with occasional Slovenian translation upon demand.
How to apply
In the February 2-day Masterclass, you will learn all the essential skills of Solution Focused tools and techniques and will be able to start putting them into practice as soon as you return to work. To book your place, please visit https://forms.gle/QfCvkzCVkVJusJsm8. The cost for the whole Masterclass is 320 eur. One day bookings are also possible (170 eur). For all the queries, contact me at biba@ribalon.org. We are very much looking forward to seeing you in February!
Solution Focused practice is an approach to foster positive change effectively and in a considerably shorter amount of time than other approaches. It was developed in 1980’s by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg as Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and has since been worldwide used across different fields, such as therapy, social work, coaching, training, business, management, education, facilitation, project management, etc.
Solution Focused practice is having a massive impact on all aspects of education and is associated with making a massive difference in behaviour, attendance, school achievement, leadership and staff morale. It provides a simple framework for managing influential conversations between professionals and young people/children/families, which have the capacity to improve:
well-being of families, children or young people
parental support and cooperation
school attendance
learning
behaviour
relationships
enthusiasm and job satisfaction
burnout prevention
On 1st and 2nd February 2020, Ribalon Institute is proudly hosting two special guests from United Kingdom and offering you a 2-day Masterclass for Slovenian professionals working with families, children and young people in school settings, social services youth field or another educational sector.
Ben Scott trained in Solution Focused Practice with BRIEF in London, and has since gone on to receive accreditation with UKASFP (UK Association of Solution Focused Practice). Ben works in the Education department of Bedford Borough Local Authority, co-ordinating a schools-based Solution Focused service, and providing targeted Solution Focused training to senior school staff. This training targets family support workers, pastoral leads, and Heads of Year. In addition, Ben uses Solution Focused Practice when volunteering for ‘Azalea’, a charity that supports women to exit from sexual exploitation and that offers mentoring to men who purchase sex and wish to quit doing so.
Greg Oberbeck has been using the Solution Focused approach for over seven years now, working with families as part of an ‘edge of care’ team within Essex County Council. In addition to working with families, Greg helps to develop practice through regular workshops, SF supervision as well as SF trainings. He has also wanted to continue to do more with the approach, and so over the past few years has been working with the Young Women’s Trust, providing SF telephone coaching and also has an online-based private practice. Like Ben, Greg has also been trained in Solution Focused Practice with BRIEF in London and is also received accreditation with the UKASFP.
In January 2019 Ben, Greg and Biba have formed a new organisation in the UK called SF Possibilities, at which they are designing and delivering face-to-face and online training courses in Solution Focused practice in the UK and beyond with the mission of keeping the practice succinct, minimalistic and straightforward. Some of their work you will be able to experience in this two-day Masterclass, which will be geared specifically towards teachers, psychologists, learning support staff, mentors, youth workers, social workers and any other professionals working with children, young people or whole families. The course will be in English, with occasional Slovenian translation upon demand.
In the February 2-day Masterclass, you will learn all the essential skills of Solution Focused tools and techniques and will be able to start putting them into practice as soon as you return to work. Full course content can be accessed here. To book your place, please visit https://forms.gle/QfCvkzCVkVJusJsm8. The cost for the whole Masterclass is 320 eur. One day bookings are also possible (170 eur). For all the queries, contact Biba at biba@ribalon.org. We are very much looking forward to seeing you in February!
All the international readers, I hope you do forgive me for offering a post in my mother tongue – I am so proud to announce a very fresh set of Solution Focused trainings in Slovenia as well as a very first certificate process for Slovenian professionals who would like to take their Solution Practice further, to a certified level. Ribalon Institute has been bringing Solution Focused practice to Slovenia since 2014 and has every year organised trainings for Slo audiences. After I left the country, there was a slight risk those trainings would stop, however I promised to myself to give my best and stay true to my roots by continuing to spread the SF word, skills and knowledge in my country. And so, for this autumn we have something special prepared. Whilst Slo friends are invited to read further, the rest of you may take a break and have a good and long summer! Thank you all!
