Miracle question promotes open communication and positive interaction between clients and practitioners

Although I haven’t worked as a social worker for a while now, I am honoured to work closely with social workers and child protection workers as well as learn with and from them. I decided to bring Estonian practitioners’ voices to researchers and other practitioners by sharing their experiences of the solution-focused approach they found useful in constructing solutions. As Damman (2014) states, sharing best practices in the international social work community promotes development of the knowledge base and enables the enhancement of the range of potential solutions in social work practice. The core to social work practice is promoting strengths and empowerment (Ayón et al., 2010).

The solution-focused perspective is a strengths-based approach, emphasising people’s resilience, strengths, and resources, and how these can be used in the pursuit of goals and the enactment of purposeful positive change (Corcoran and Pillai, 2009; Grant, 2012). Oliver and Charles (2016) discuss that solution-focused questioning techniques support identifying clients’ strengths. The aim of the solution-focused approach is to facilitate purposeful positive change. Truly effective questions should enhance motivation, increase positive affect and self-efficacy for change, and help the service user move closer towards his or her goals (Grant, 2012: 23). Berg and Kelly (2000) also emphasise that constructing solutions will help the service user move towards the desired outcome.

The miracle question method is a way to open and cultivate a dialogue with clients around well-formed goals that focus on solutions:

Suppose that while you are sleeping tonight and the entire house is quiet, a miracle happens. The miracle is that the problem which brought you here is solved. However, because you are sleeping, you don’t know that the miracle has happened. So, when you wake up tomorrow morning, what will be different that will tell you that a miracle has happened and the problem which brought you here is solved? (De Jong and Berg, 2008: 84)

During one seminar in the spring of 2016, practitioners started a discussion on a new technique they had learned – the miracle method of questioning. The practitioners shared their thoughts on hearing about this technique for the first time. They were suspicious and critical. They considered the technique to be childish and inappropriate for adults. One practitioner stated she initially thought that adults, particularly men, would not take her seriously after asking this question. Most had similar, mostly negative emotions related to this method of questioning.

Nevertheless, part of the training assignment required applying solution-focused techniques in their practice, and analysing what worked and did not work in relation to clients finding solutions for facilitating purposeful, positive change. During the training, I watched these practitioners and observed their non-supportive reactions to the miracle method of questioning. Then I saw them again after they had practised the method with clients. The change in their attitude was considerable, as the following comment indicates: ‘The outcome of asking this question was surprising for me on a positive note, the mother opened up completely. I didn’t expect it to happen. I had strong prejudices about this technique.’

The practitioners expressed their astonishment about how the miracle question had changed their understanding of the importance of exploring strengths and resources, and had given the service user the chance to voice his or her wishes about the desired change and the support needed to move towards it, rather than focusing on past negative experiences. They acknowledged that the dominant language in Estonian culture tended to be deficit-based, which lead to difficult interactions between the practitioner and the service user because the focus on deficits was less empowering. The following statement clearly indicated the practitioner’s understanding of the connection between the miracle question and empowerment: ‘This question is empowering, not only believing that the service user is capable of finding their own solutions, but also facilitating an inspiring attitude from the worker, and furthermore, this question made me want to observe my communication patterns with clients.’

The practitioner’s reflection suggests that this technique empowers not only clients, but also practitioners. Furthermore, the practitioners’ discussion suggests that clients are interested in change and are willing to work towards it if given a chance. One practitioner pointed out this empowerment in her experience: ‘The miracle question somehow guided clients to discuss more than usual. The questions confirmed to me that parents want to be engaged in the process and see their potential in finding solutions, as well as realising these in practice’.

Another crucial discovery for the practitioners related to improved communication and relationships with clients. Prior to asking the miracle question, practitioner–service user relationships were described as untrusting, uncollaborative and defensive. Several practitioners expressed thoughts about their own approach, use of language, and wording of questions and sentences in forming trusting relationships with clients. One participant discussed the nature of the miracle question in relation to improving communication between the practitioner and the service user:

The nature of the question empowered the service user to focus on resources and strengths, moving to solutions from there. That could have been also the reason for this person not to feel coerced in talking about unimportant things for her and not accused of being a bad parent. Previous discussion with her can be described as not going anywhere/not interested in talking about her case. Using the miracle question created different kind of context, she was willing to talk and during the next meeting she was even more relaxed and open to communication. We as practitioners have a crucial role here − how we approach and ask questions will be how our clients respond to us.

This practitioner described how she initially was reluctant to practise the miracle question with clients: ‘I must admit that I was literally scared to conduct the interview with the father, especially his reaction to this question. I am positively surprised how well he opened up and was able to analyse his situation’. Alexander and Charles (2009) observe that the relationship between worker and service user has long been identified as a cornerstone of social work. Here, the practitioners sensed that the wording of the miracle question helped them to leave aside judgements, accusations and ‘practitioner as expert’ perspectives. Such a relationship had been less empowering and a potential obstacle to engaging in a trustful practitioner–service user relationship.

Furthermore, throughout the seminar the term ‘self-reflection’ repeatedly came up. Here, ‘self-reflection’ referred to analysing one’s actions to increase self-awareness of skills and knowledge needed to develop further; the importance of self-reflection to improving outcomes for clients; and strengthening the social work profession in general. The practitioners recognised the miracle question as a useful tool for themselves. The method of questioning enhanced self-reflection, learning from the process, assessing their own practice (including the way their performance and approaches affect the practitioner–service user relationship) and searching for new effective perspectives that will lead clients to solutions and improved outcomes. The miracle question made some practitioners think more about what they learn from a specific case and what they can do differently next time – while not losing sight of the concept of individuality, as people are different and each approach must be designed according to the situation and needs of the specific person. The rationale behind this thinking was related to seeing the positive change in clients’ ways of thinking and the ‘spark in their eyes’, as one practitioner enthusiastically explained. As it turned out, self-reflection was not a common activity among these practitioners, mostly due to the lack of time and not understanding its worth.

Some practitioners emphasised the element of creativity in social work, especially in situations where traditional approaches were not effective, for example with younger children, teenagers and mandated clients. The view ‘thinking outside the box’ was mentioned, while acknowledging there were practitioners stuck in the past – and who thought practitioners were experts and knew better. Reflecting on her practice, this worker’s finding from the miracle question proposed that it could be a creative tool for asking questions:

I can characterise this technique with one word, creative. It encourages us to be more creative and to learn more ways to be creative with our clients. I have taken social work in a more traditional sense but the world has changed, so have our clients and their expectations and needs.

By reflecting on these practitioners’ thoughts and experiences with the miracle question, several important concepts for social work practice can be outlined. This technique has promoted thinking about becoming a better practitioner, empowerment, and the need to move away from traditional approaches in order to enhance improved outcomes for clients and to promote their well-being.