A Critique of Chapters 5,6, and 7 of Brief Counseling that Works
In Gerald Sklare's Brief Counseling that Works: A Solution-Focused Approach for School Counselors the author lays out a framework for tackling the unique problems presented by the time constraints of a school counselor's schedule and caseload. It is Sklare's belief that the best way to tackle problems is to focus on the positive aspects exhibited in a client's situation rather than the negative. By using elegant, proven techniques to quickly build trust and elicit voluntary responses, Sklare's methodology leads the counselor to identify a student's problem areas and his or her unique personal strengths in order to form optimal solutions. Sklare describes the problems associated with the structure of school counseling and explains the initial implementation of his own Solution Focused Approach in the bulk of the text. He spends the latter chapters (5, 6, and 7) telling us about the structure of follow-up sessions, 20-minute sessions, and Solution Focused group projects. In order to properly discuss the last few chapters of Sklare's work, we need to review a few facts. First, I'd like too remind the reader that the Solution Focussed Approach is based upon the fact that concentration upon a client's shortcomings and personal
In my opinion, the most unique and useful form of group counseling that Sklare prescribes deals with bridging the gap between a harried teacher and unruly students. In the university structure, we quite used to being asked to rate our professors; this is process that is essential to formulating syllabi and improving teaching methods. Sklare's Solution Focused Approach allows a dialogue between a teacher and classroom that accomplishes a similar end. Chapters 6 and 7 deal with innovative methods for expanding the Solution Focused Approach to deal with larger groups, severely limited time frames, and teacher participation. One simple method involves Solution Oriented Referral Forms. These Forms not only include space for scheduling, they allow a dialogue between counselor and teacher so that the counselor may get a better feel for the issue as it pertains to the classroom, and the teacher receives insight into the mindset of the student. This special insight has been critical in bridging the gap that forms between an educator and an unruly pupil; the educator becomes able to see the reason for the behavior and assist in addressing the problems that surround it. When a teacher no longer sees a pupil as a problem, but rather as a good kid in crisis, the relationship between teacher and pupil will change for the better, and the child's self esteem benefits greatly. Reinforce how these changes were brought about. Start over again discovering additional success." (Sklare 88) For years, educators have operated under the notion that children were to be seen and not heard. As we progress into the new millennium it has become ever more obvious that this mindset no longer serves the academic sphere, and there has been a push for more participation from students in everything from lesson plans to discipline. The same is true for finding solutions to classroom based problems. Gerald Sklare has provided an essential framework for dealing with today's sensitive, savvy young people by turning the focus of crisis intervention away from the bad, which they live with every day. By letting students feel that they have a voice, everyone in an educational setting benefits. Hopefully, the educational benefits of Sklare's me
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Approximate Word count = 1514
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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