Spoštovana Slovenija,
vsi, ki ste z nami že opravili usposabljanja in uporabljate pristop, za vas smo z ekipo iz UK pripravili program, ki vam bo omogočil večjo prepoznavnost in odraz vaših veščin. Certifikat, pridobljen z usposabljanjem in izkazom veščin k rešitvam usmerjenega pristopa je prva stopnja kvalifikacij, ki jamči, da prejemnik:
Pozna osnove k rešitvam usmerjenega pristopa
Zna ustrezno, kompetentno in etično uporabljati pristop pri svojem delu
Skrbi za lasten profesionalni razvoj in refleksijo svoje prakse.
Certifikat se podeli posamezniku/-ci (v nadaljevanju »kandidat«) na podlagi opravljenih strokovnih usposabljanj in izkazane kompetentnosti pri uporabi veščin in orodij k rešitvam usmerjenega pristopa.
Pogoji za vstop v proces certificiranja ter pridobitev certifikata
Kandidati za vstop v proces certificiranja opravijo najmanj 8-dnevno usposabljanje iz k rešitvam usmerjenega pristopa, ki ga izvaja Ribalon v Sloveniji oz. njegovi partnerji v tujini (BRIEF ali SFP) in obvezno vključuje opravljeno osnovno usposabljanje. Udeležba na delavnicah, ki niso usposabljanje ali predstavitvah na konferencah za proces certificiranja ne šteje, šteje pa opravljeno usposabljanje znotraj drugih organizacij, v izvedbi Ribalona ali partnerskih izvajalcev.
Vloga za certificiranje
Kandidati, ki dosegajo zahtevane pogoje so vabljeni k oddaji pisne vloge, s katero izkazujejo razumevanje k rešitvam usmerjenega pristopa.
Vloga naj obsega do 10 strani (brez virov in literature) in zajema naslednja poglavja:
Opis kandidatovega trenutnega delovnega mesta, znotraj katerega uporablja k rešitvam usmerjen pristop
Opis opravljenih usposabljanj
Razumevanje in opis k rešitvam usmerjenega pristopa in modela
Opis uporabe k rešitvam usmerjenega pristopa in predpostavk pri kandidatovem delu
Študija primera: podroben opis in dokumentacija konkretnega primera
Skrb za profesionalni razvoj (supervizija, strokovno izpopolnjevanje)
Viri in navedena literatura, kjer je to potrebno
Vlogo pošljete dr. A. Bibi Rebolj na elektronski naslov biba@ribalon.org z referenco “certifikat iz SF”. Po oddani vlogi boste prejeli povratno informacijo o odobrenem certifikatu ter podelitvi, ali morebitnih dopolnitvah ter dodatnih pojasnilih, v primeru, da vloga še ne dosega standardov za podelitev certifikata. Ocenjevalci so dr. A. Biba Rebolj, Ben Scott, Greg Oberbeck in po potrebi, svetovalno telo inštituta Ribalon.
Ob uspešni in pozitivno ocenjeni vlogi, boste Certifikat prejeli v fizični obliki, povabljeni pa boste tudi, da postanete eden izmed Ribalonovih priporočenih praktikov.
Navodila za pripravo vloge
Pri pripravi vloge sledite spodnjim navodilom ter obsegu. Vloga naj bo v MsWord, poljubne pisave, velikost 12.
Opis trenutnega delovnega mesta, znotraj katerega kandidat uporablja k rešitvam usmerjen pristop – do 150 besed
Opis opravljenih strokovnih usposabljanj: navedba kraja, datumov, izvajalcev, trajanje posameznega modula ter skupno število dni (ur).
Razumevanje in opis k rešitvam usmerjenega pristopa in modela – do 600 besed
K rešitvam usmerjen pristop lahko opišemo na različne načine, bodisi kot nabor orodij in tehnik, bodisi skozi predpostavke, bodisi skozi razmišljanje o tem, kako pristop dojema spremembo, kliente, načine dela, ipd. V opisu nas zanimata kandidatova interpretacija in razumevanje pristopa in v tem smislu ne zahtevamo opisa zgodovine in razvoja pristopa, pozdravljamo pa sklicevanje na relevantno literaturo.
Opis načina uporabe k rešitvam usmerjenega pristopa in njegovih predpostavk pri kandidatovem delu – do 1300 besed
V tem delu kandidat izkazuje sposobnosti uporabe k rešitvam usmerjenih predpostavk in tehnik v različnih kontekstih, znotraj katerih deluje, npr. pri delu s klienti, morda pri poučevanju, izvajanju skupinskih srečanj, pri svetovanju, vodenju sestankov, ipd.
