Psychology
in
rhe
Schools
Volume
20.
April,
I983
BRIEF THERAPY: RONNY
G.
LOUIS
A.
CHANDLER
University
of
Pittsburgh
Because of evolving professional roles, limited resources, and administrative concerns,
school psychologists have been exploring alternative methods of intervention. Brief
therapy is an active, focused, incisive intervention especially useful with children
typically seen by the school psychologist because of emotional adjustment problems.
This paper illustrates the process
of
brief therapy with a parent and presents some im-
plications for the school psychologist.
In a recent historical review of brief psychotherapy with children and their parents,
Rosenthal (1980) pointed out that only within the last
20
years have reports on this
technique begun to appear in the professional literature with some frequency. Brief
therapy, however, can be traced back to Freud and his followers, who often treated
patients in a few concentrated sessions. Later, the concept of crisis-oriented therapy
evolved as a means of dealing with specific trauma (Lindemann, 1944). Still later, the
technique was extended, as short-term therapy was applied to a wider variety of
problems (Wolberg, 1965).
Brief therapy has four fundamental elements (Rosenthal, 1980): time-limited
duration-usually from
3
hours to as long as 6 months; a focus on specific issues; a “here
and now” orientation; and a family-focused approach, which, in the case of children,
means primarily the parents. Brief therapy draws from a number
of
theoretical
propositions in understanding the child and in developing a practical treatment plan, in-
cluding psychodynamic principles and concepts from child behavior management. It is
based on a perception of the child
as
essentially healthy and coping, but as experiencing
some problems (Weinberger, 197 1). Barten and Barten (1973) have described the method
as an active, focused, incisive intervention communicated to child, parent,
or
both. They
have further pointed out that since the attitudes and behaviors of significant adults are
often instrumental
in
initiating and maintaining problem behavior
on
the child’s part, it
is
frequently more effective to work with the adults as major participants in brief therapy.
The purposes of this paper are to illustrate the process of brief therapy with a
parent, and to present some implications for the school psychologist. The processes of
brief therapy might be viewed as a set of overlapping phases:
The first step is to identify the area(s) of concern
to the parent
or
teacher. Once the general problem is described, specific problematic
behaviors should be identified. The therapist must work towards a precise behaviortl
description of the problem that can be agreed upon by significant adults. During this dis-
cussion, the therapist must determine how parents and teachers have handled the
problem in the past, and how the child has reacted.
The therapist takes an active role in for-
mulating the case and presenting parents with alternative explanations to aid in un-
derstanding their child’s behavior. Realistic, specific goals are set, and possible changes
in
adult behavior and attitudes and environmental situations are explored. During this
phase, the time limit is set. The time limit serves to exert a certain pressure
or
expecta-
tion for improvement upon therapist and parents which,
if
it is guided appropriately, can
enhance the therapeutic process (Rosenthal
&
Levine, 197
1).
(1)
Identifying the Problem(s).
(2)
Formulating
a
Treatment Plan.
Requests for reprints should be sent to Louis A. Chandler, Psychoeducational Clinic, University
of
Pittsburgh,
5D
Forbes Quadrangle, Pittsburgh, PA
15260.
215
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