“The sower soweth the word.” (Bible, Mark 4:14)
Abstract
This article presents possibilities of the utilization of metaphors in solution-focused brief therapy. The first part of the article presents a conceptual background for therapeutic use of metaphors and makes connections with the solution-focused approach. In following parts two ways of working with metaphors are presented—utilization of metaphors offered by client and metaphors offered by therapist. SFBT work with metaphors offered by client consists of four steps: (1) capturing clients’ metaphor, (2) exploration, (3) utilising metaphor for creating new possibilities, and (4) Anchoring metaphors’ contribution in clients‘life. Rarely used stratégy of working with metaphors offered by therapist consists of similar steps: (1) taking client’s experience as our departure point, (2) offering a metaphor to the client, (3) utilising metaphor for creating new possibilities, (4) anchoring metaphor’s contribution in clients’ lives. Guidelines for both types of work are presented and illustrated by case examples from practice of the authors.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
In his original work, Battino (2005) uses the terms “client-generated metaphor” and “therapist-generated metaphor”. From our point of view however, metaphors as all meanings are “generated” in conversation (Walter and Peller 2000), so we rather use terms “metaphor offered by client” and “metaphor offered by therapist” to point out the fact who brought the metaphor into some particular conversation.
Translator’s note: The entire conversation took place using elaborate bodily metaphors, which are, at times, untranslatable to English. The translation strives to imitate the tone and the style of the original conversation. The bodily metaphors serve to express various forms of relating—which are, in the Czech language, expressed by locating the point of relating in different body parts. The intention of this intervention was thus, to allow the client to have the ex-boyfriend travel out from her head and look for a more comfortable point of relating. The last expression—literally—“I’d place him next to my bum”—expresses a relationship of indifference in its original meaning.
References
Anderson, H. (1997). Conversation, language, and possibilities: A postmodern approach to therapy. New York: Basic Books.
Anderson, H., & Gehart, D. (Eds.). (2012). Collaborative therapy: Relationships and conversations that make a difference. New York: Routledge.
Atwood, J. D., & Donheiser, G. (1997). Me and my shadow: Therapy with sexually abused pre-adolescents. Contemporary Family Therapy, 19(2), 195–208. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026167118817.
Atwood, J. D., & Levine, L. B. (1991). AX murderers, dragons, spiders and webs: Therapeutic metaphors in couple therapy. Contemporary Family Therapy, 13(3), 201–217. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00891801.
Bannink, F. (2014). Handbook of positive supervision: For supervisors, facilitators, and peer groups. Boston: Hogrefe Publishing.
Bannink, F. P. (2007). Solution-focused brief therapy. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 37(2), 87–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-006-9040-y.
Bateson, G. (1979). Mind and nature: A necessary unity. New York: Dutton.
Battino, R. (2005). Metaphoria: Metaphor and guided metaphor for psychotherapy and healing. Wales: Crown House Publishing.
Berg, I. K., & de Shazer, S. (1993). Making numbers talk: Language in therapy. In S. Friedman (Ed.), The new language of change: Constructive collaboration in psychotherapy (pp. 5–24). New York: Guilford Press.
Berg, I. K., & Steiner, T. (2003). Children’s solution work. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Bertolino, B., & O’Hanlon, W. H. (2002). Collaborative, competency-based counseling and therapy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Bischof, G. P. (1993). Solution-focused brief therapy and experiential family therapy activities: An integration. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 12(3), 61–73. https://doi.org/10.1521/jsyt.1993.12.3.61.
Cade, B. (1986). The uses of humor in therapy. In S. de Shazer & R. Kral (Eds.), Indirect approaches in therapy (pp. 64–76). Rockville, MA: Aspen.
Carson, D. K., Becker, K. W., Vance, K. E., & Forth, N. I. (2003). The role of creativity in marriage and family therapy practice: A national online study. Contemporary Family Therapy, 25(1), 89–109. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022562122420.
Ciuffardi, G., Scavelli, S., & Leonardi, A. (2013). Solution-focused brief therapy in combination with fantasy and creative language in working with children: A brief report. International Journal of Solution-Focused Practices, 1(1), 44–51. https://doi.org/10.14335/ijsfp.v1i1.14.
Clarke, J. K. (2014). Utilization of clients’ metaphors to punctuate solution-focused brief therapy interventions: A case illustration. Contemporary Family Therapy, 36(3), 426–441. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-013-9286-y.
Combs, G., & Freedman, J. (1990). Symbol, story, and ceremony: Using metaphor in individual and family therapy. New York: WW Norton & Co.
De Jong, P., & Berg, I. K. (2012). Interviewing for solutions (4th edn.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
De Shazer, S. (1979). Clues. Investigating Solutions in Brief Therapy. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
De Shazer, S. (1985). Keys to solution in brief therapy. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
De Shazer, S. (1991). Putting difference to work. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
De Shazer, S. (1994). Words were originally magic. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
De Shazer, S. (1997). Some thoughts on language use in therapy. Contemporary Family Therapy, 19(1), 133. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026170718933.
De Shazer, S., Dolan, Y., Korman, H., McCollum, E., Trepper, T., & Berg, I. K. (2007). More than miracles: The state of the art of solution-focused brief therapy. New York: Haworth Press.
Divinyi, J. (1995). Storytelling: An enjoyable and effective therapeutic tool. Contemporary Family Therapy, 17(1), 27–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02249302.
Dolan, Y. (1985). A path with a heart: Ericksonian utilization with chronic and resistant clients. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Efran, J. S., Lukens, M. D., & Lukens, R. J. (1990). Language, structure, and change: Frameworks of meaning in psychotherapy. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Erickson, M. H., & Rossi, E. L. (1979). Hypnotherapy, an exploratory casebook. New York: Irvington Publishers.