Študija primera: podroben opis in dokumentacija konkretnega nedavnega primera, kjer je uporabljen k rešitvam usmerjen pristop – do 2500 besed
V tem segmentu kandidat izkazuje kompetentno uporabo k rešitvam usmerjenih veščin v praksi. Kandidat izbere primer iz prakse, kjer je uporabil k rešitvam usmerjen pristop in tehnike:
Izbran primer naj bo odraz nedavnega dela in ne starejši od 6 mesecev od prijave za Certifikat.
Primer naj bo samostojno delo, ne npr. delo v paru z drugim k rešitvam usmerjenim praktikom ali soizvajalcem
Pri opisu naj se kandidat osredotoča na uporabo SF veščin in ne na opis primera. Ne opisuje se zgodovine primera in podrobnih okoliščin klienta, temveč se izkazuje kompetentno uporabo k rešitvam usmerjenega pristopa. Posebej dobrodošli so transkripti dejanskih pogovorov.
V študiji primera se lahko opiše eno ali več srečanj s klientom ter celotno sodelovanje skozi daljše časovno obdobje. V kolikor obstajajo informacije, se opiše tudi učinke po tem, ko je bilo delo zaključeno.
V opisu primera kandidat jasno opiše kako je vzpostavil dogovor oz. sporazum s klientom in kaj je ta vseboval.
Nato opiše kako je potekal opis željene prihodnosti, pri čemer demonstrira kako se je v vprašanjih osredotočal na znamenja, ne na korake ali cilje – poudarki pri opisu željene prihodnosti so na znamenjih, ne akcijskem načrtu.
V kolikor so bile uporabljene lestvice, kandidat navede kako jih je zastavil (kaj je bila 10, kaj je bila 0), kakšna so bila nadaljnja vprašanja in čemu je dal največji poudarek.
Ob koncu napiše svojo refleksijo o tem, kaj je po lastnem mnenju naredil dobro ter kaj bi si želel, da bi naredil drugače (ter kako, v kolikor bi imel še eno možnost).
Kandidat navede tudi kako je poskrbel za ustrezno varnost in zaščito klienta in/ali njegovih bližnjih, v primerih, kjer je bilo to potrebno.
Skrb za lasten profesionalni razvoj (supervizija, strokovno izpopolnjevanje)
K rešitvam usmerjenega pristopa se hitro naučimo, vendar je potrebno veliko nadaljnjega razvoja za dosego nivoja kompetentnosti. Kandidat v tej rubriki navede kako ohranja stik s prakso ter skrbi za etično in kakovostno izvajanje svojega dela.
Viri in navedena literatura
Za citiranje se uporabi APA standard, kjer se sklicuje na reference.
Želimo vam veliko uspeha pri pripravi vloge. Veselimo se vaših vlog in vas pozdravljamo med kompetentne in razmišljujoče praktike!
Hhrati vas z veseljem obveščamo, da so objavljeni novi datumi za jesenska usposabljanja, ki jih najdete tukaj.
nowadays you may come across many tips, strategies and theories that are solution-focused, future oriented and try to emphasise the positive, like:
positive affirmations
visualisation
CBT
NLP
positive psychology
growth mindset
etc.
What these approaches all have in common is, that they steer away from looking for what’s wrong and instead focus on the opposite: what’s working, positive, what’s wanted, etc. If taking for example, they are focusing on what if (your life was XXX – insert the preferred term). We have got quite some evidence showing that for instance, expressing gratitude, writing letters of appreciation, practising positivity and the like tasks, bring about fruitful results. And we also have evidence that in many cases these results do not last.
I do not wish to go into the discussion and critique other approaches. But I do wish to draw the line of what makes Solution Focused approach different to other solution and future oriented approaches. So here are a few of my arguments:
Solution Focused is not about solutions. It is about the solution context, as Evan George from BRIEF likes to say. Which makes SF not interested in concrete action, steps, which in many cases do not happen for various reasons. It is instead interested in signs. Which are always present, regardless of the action.
