From the Therapist's Chair: Kate Curran Mire on Solution-Focused Therapy
At Ensemble Therapy, we care deeply about the “why” behind our practice of counseling. We believe there is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach to counseling; each therapist views the counseling process and their clients through a unique lens formed from years of education and experience.
This means that as a client, you can choose the counselor who is the best fit for you or your child. While this freedom to choose the best-fit may sound nice at first, it can be difficult to know how to choose when there seem to be so many ways to do therapy. Not only are there lots of theories on how to practice counseling, often the language behind counseling theories is difficult to understand and apply without any previous background knowledge.
As the client or the caregiver of a child client, you deserve to know and understand how your counselor practices therapy. Counseling exists for the growth and well-being of you, your family, and your community; therefore, counseling should be accessible and easy to understand for the greater public. In an effort to make our counseling practice more accessible and easy-to-understand for our clients, we want to introduce you to our counselors and their respective approaches to counseling.
Throughout the next several months, we’re going to take you through interviews with each of our therapists so you can learn the “why” behind their practice of counseling. This week, you’ll get to know a little more about Kate Mire, Parenting Coach at Ensemble Therapy. We hope you enjoy getting to sit a moment in the therapist’s chair and learn a little bit about counseling from our eyes.
About Kate
Kate is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and has practiced in a variety of public and private settings across the central Texas area. In addition to being a part of Ensemble Therapy, she is the co-founder of Hill Country School Psychology Services where she practices as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP). As well as being our in-house Parent Coach, Kate coordinates our parent and caregiver education events and workshops. Kate is co-owner of Cool Down Kits, uniquely designed kits to support self-regulation. Kate teaches with the Region XIII Counseling Certification Program. She is also a community advisor for the Thinkery on their Thinkery Connect project. Prior to becoming an LSSP, Kate taught in both the public and charter setting, in Austin, for seven years.
What is your theory/approach to therapy?
Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT), also called Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), “focuses” (see what I did there?) on finding solutions in the present and creating plans for the future to resolve problems. Unlike traditional forms of therapy, it does not take the time to analyze problems, pathology, past list events, etc. With SFT, the clinician focuses on the past only to the degree necessary for empathizing and better understanding the client’s concerns. It is described as a future-focused and goal-directed approach.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy was developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg. (Fun fact: They were married and I often wonder if they used SFT in their own marriage because it lends itself so well to overcoming disagreements or aiding you when you are “stuck.”) SFT was born in the early 1980s and was developed inductively, rather than deductively. It is a disciplined and pragmatic approach, rather than a theoretical one.
How did you come to practice from that theory? What drew you to it?
My training is in the schools, both as an educator and Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP). It is the main type of therapy we are trained to use. In schools, we move fast and need therapeutic intervention to be brief. We also need goals and monitoring of said goals in a clear and concise way. SFT fits that niche perfectly.
I also like that SFT therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapy approach. It was developed in Milwaukee and the creators spent hours observing therapy sessions noting questions/statements/behaviors that led to positive therapeutic outcomes.
What is your favorite thing about this theory?
I like how practical and effective it is. It also fits my direct style. Questions are the primary communication tool in SFT and I love asking questions.
Additionally, the tenets of SFT align with my professional framework and also for me personally:
“If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” If there is no problem, there should be no therapy.
“If it works, do more of it.” It is not our job, as therapists, to judge the client’s solution, but rather to encourage them to do more of what’s already working.
“If it’s not working, do something different.” Although this seems obvious, an odd thing about us humans is that we continue to try to solve problems by repeating the same things that have not worked in the past. Eventually, we get frustrated and head to therapy!
“Small steps can lead to big changes.” I love this tenet! It always reminds me of the movie, What about Bob? “Baby-steps!” In parent coaching, I often help the client make one small change which can lead to other changes, gradually resulting in a much larger systemic change, without a major disruption.
“The solution is not necessarily directly related to the problem.” 🤯 SFT develops solutions by eliciting a description of what will be different when the problem is resolved. The client and therapist then go through the client’s daily life to identify times when the desired solution already exists (or could exist).
“The language for solution development is different from that needed to describe a problem.” The language of solutions is often positive, hopeful and future thinking whereas the language often used to describe problems is negative and often focused in the past (to describe the origin).
“No problems happen all the time; there are always exceptions that can be utilized.” People always display exceptions to their problems. Every time. It’s what we do, from small children to grown adults. These exceptions can be utilized to make small changes.
“The future is both created and negotiable.” This is a key tenet for SFT because people are not seen as locked into a set of behaviors based on their history. I love this tenet because it suggests that the future is a hopeful place.
How does your theory view people and their capacity for change and growth?
Change and growth is at the center of the theory. That’s the whole point. SFT focuses on the clients’ strengths and resilience. It is a collaborative language process between the client and therapist where the therapist helps the client create and achieve goals. SFT therapists are not to pass judgments about their clients or try to make interpretations about the meanings behind their wants/needs/behaviors. We try to expand options, rather than limit them.
What client is your theory best suited for?
SFT is a fit for everyone! It can be used as a standalone or in conjunction with other forms of therapy. It is versatile and can be used with people of all ages and a variety of difficulties.
References:
Shazer, Steve and Dolan, Yvonne. More Than Miracles: the State of the Art of Solution-focused Brief Therapy. Routledge; 1st edition (February 22, 2007)
Interested in booking a session with Kate?
WRITTEN BY KATE CURRAN MIRE, SSP, LSSP, NCSP
Kate received her undergraduate degree from The University of Texas-Austin in Applied Learning and Development. In August 2008, she became a certified Master Reading Teacher through the University of Texas-Austin. Kate went on to receive a Specialist Degree in School Psychology from Texas State University-San Marcos.
