Steve de Shazer (1940-2005)

Professional Life
Steve de Shazer was born on June 25, 1940 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He practiced classical music throughout his school years, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with an MSc in social work and a Bachelor in Fine Arts. He was a professional jazz saxophonist before he began his career in psychotherapy. De Shazer is known as the founder of Solution Focused Brief Therapy, also known as solution focused therapy. He established the Brief Family Therapy Center with his wife in 1978, and is the author of several books.

Contribution to Psychology
De Shazer is the developer of Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). SFBT is a form of talk therapy based on the principles of social constructionism. This form of therapy targets the solution, what the client is striving to achieve through therapy, rather than the situation, event or obstacle that brought them to treatment. The therapist works with the client to place their attention on the present and future, not the past. The client begins their journey of fulfillment by first envisioning what their desired future looks like, and then taking small steps toward achieving that outcome.

Therapists who practice SFBT recognize that there are things occurring in a client’s life that are positive and should continue to occur. They work with the client to identify these things, and to isolate the things that the client would like to change. An SFBT therapist helps a client design a clear picture of what their desired future will look like, and tries to pinpoint at what times in the client’s life they have been close to achieving this desired future. When they can recognize circumstances, behaviors or events that helped bring them close to the future image, they can celebrate these successes and begin to repeat those actions or behaviors in order to achieve the future they imagine. This type of therapeutic process works to support the client to explore their desires and to determine what aspects of their desires are already present in their lives.

There are several different types of questions that are used during SFBT to aid a client in determining what their preferred future looks like. The miracle question is the predominant question, and is designed to elicit a clearer picture of their future without the presence of the current obstacles they face. Scaling questions are used to help a client gauge their perception of a current or perceived situation, and isolate any external factors or behaviors that would affect the rating. In order for a client to focus on a time when their situation was better, a therapist may employ exception seeking questions. This allows a client to identify what was occurring when their experience was good, and repeat the behaviors they exhibited during that time. Problem free talk is often used by a therapist in order to ascertain a client’s strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, and values. By talking about irrelevant, harmless issues, such as hobbies, a therapist can gain insight into the areas in a client’s life where they are having success. They can present these instances as achievements to the client, and help the client transfer these behaviors into areas of their life in which they are experiencing problems. By using some or all of these techniques, a therapist helps a client develop attitudes and behaviors necessary to achieve their desired future.