Solution Focused is about preferred future. It stays close to the description of the client’s future, therefore we do not insert any adjectives such as positive, better, grand, fulfilling, etc. We simply call it “preferred”, which means that our clients define what preferred is. Thus we are not emphasising the positives. Which brings me to:
Solution Focused is not about the positive. It is about what is wanted and what is working. For instance, if a client whose partner died tragically in an accident, for such client the term “positive” may not suit, as it is overly ambitious and all in all, not suitable. Still, they may want to find comfort, peace or just time to pause and deal with grief and loss. Many people do not live lives that enable them to even think about positive. This does not mean that they have stopped living, though some of them might have tried to end their lives.
Solution Focused has no agenda of what is working. The previously mentioned evidence which shows correlation of certain tasks with desired change, is left aside in SF approach. Simply because it comes from research and thus leaves a possibility that it might not work for our client. Instead, we believe that our clients are capable of designing their own strategies of what is working for them and more, they already have the skills and resources to follow these strategies if they choose to do so. Oddly, SF research shows, that when the practitioner lets go of their own agenda, their willingness to offer useful tips and advice as well as let go of being interested in what clients will do after the session, clients’ progress towards change happens faster. Thus, tasks are not necessary and may even be a burden to change.
Solution Focused is not following “fake it till you make it” rule. Yes, it does work with the “what if” concept, but it rather brings it into description of “what is”. Therefore, it does not require effort to pretend the “what if”, instead it invites our clients to notice the “what if” into “what is”. Again, emphasis is on working with concepts and descriptions our clients give us – not what we think they might need or want.
This may sound simple. And it is. There is no grand theory or vast knowledge in the practitioner’s purse and backpack. Instead they come into the conversation as a blank page and try not to read between the lines, either trying to figure out what the client “really” wants and “really” says. But this is far from easy. Whenever I train professionals in SF, they say after trying out a couple of exercises, that this is the hardest part. I couldn’t agree more. And this makes a profound distinction comparing SF to any other approach, even though the core interest and focus may be the same. But SF’s viewpoint and paradigm make it very, very unique. Which in my opinion allows it to be effective with people, who find themselves in all sort of life situations, across cultures and with different levels of motivation or abilities to make change happen.
This autumn, I will be going new places to teach Solution Focused Brief Therapy: Georgia in September, Greece in October and India in December. I cannot wait to meet new professionals, explore SF with them and share my passion.
Now that I am free of my PhD, I am delighted to announce, that, together with Lifeways Charity, I can offer you a taste of Solution Focused Training. Not just any training, but an energetic, highly practical and playful one.
Here it is!
“There is no such thing as a difficult client”-
a Solution Focused Approach to useful and effective conversations with your clients
Workshop on January 19-20th with A. Biba Rebolj
“It’s only words, and words are all I have to take your heart away” (Bee Gees)
Creative power of words: when words perform their magic they bring into the world what until that moment had not existed. They create new worlds. It is into these new worlds that Solution Focused Practitioners invite their clients to step.
In this workshop I will teach you how to make words work for your client whoever your client is. You will never have to turn your client away. You will be able to work with every possible problem imaginable. More than twenty years of outcome studies show that no problem is outside the range of a Solution Focused approach. This workshop will therefore be as useful to therapists as it is to coaches, in fact, it will be invaluable for anyone whose job is to help people get the best from life – at work, at home, at school or wherever fulfilment and success are important.
SOLUTION FOCUSED PRACTICE
This course will give you a way of thinking as well as a set of powerful, flexible and adaptable tools which will develop your practice and enhance your effectiveness. Solution Focused Practice has a set of conversational skills based on the principles of social construction theory and the creative power of words. You will learn how to interview in order to identify and maximise the skills your clients and colleagues bring to work. The workshop will be highly practical and it is expected that you will be able to use your new skills immediately.
PROGRAMME
The programme will provide explanations and chances to observe and practice each of the solution focused techniques. These will include:
Collaborative contracting
Envisioning successful futures
Discovering the best histories
Charting progress
Discovering hidden strengths
The power of appreciation
Generating co-operation
Single session live coaching
Five-minute coaching for busy clinicians, practitioners and managers
Resolving conflict
Converting stress to energy
Looking forward to the day
ABOUT ME
I was trained in Solution Focused Brief Therapy at BRIEF in London and am known as the Solution Focused Queen of Slovenia. My work is spread internationally across different EU countries as a Salto, Erasmus+ and EU Commission trainer a well as a clinician in a private practice in Slovenia and, recently, the UK. I have delivered numerous international training events, masterclasses and conference keynotes on Solution Focused practice, always in a playful, energetic and charismatic training style which has over the past couple of years, become my signature.
