beneath brief therapy interventions · specialized in brief strategic therapy with giorgio nardone...

THE 9 LOGICSBENEATH BRIEF THERAPY

INTERVENTIONSHow to reduce complexity of therapy

Flavio Cannistrà, PsyDPsychologist, Psychotherapist

Short Course Number 4

It was a long journey, but...

…I did not bring pasta. I’m sorry :(

But I brought original Italian Engrish!

I’m really sorry :((

Who am I?Flavio Cannistrà, PsyD

● Licensed psychologist and psychotherapist● Specialized in Brief Strategic Therapy with Giorgio

Nardone● Master in Ericksonian Hypnotherapy with Camillo

Loriedo● SFBT course at BRIEF (London)● training in Single Session Therapy with Michael Hoyt

(California) and Jeff Young (Australia)● Founder of the Italian Center for Brief and Single

Session Therapy● author

What am I going to talk about today?

A way to reduce complexity in therapy.

Everything started from a personal problem:

...sometimes doing therapy is a mess.

“300 TECHNIQUES?!”

First: reviewing the literature

Second: analyzing 77 techniques.

And I found 9 logics.

What do I mean with “logic”?

Logic(broadest meaning):

"The reason that underlies a particular behavior and that justifies it."

There are so many techniques...

...grouped in specific logics.

...and if you find the right logic...

...then the work is simpler!

Third: I used them in therapy.

They work!(luckily!)

They’re useful! How?

Techniques in therapy: 3 common problems

1. That technique doesn’t work

Reaction: we try other techniques, but they don’t work too.

So we try again, again and again… but we miss the target.

Error: wrong logic.

We change techniques,but we’re still in the same logic.

2. The client dosen’t do the tasks

(or they “resist” to it).

Reaction:

1. I’m sure that’s the right thing to do (the right logic), so I insist.

Reaction:

2. I try other techniques, but they still doesn’t

work.

Error: right logic, wrong technique.

The logic is right, but you need to choose/adapt the right technique for that client.

3. I don’t know what to do with that client!

(or: what is the right intervention to do?)

Reaction: I do something. I hope it works.

Error: I’m not following a logic.

How the 9 logics can help us?

The 9 logics beneath brief therapy interventions

1. Direct block of attempted solution

“Includes those techniques which call in a more or less direct way for the patient to stop a certain

behavior in order to block the attempted solution.”

Cannistrà, F. (2019), in M. Hoyt & M. Bobele, Creative Therapy in Challenging Situations (Routledge, in press)

Example:“conspiracy of silence”

(Nardone & Watzlawick, 1990)

2. Create aversion

“Includes those techniques aimed at creating in the client an aversion towards something, such as

a behavior, or a form of interaction or relationship, etc.”

Cannistrà, F. (2019), in M. Hoyt & M. Bobele, Creative Therapy in Challenging Situations (Routledge, in press)

Example: “Fear of help”

(Nardone & Watzlawick 1990)

3. Creating awareness

“Meant to help the client become aware of something, such as a wrong behavior or

misperception of their abilities and resources.”

Cannistrà, F. (2019), in M. Hoyt & M. Bobele, Creative Therapy in Challenging Situations (Routledge, in press)

Example:“How to get worse”

(Fisch et al., 1982)

4. Create fromnothing

“Includes techniques that are designed to introduce changes (small or large) in clients’

perceptions and behaviors in order to create or amplify resources, skills and abilities.”

Cannistrà, F. (2019), in M. Hoyt & M. Bobele, Creative Therapy in Challenging Situations (Routledge, in press)

Example: “As if”

(Watzlawick, 1990)

5. Increase to reduce

“Ask the client to do the unwanted behaviour (for example a symptom) in order to extinguish

it. Within this category are a large number of paradoxical techniques.”

Cannistrà, F. (2019), in M. Hoyt & M. Bobele, Creative Therapy in Challenging Situations (Routledge, in press)

Example: “If 1 then 5”

(Haley, 1985; Nardone, 1993)

6. Small changes(or small violations)

“This logic includes those techniques aimed at solving a problem by implementing small, often

incremental, changes.”

Cannistrà, F. (2019), in M. Hoyt & M. Bobele, Creative Therapy in Challenging Situations (Routledge, in press)

Example: Erickson would use partitioning to break down problems into smaller parts and

progression to build on a series of small gains.

(Haley, 1973)

7. Strengthen the relationship

“Essentially designed to strengthen the therapeutic alliance, this is the only one of the

nine logics that is not intended to directly produce a therapeutic result. As common

factors researchers (e.g., Duncan, et al., 2010) have shown, this accounts for about 30% of the

variance in change.”Cannistrà, F. (2019), in M. Hoyt & M. Bobele, Creative Therapy in Challenging Situations (Routledge, in press)

Example: “Dear Doc”

(Nardone, Verbitz & Milanese, 1993)

8. Shift the focus

“Many techniques can be designed to shift the patient's attention, thus distracting them from perceptions and behaviors that would continue

a problem.”

Cannistrà, F. (2019), in M. Hoyt & M. Bobele, Creative Therapy in Challenging Situations (Routledge, in press)

Example: Erickson asks to send a mail

(Haley, 1973)

9. Express and process

“Includes all those techniques that aim to vent and/or further process a particular lived

experience and thus may lead to feelings of a different kind.”

Cannistrà, F. (2019), in M. Hoyt & M. Bobele, Creative Therapy in Challenging Situations (Routledge, in press)

Example: “Anger’s diary”

How can be useful the 9 Logics?

1. If the technique doesn’t work,try another logic

Shift the focus Create aversion

2. If the technique doesn’t fit,try another technique (of the same logic)

3. Once you know the logic,build your personal technique

Let’s work together on that!

FCANNISTRA@FLAVIOCANNISTRA.IT