The videotapes from BFTC

The tapes cost 450 SEK in Sweden and 500 SEK (approximately 55 Euro) outside Sweden. (This includes postage but VAT 25% comes on top).

Decide what tapes you want (read the descriptions below) and mark them on the "ordering tapes"-page and fill in the shipping info.

You'll receive a confirmation email asking you to acknowledge that you were the one ordering, and then the tape will be sent with regular mail and the invoice in the pack. (If this is all to complicated send an email to info@sikt.nu or phone us and tell us what you want.)

Some of the tapes are out of stock. We are preparing a version with Swedish subtitles on DVD. The original tapes (without subtitles) can be ordered on DVD from http://www.sfbta.org/

Safety Planning in Children's Protective Services: Building Solutions with Clients

Edited by Insoo Kim Berg, Peter De Jong and Julie Gonzales - 45 minutes

Child Protective Service is the most compelling job in the world. The ability to quickly develop client's cooperation is crucial to making their children safe. Effective CPS work demands true collaboration and solution-building is the best way we know to ensure the safety of children.

Learn how to engage with clients respectfully, while holding the client accountable for the safety of her child. A CPS worker not only gets invited into the door by a reluctant mother, but also collaborates with the mother who develops steps toward ensuring the safety of her children. Only detailed, concrete, measurable plans that are generated by the client that can guarantee lasting solutions.

Eagle and a Mouse: Treatment of a Very Fearful Boy   

Therese Steiner  60 minutes

A very smart, 10-year old Jason is afraid of everything in life. Every time he steps out of his room, potential dangers lurk everywhere and his fears prevent him from doing what most children do. Mom spends hours trying to persuade and reason with him each time they need to go somewhere. When he makes it to school, he stays close to his teacher, specially during recess. His fears impact every facet of family life.

Until he meets with Therese Steiner. Because children lack the language skills of an adult, many visualization techniques are used to generate solutions based on the child's ideas. Jason selects eagle and a mouse to show his dilemma and potential solutions.

Learn from master therapist, Therese Steiner, her passion and ability to listen to a child and her skills perfected from 25 years of work with children in Switzerland.

"I'm glad to be alive . . .": working with Suicidal Youth

Insoo Kim Berg - 50 minutes

An attempted suicide is a difficult clinical topic to face, even more so when we meet a teen living in a family where repeated violence is common, and with a previous hospitalization due to his attempt at self-harm.

Learn how to turn traumatic situation of the previous night into a hopeful encounter that gives the teen a fresh perspective of himself as a young man with dreams for a better life and to see the world outside of Texas. Insoo carefully reviews the details of his successful strategy that turned the tide so that he "made it to school" next morning. This remarkable young man reaffirms his hopes and aspirations through this solution-building conversation.

Cynthia Franklin and Insoo Kim Berg discuss the circumstance of this unexpected encounter and learn the successful outcome for the youth

"I want to want to . . ."

Steve de Shazer - 60 minutes

Do you ever wonder how to inject a ray of hope to someone who has been paralyzed from the waist down from a car accident? 26-year old Simon has been struggling to "want to want to be hopeful" about his future when he meets Steve de Shazer.

Watch and learn from this remarkable encounter between a master therapist and a very depressed young man who finds no reason to continue. His miracle picture is "not to think about the accident but want to want to feel" good about himself. The subtle nuances of long silences, deep sighs, gentle but piercing questions and answers between two men of few words have much to teach us about how to be empathic, yet, incredibly supportive and empowering to the client. Learn about the surprising turn around in the second session a month later.

Insoo Kim Berg and Yvonne Dolan are team members who observed the session from behind the one-way mirror. Observe how carefully the three therapists listened to what the client said and how they composed the feedback at the end of the session.

"I know he is not good for me, but . . ."    Out of stock

Yvonne Dolan - 60 minutes

How often we hear these opening comments from clients like Jenny whose heart "stopped" from drug overdose. Jenny was involved in an abusive relationship with John but misses him terribly since the breakup. He has repeatedly promised to change his ways, not only to slide back into drugs, but also is a "pusher."

When faced with a smart and articulate client like Jenny who is torn between the recognition that she needs to change her life and yet misses her abusive boyfriend, it is easy for us to make the mistake of getting in the way of clients making the right decision. Learn from master therapist, Yvonne Dolan, how to skillfully guide the negotiation about what the client really wants.

Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer are team members who observed the session from behind the one-way mirror. Observe how carefully the three therapists listened to what the client said and how they composed the feedback at the end of the session, using the client's ideas and exact words.

Talking Solutions with "Mandated" Clients

featuring Insoo Kim Berg, Gale Miller, Peter DeJong, Anne Lutz, John Lutz  - 80 minutes

While Diana was incarcerated, her two younger children were placed in a foster home and she was "mandated" by the court to follow through on parent contracts. Even though she is committed to having her children returned, she refuses on principle to sign the contract. Described as a client with "an attitude that won't quit" she is thought to be very "difficult" to work with.

The word "mandated" usually evokes negative reactions and the anticipation of "resistance," a "lack of motivation," and a looming clash of ideas. A panel of four experienced practitioners and teachers take a close look at the solution talk Insoo has with Diana that immediately builds a positive working relationship. A list of helpful postures and strategies is offered at the end of this videotape.