WHERE & WHEN?
19th and 20th January (2-days)
Day 1 (Saturday): 12:00-19:00
Day 2 (Sunday): 10:00-17:00
Lifeways Complementary Health Centre
30 Albany Road
Stratford-upon-Avon
CV37 6PG
TICKETS
As this is my first independent training, I am giving it to you for a special price. The cost of the workshop is only £100, which covers both days incl. handouts and refreshments during breaks.
To book a place, please drop me an email at biba@ribalon.org. There are limited spaces available and will be allocated on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis.
I was born in Slovenia. This country, beautiful as it is, is prone to negativity. I am very sad to say, that its people are very capable, well educated, talented, hard working … but essentially negative and overly pessimistic.
You won’t recognise it at first. But if you are living abroad and/or have had contacts with other nations and other cultures, you would spot this dangerous mindset instantly.
I used to be just alike – being born and raised there. And I’m not writing this to point fingers to anyone – everyone involved in my upbringing was doing the best they could, in their given circumstances and with given means.
I am writing this to show, that there are things that can be done to change this mindset. That things CAN be different.
First things first, some disclaimers. I do think pessimism is better than optimism. This is my internal belief. Why? Because research shows that pessimists are more right. That they see the truth and holistic picture as it is, not as they want it to be. However, and especially because of this, I had to LEARN optimism. Not to embrace it fully and look at the world through pink glasses (not my thing), but instead view it through pragmatical approach and recover fast from whatever challenges life brings me.
When I first left Slovenia in 2014, my self confidence and professional identity was quite low, I was quite shy and here’s why:
I was taught that “it can’t be done“. That “it’s a waste of time, because my idea won’t work out anyway“.
And if I managed to do it anyway, people were jealous, telling things behind my back or were in best case, cool towards my successes. Very few people were genuinely happy and those people today are all thriving somewhere, either in Slovenia, but many have moved abroad.
In 2014, when I first proposed one humble idea to my hosting organisation in the UK, I was expecting a response with arguments of why this idea might not work out. And list of things how it might not work out. So I was already prepared to give up. Instead, I got a helping hand, telling me it was a fabulous idea and they would like to develop and discuss it further with me. It blew away my mind, because it was a response I would expect the least.
It showed me, there IS a different way. There IS another approach. So I started learning Solution Focused Approach. It changed my life. And I had no idea how much, until I had my mother over for a visit the past weekend. She and my husband were engaged in a conversation, quite passionately sharing some of the views or arguing when not. Their whole conversation was imbued with negativity and moaning about and towards pretty much everything – the politics, weather, habits, news, neighbours, etc. Their suggestions were so negative. And I felt a huge weight on my chest, even though I was not engaged in the conversation and did not want to do so either. I felt 13 again. It felt like home, a known feeling, but not a good fit.
So they drew a picture in front of me, showing me not how they are, but how much I have changed. I have cultivated a whole new and different mindset, which got me to be an international trainer. And now I want to share some of that knowledge and skills I had to learn (sometimes the hard way), but for you, you can simply get it from me.
It doesn’t have to be all bad. We don’t have to live in such a negative world. You CAN learn to do it differently. And change your whole world.
If you are tired of this negativity too and if you are a Slovenian, I am organising a free online workshop for you to have a taster of the Solution Focused (SF) Approach. Sign up here and perhaps make a step towards the best part of your life. It was definitely the best one for me.
when I was 13, I ran away from home. I was a huge rebellion and my family had it tough with me, especially my mom (love you mom!). I hated my town where I had spent my childhood and elementary school and I couldn’t wait to move to the big city. Eventually, even Ljubljana became too small. But in the meantime, I grew out of puberty, fortunately.
Now living across different countries in Europe and constantly on the road, I began to love my small city of childhood. I am proud to have grown up in a besieged working class town together with ex-Yugoslavian refugees from the 1990’s war. And yesterday I hosted two workshops there. It’s much fun coming back, not having the slightest accent and not knowing anyone, yet I felt like coming home.
