Miracles,Dreams,and Empowerment: A Brief Therapy Practice Note

Abstract

When beginning therapy, most clients have a sense of powerlessness (sense of external locus of control) in some, if not most, areas of their lives. A person with a sense of powerlessness perceives forces outside themselves as having more to do with success In goal attainment than their own actions. Clinical intervention, therefore, should be empowering to clients. The miracle question is a key Intervention of solution-focused therapy. According to the miracle question, the source of client change is due to the miracle (something external to the client) and not something generated by the client. This article discusses a modification of the miracle question called the dream question. As a result of the dream question, clients can discover the solutions they are seeking within themselves and, thus, have a greater sense of personal power and Internal locus of control. Experience with the dream question so far has been quite positive.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Berg

I. K.

(1994). Family based services: A solution-focused approach. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Berg

I. K.

, & De Jong

(1996). Solution-building conversations: Co-constructing a sense of competence with clients. Families in Society, June, 376–391.

Berg

I. K.

, & Miller

S.D.

(1992). Working with Asian American clients: One person at a time. Families in Society, June, 356–363.

Coyne

J. C.

(1987). The concept of empowerment in strategic therapy. Psychotherapy, 24, 539–545.

De Jone

, & Miller

S. D.

(1995). How to interview for client strengths. Social Work, 40, 729–736.

de Shazer

(1985). Keys to solution in brief therapy. New York: W. W. Norton.

DeVaris

(1994). The dynamics of power in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy, 31, 588–593.

Ford

M. E.

(1992). Motivating humans: Goals, emotions, and personal agency beliefs. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Greene

G. J.

, Lee

, Trask

, & Rheinscheld

(1996). Client strengths and crisis intervention: A solution-focused approach. Crisis Intervention and Time-Limited Treatment, 3, 43–63.

10.

Gutierrez

L. M.

, DeLois

K. A.

, & Glen-Maye

(1995). Understanding empowerment practice: Building on practitioner-based knowledge. Families in Society, 76, 534–542.

11.

Haley

(1985). Conversations with Milton H. Erickson, M.D., Volume 3: Changing children and families. Triangle Press.

12.

Heller

(1985). Power in psychotherapeutic practice. New York: Human Sciences Press Inc.

13.

Jacobson

(1983). Empowering the client in strategic therapy. Journal of Strategic and Systemic Therapies, 2, 77–87.

14.

Kral

, & Kowalski

(1989). After the miracle: The second stage in solution-focused brief therapy. Journal of Strategic and Systemic Therapies, 8, 73–76.

15.

Lee

J. A. B.

(1994). The empowerment approach to social work practice. New York: Columbia University Press.

16.

McWhirter

E. H.

(1991). Empowerment counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 69, 22–227.

17.

Nystrom

J. F.

(1989). Empowerment model for delivery of social work services in public schools. Social Work in Education, 11, 160–171.

18.

O'Hanlon

W. H.

, & Hexum

A. L.

(1990). An uncommon casebook: The complete clinical work of Milton H. Erickson, M.D. New York: W. W. Norton.

19.

Parsons

R. J.

(1991). Empowerment: Purpose and practice principle in social work. Social Work with Groups, 14, 7–21.

20.

Pinderhughes

E. B.

(1983). Empowerment for our clients and for ourselves. Social Casework, 64, 331–338.

21.

Rossi

E. L.

, & Ryan

M. O.

(Eds.). (1992). Creative choice in hypnosis, Volume IV: The seminars, workshops, and lectures of Milton H. Erickson. New York: Irvington Publishers, Inc.

22.

Rotter

J. B.

(1966). Generalized expectations for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 609, 1–28.

23.

Saleebey

(Ed.). (1997). The strengths perspective in social work practice. New York: Longman.

24.

Skinner

E.A.

(1995). Perceived control, motivation, & coping. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

25.

Thompson

S. C.

, & Spacapan

(1991). Perceptions of control of vulnerable populations. Journal of Social Issues, 47, 1–21.

26.

Walter

J. L.

, & Peller

J.E.

(1992). Becoming solution-focused in brief therapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel Publishers.

27.

Waters

E. B.

, & Goodman

(1990). Empowering older adults: Practical strategies for counselors. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

28.

Young-Eisendrath

, & Wiedman

(1987). Parnate authority: Empowering women through psychotherapy. New York: The Guilford.

29.

Zimmerman

M. A.

, Israel

B. A.

, Schulz

, & Checkoway

(1992). Further explorations in empowerment theory: An empirical analysis of psychological empowerment. American Journal of Community Psychology, 20, 707–727.