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About navigating the site. The learning materials on this website are mostly listed under the tabs Publications, My Book, and Products. The Publications tab features a Search engine. Selecting a folder will show you the articles and self-help materials for that topic. Other resources are sorted by media such as articles, lectures, workshops and course outlines of presentations Dr. Young has given in the past. Most important is the tab Preview of My Book which features excerpts from this new book.
Solution Oriented Counselling
Solution Oriented Counselling is a framework of consultation designed to find solutions that fit you. Although Dr. Young is no longer operating his psychology private practice, this brief description is available as a guide to other professionals who might consider incorporating some of its features.
“Our collaboration together begins with me hearing like an echo and reflecting like a pond as you tell me your situation and how you see it. The word Oriented indicates that this method is not exclusively solution-focused or solution-forced. I will take time to listen and understand your circumstance, with empathy for the emotions and cognitions that underlie your dilemmas of living.
Often problems as well as their solutions are embedded in an interpersonal context or matrix, so that you can’t see them emerge as possibilities. Or perhaps potential solutions can be constrained by a personal paradigm or life view that seems to limit your options. So this approach will likely include both systemic and Cognitive Behavior Therapy elements to free you from those constraints. I will use collaboration in the therapeutic alliance to guide the discovery process utilizing your strengths and stories. Narratives and meaning can be transformed with metaphors and reframing typical of an Ericksonian hypnotic approach. The focus is on the Now with strategies towards planning a desired future. The past is only invoked or analyzed insofar as it intrudes upon or limits current functioning.
Counselling describes a continuum of intervention from therapy to coaching. In the most severe situations, we can use intensive forms of therapy (EMDR, CBT, ACT, MBSR and other therapies) to promote healing from a position of hopeless misery and trauma. But for most people, the word counselling best describes people who may be stuck in points of life transitions A counselling stance focuses on strengths, skills, and strategies to navigate through the rapids and turbulent sections of life’s journey. On the right side of the continuum is coaching to refine performance, to enhance happiness, balance, engagement, and meaning with elements of mindfulness, acceptance, and compassion. Thus, our journey of mutual discovery can begin, disengage, and resume consultation according to your needs as you progress towards a happy and meaningful life.”
About the Symbolism of the SOC Logo
The central sphere is contained by the letter C for Counselling. The sphere itself embodies the O for Oriented, a virtual world of possibilities. The central S for Solution is not boldly stated but can be found at the meeting point between the yin and yang implied by the teardrop swirls in the sphere. An adequate and comprehensive Solution ideally should incorporate both male and female energy elements, both initiative and reflection. The Solution that fits you can actually be several variations tried on in real life to see which one applies best for your situation and resources. Once it is found, the subtle S hidden in that globe of opportunities becomes much more obvious. It was always there, but now it emerges more strongly in awareness. On a larger scale, the colour indigo represents consciousness and spirituality holding our blue planet, for which we need to find solutions that fit sustainably in our world.