Let me tell you a bit about this town and region. It isn’t rich. In Slovenia, pretty much everything outside Ljubljana is considered undeveloped. And Ljubljana on its own is not more than a big village. Not much’s going on. People lacking jobs, cultural life, social life activities (weekend getting drunk parties excluded of course), etc. There are fewer opportunities, especially for young people. And people feel this. They are not happy about it, but not much they can do. Or they don’t recognise the injustices in wealth and other goods distribution, and are falling in despair anyhow.
And in the middle of such an environment and mindset, there happen to be two organisations. That make a difference. Young people have joined their forces together and launched a co-working space. They are fostering entrepreneurship, active citizenship and engaging individuals into a sharing community.
I had a privilege to meet some of their members yesterday. I saw dedicated, kind and resourceful individuals who are trying to survive, to fight and to enjoy their lives. They were full of passion, energy, enthusiasm and ideas as we had discussion around Solution Focused questions. They were collaborative. Great listeners. Great people to talk to. Amazing creative spirits. With crazily stunning ongoing projects. I was so impressed and proud of their achievements as well as genuinely happy that they were not among those who are trying to find a way to either steal from common good or escape abroad. They were there. Standing strong. Having it difficult of course and constantly questioning how to survive. And they were managing, somehow, by doing something right.
I observed some of their conversations after the workshops. They were really kind to each other and honest. They asked me why I came to work with them all the way from London and not charging them to do that. Isn’t it obvious? Because it was most rewarding to be able to support a growing community that wants to make a difference in their local environments. I like working with engaging, kind people. Somehow, I always have a privilege to meet such people.
This blog has about 3,000 international readers (you are awesome and you know it). If you ever have a chance to work with a Slovenian, you most likely won’t be disappointed. They might be a bit slow and cold at first, but once opened up, they will deliver results. And won’t praise themselves for it. They work, work, work hard, until they drop. And if in supporting environments, they generate awesome ideas, supported by strong arguments.
So honestly, Slovenians rock. I know I will spend my old days in this country. Because I love and believe in its people. Because it’s my home.
2017 is going to be a delighted year, I can feel it in my bones!
It is such a pleasure to be able to announce that there will be ANOTHER Solution Focused Professional Training in Slovenia. I attended my first such training in March 2014 and had to go to England for it, because there were no such trainings in Slovenia. My life has changed upside down since, in ways I even daren’t dream of.
Before Solution Focused Practice entered my life, I was surrounded by toxic people, had bossy coworkers who could do pretty much anything with and to me, had partners who didn’t treat me right and most of all, I was really confused and not sure what I wanted to do with my life. Besides, my health was rather poor, I had some peculiar bad habits, not to mention that I found myself in conflicts more than often.
Now my life has a purpose. Since I started to learn Solution Focused Practice, my life has changed and I’ve become an almost completely different person:
I do what I love – I witness people creating their lives and themselves brand new. I am there with them to co-create rapid and long-lasting positive change they want to see for themselves and their significant others. This is such a privilege.
I travel. A LOT! I travelled round the Globe. Work and leisure is a synonym for me. Currently, I am stretched between the UK and home. I work a lot at the European level with international partners. I have clients from several EU countries and even clients from America and Canada. And this blog has almost 3000 followers. It didn’t happen overnight, but certainly I do perceive it as a miracle.
I am independent. My institute makes enough money to grant me a nice salary every month, so I can be my own boss and leader. I can choose who to work with and select my clients carefully.
My relationships have immensely improved. My marriage is firm and loving, my friends are my jewels and my work partners are the best team in the world.
I have changed personally as well. My way of thinking has changed. I allow myself to have a good life and allow myself to become the best I can possibly be in the fields I want to.
Those are only a few things. You can have it too. You can embrace and amplify the changes you want to see in your life. Solution Focused Practice will help you do just that in ways that you can’t even imagine at the moment.
With Solution Focused Practice you can
Learn to ask the right questions at right times, i.e. questions that put hope into your conversations and build rapid and long-lasting change.
Forget about burnout at work and toxic relationships. Personal or professional.
Become the best person/partner/CEO/coach/therapist/trainer/parent, etc. (whatever your current life role) you can possibly be.
Influence others in subtle ways, leaving an impact with no trace and assist them in making their lives and work a better place.
Change your career and find your true passion in life.
And many more ways, how Solution Focused Practice touches lives and moves them in a direction that is right for you.