Furman, B., & Ahola, T. (1992). Solution talk: Hosting therapeutic conversations. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Gatz, Y. K., & Christie, L. (1991). Marital group metaphors: Significance in the life stages of group development. Contemporary Family Therapy, 13(2), 103–126. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00890870.
Gergen, K., & McNamee, S. (1992). Therapy as social construction. London: Sage.
Gilligan, S. (2012). Generative trance: The experience of creative flow. Wales: Crown House Publishing.
Harré, R., & Gillett, G. (1994). The Discursive Mind. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Keeney, B. (2010). The creative therapist: The art of awakening a session. New York: Routledge.
Keeney, H., & Keeney, B. (2012). Circular therapeutics: Giving therapy a healing heart. Phoenix, AZ: Zeig, Tucker & Theisen.
Kopp, R. R. (1995). Metaphor therapy. Using client-generated metaphors in psychotherapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Kövecses, Z. (1986). Metaphors of anger, pride and love: A lexical approach to the structure of concepts. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (2003). Metaphors we live by. London: University of Chicago Press.
Lankton, S. R., & Lankton, C. H. (1983). The answer within: A clinical framework of Ericksonian hypnotherapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Lankton, S. R., & Lankton, C. H. (1986). Enchantment and intervention in family therapy: Training in ericksonian approaches. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Lipchik, E. (1993). “Both/and” solutions. In S. Friedman (Ed.), The new language of change: Constructive collaboration in psychotherapy (pp. 25–49). New York: Guilford Press.
Lipchik, E. (2002). Beyond technique in solution-focused therapy: Working with emotions and the therapeutic relationship. New York: Guilford Press.
McKergow, M., & Korman, H. (2009). Inbetween: Neither inside nor outside: The radical simplicity of solution-focused brief therapy. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 28(2), 34–49. https://doi.org/10.1521/jsyt.2009.28.2.34.
McNeilly, R. B. (2000). Healing the whole person: A solution-focused approach to using empowering language, emotions, and actions in therapy. New York: Wiley.
McNeilly, R. B. (2016). Learning hypnosis: a common everyday approach after erickson. St.Wallsend: Tandava Press.
Mills, J. C., & Crowley, R. J. (1986). Therapeutic metaphors for children and the child within. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Morgan, M. I. & Wampler, K. S. (2003). Fostering client creativity in family therapy: A process research study. Contemporary Family Therapy, 25(2), 207–228. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023624217996.
O’Hanlon, B. (1986). The use of metaphor for treating somatic complaints in psychotherapy. Family Therapy Collections, 19, 19–24.
O’Hanlon, B., & Martin, M. (1992). Solution-oriented hypnosis: An Ericksonian approach. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
O’Hanlon, B., & Weiner-Davis, M. (2003). In search of solutions: A new direction in psychotherapy. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Pantaleao, L., & Rambo, A. (2014). “Are you a LeBron today?” Playfully expanding scaling questions. International Journal of Solution-Focused Practices, 2(1), 20–23. https://doi.org/10.14335/ijsfp.v2i1.18.
Prochaska, J. O., & Norcross, J. C. (2010). Systems of psychotherapy: A transtheoretical analysis. Belmont: Brooks/Cole.
Ratner, H., George, E., & Iveson, C. (2012). Solution focused brief therapy: 100 key points and techniques. London: Routledge.
Rosen, S. (1982). My voice will go with you: The teaching tales of Milton H. Erickson. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Rueveni, U. (1995). Stories and metaphors as interventions with headache sufferers. Contemporary Family Therapy, 17(1), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02249303.
Shaffer, H. J., & Robbins, M. (1991). Manufacturing multiple meanings of addiction: Time-limited realities. Contemporary Family Therapy, 13(5), 387. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00890494.
Sharf, R. S. (1996). Theories of psychotherapy and counseling: Concepts and cases. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks.
Stark, M. D., Frels, R. K., & Garza, Y. (2011). The use of sandtray in solution-focused supervision. The Clinical Supervisor, 30(2), 277–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/07325223.2011.621869.
Stewart, I. (1997). Does God play dice? The new mathematics of chaos. London: Penguin.
Strong, T. (2002). Poetic possibilities in conversations about suffering. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 24(3), 457–473. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019815300204.
Thomas, F. (2011). Semaphore, metaphor, … two by four. In T. S. Nelson (Ed.). Doing something different: Solution-focused brief therapy practices (pp. 219–224). New York: Routledge.
Trad, P. V. (1992). A developmental perspective on the use of metaphors in family therapy. Contemporary Family Therapy, 14(6), 481. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00892196.
Walter, J. L., & Peller, J. E. (2000). Recreating brief therapy: Preferences and possibilities. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Watzlawick, P., Weakland, J., & Fisch, R. (1974). Change: Principles of problem formation and problem resolution. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Williams, J. (1995). Using story as metaphor, legacy, and therapy. Contemporary Family Therapy, 17(1), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02249300.
Winek, J. L., & Craven, P. A. (2003). Healing rituals for couples recovering from adultery. Contemporary Family Therapy, 25(3), 249–266. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024518719817.
Wittgenstein, L. (1922). Tractatus logico-philosophicus. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Zatloukal, L., & Vítek, P. (2016). Koučování zaměřené na řešení: 50 klíčů pro společné otevírání nových možností. Praha: Portál.
Zeig, J. (1980). A teaching seminar with Milton Erickson. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zatloukal, L., Žákovský, D. & Bezdíčková, E. Utilizing Metaphors in Solution-Focused Therapy. Contemp Fam Ther 41, 24–36 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-018-9468-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-018-9468-8