Last year (2016) I was so happy to bring the first professional training to Slovenia, since as far as I know, there was no such training available. There are very few people who are familiar with Solution Focused Practice, and even they are practising the first model from the 1980’s when it had first developed. The model has changed of course, as there are new research findings that underpin different kind of practice.
So I wanted to offer Slovenian public a kind of training that changed my life. A highly pragmatic training in alignment with current trends and practice in the world. And it came true. Last year we got the first generation of Slovenian SF practitioners (about 25 people, with whom we meet every now and then and pursue SF in Slovenia). Because the experience was great and the feedback excellent, we (with my English partners) decided to repeat the training in 2017 as well, yet not in the same way. We made it even better, longer and with more contents. There will be even more exercises and you will see cases with real clients, therefore experience first hand the effectiveness and impact of SF.
You can be a part of this too. You are the second generation! You can be the next Slovenian star in the Solution Focused sky. You can become a part of a community that will support you and will foster your personal and professional development. I will surely appreciate more skilled people in the future, because I have many projects going on, where I would like to see Slovenian people engaged and thriving.
Want to learn Solution Focused Practice and thus invite change into your life in completely new ways? Simply click here and read about the programme, dates and apply through online form.
Not from Slovenia or can’t speak Slovenian? No problem! In the last chapter of our training, we’ll have a special guest coming over to Ljubljana. Chris Iveson, one of the best Solution Focused Therapists in the world, will deliver a two-day workshop in English in May (one day on coaching and another day on therapy). Chris is a co-founder of BRIEF, the largest Solution Focused Training organisation in the world (also the organisation where I was trained). Click for more info for Day 1 (coaching) or Day 2 (therapy).
That’s not even half of what I want to say. I could go on for days. Instead, let me invite you for a free intro workshop on January 6th, where you can hear it first hand and talk to me about your experience, questions and expectations.
Can’t wait to see Slovenia benefit from good practices that have been around in the world for a long time!!!
it was about a year ago, on an intervision meeting with a coach colleague. I was just starting to think about going independent and opening my own company. As such, I was full of doubts, second thoughts, all sorts of fears, as are probably most people who are about to leave their comfort zone.
As we talked things through, he provoked me with all sorts of (very useful) questions. From the mission, vision, long and short term goals, possible paths, etc, etc. It’s in fact been really useful and without this coaching intervision I would probably not get anywhere near as close as I did in such a timely manner.
At the end of our conversation, as we both got exhausted (in a good way), he said: “Tell me why would you do such a thing.” I answered. He went: “No. Think.” I answered again, different answer. “No. Think again. Why would you want any of this?” and it took me a long time to give another answer. His reply again was: “No. Do you know why? It’s BECAUSE YOU DESERVE THIS!“
So that gave the title for the Facebook page that followed short after.
I’m home alone today. As my schedule fills up so unpredictable and is super flexible, I get to choose how much I work, when and what. So I decided to stay at home and work on my thesis. My husband has work to do the whole day and will only come back late in the evening. As morning turned into the afternoon and it was about lunch time, I thought I’ll just grab a sandwich and continue working. But then I figured: hey, why would I cook only when there are two (or more) of us? Why not treating myself equally worth? So I cooked a lovely meal just for myself, simply because I deserve this. And it was a whole ritual (except that obviously I cooked too much, tough love, I’d say).
Now I’m getting to the point of this post. Next year, in 2016 something wonderful is going to happen in our beautiful Slovenia. For the very first time, we’ll organize a Professional Solution Focused Training for those, who would like to learn how to use and practice Solution Focused Approach in their line of work. It is intended for coaches and/or therapists, along with all others, who work with people and would like to learn a different way of solving problems and managing conflicts.
The training will offer several different stages, from the very basics, introductory level, to more advanced levels, so you could join in whenever you feel you would benefit most. It will take place approximately from February until April or May 2016, each month a couple of days. It is an exclusive opportunity, as in the end, we’ll host a guest from Europe’s largest institution who provides Solution Focused Training and Slovenia has never had such an opportunity before.
So make sure, you are up to date with upcoming news with details dates, etc. Why? Because YOU DESERVE THIS! You deserve to learn skills and techniques that will bring you and your clients closer and quicker to your desired future. Solution Focused Approach has changed my life in ways I cannot describe. Now your time has come to make a difference in your life. Because you are worth it.
Ribalon 
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