The Right Path or the Other Path: Working with a Teenage Substance Misuser     Out of stock

Steve de Shazer with Insoo Kim Berg and Gale Miller  - 100 minutes

16-year old Naomi is heavily into the drug and boyfriend scene, skips school and hangs out with all the wrong crowd. Recent events have lead her to begin questioning where the wrong path will lead. Most clinicians would be tempted to give suggestions and advice. Learn how a skilled therapist (de Shazer) guides her by exploring both the right path or the other one, gently and persistently staying away from the temptation to take over and tell her what to do. These excerpts from two sessions clearly demonstrate how Steve guides Naomi into talking herself into making the right choices.

Insoo, a seasoned clinician, and Gale, an ethnomethodologist, guide you through various turning points in the session and offer practical techniques that you can implement immediately in your daily practice. Learn how to highlight the client's best, wisest, and smartest sides, all just by talking.

Together, in the Middle of the Bed: Brief Treatment of a Couple

Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg - 100 minutes

In these two sessions, de Shazer shows how his minimalist style impacts the couple - they see the therapy as a "last ditch effort" to save their 15-year marriage - by slowing down the process of solution-building. During the post session interview immediately following the first session, they describe some amazing insights into their fights. Their responses to the question "what is better?" at the start of the second session will probably be only the first surprise for you.

Conversations between Steve and Insoo will guide you through this case in particular and working with couples in general.

"I Love My Kids": Getting Her Children Home

Insoo Kim Berg and Peter DeJong  - 60 minutes

This 19-year old mother's two children (ages 4 and 2-1/2) were "taken from" her as a result of physical injury to one of the children by her male friend. He also "beat" her, stalked and threatened her life. Learn how a skilled therapist guides the solution-building conversation in such a way that a "depressed and stressed out" mother transforms into a remarkable woman of courage, strength and determination. This session illustrates in detail the process of co-constructing a sense of competence.

Insoo Kim Berg and Peter DeJong will guide you through this solution-building conversation within the framework of Solution-Focused Therapy. Designed to be a teaching tape, this tape is a good illustration of how solution talk leads to a co-creating a new, more competent reality for this young mother. Wonderful teaching resource.

Irreconcilable Differences: A Solution-Focused Approach to Couple Therapy

Insoo Kim Berg - 90 minutes

This tape shows a two-career couple, both intelligent, competent, assertive, articulate and also adamant about how each wants the other to change. In this reconstruction of an actual case, Insoo demonstrates how to turn what at first appears to be a hopelessly colliding and contentious view of problems that were headed for divorce, into resources for solutions. You will learn Insoo's thoughts about the couple, the solution-building process and her posture that turns problems into solutions.

Coming Through the Ceiling: A Solution-Focused Approach to a Difficult Case Out of stock

Steve de Shazer - 90 minutes

The client complains of her difficulty in sleeping. She believes her upstairs neighbor beams down shock waves through the ceiling from his strange "electrical machine" aimed at her bed. She reports that hospitalization and psychotherapy, including medication, has not helped.

This video tape demonstrates the parsimonious style of conversation Steve is famous for. The unedited first session demonstrates the process of "radical acceptance" of the client's view as a way to build a therapeutic relationship, to find exceptions and how to use scaling questions. The client returns to the second session having discovered her own ingenious solution to the problem that has plagued her. Conversations between Steve and Insoo will guide you through how to conceptualize treatment of such cases and their posture of accepting clients' unconventional explanations for their problems.

"I'd hear laughter": Finding solutions for the family

Insoo Kim Berg - 105 minutes

Dad, unemployed is depressed. Mom is angry, and adolescent Sarah is rebelling by skipping school to spend time with her boyfriend Jason, whom Mom calls a bum. The family atmosphere is so tense that in response to the miracle question they describe having an ordinary conversation or dinner together. Sarah's miracle is that she'd hear laughter around the house.

Insoo Kim Berg uses exception-finding and scaling questions to create a context in which Mom, Dad and Sarah find solutions to their problems. Within this context their strengths-humor, a strong desire for togetherness, love-slowly become evident. The presence of all three persons in the room enables them to identify what's different when things are going well-when Mom is less tense, when Dad is less depressed. Scaling questions are used to build hope and establish goals.

The second session begins with "What's been better since the last session?" Each small change is amplified and reinforced with Berg's favorite question: "Wow! How did you do that?". Each small step is a building block toward solution. Throughout the tape, Berg's empathy and positive outlook give a framework for solution-focused therapy at its best.

Over the hump Part I - Solution-Building with a Multi-Problem Family

Insoo Kim Berg and Peter De Jong with Steve de Shazer

For nearly all of their eight years of marriage, the parents in this family of five children have been involved with human service systems for a multitude of problems including drug abuse, violence, and protective service issues. In Part 1 of this two tape series, Berg begins the solution building process with this family. She demonstrates many useful techniques of helping clients create a vision of a different future for themselves.

Observations about the Solution-Building process are given by Berg and DeJong. As a bonus, de Shazer invites the clients to comment on the session. Their reactions may surprise you.

Over the hump Part II - The Problem of Success

Insoo Kim Berg and Peter De Jong

The same family you met in Part 1 of this two tape series talks about a remarkably different set of problems during their second meeting. Seeing this new set of problems as “a problem of success”, Berg helps the couple navigate some tension-filled moments in this session. She respectfully crafts workable solutions through questions and feedback.

The issues this couple present can be a “nightmare” for many practitioners. It is easy to lose the proper prospective and be tempted to offer fast and simple advice or to become overwhelmed by the intensity of their conflict. Berg and De Jong will guide you through this difficult session.

Over the hump - Family and couple treatment

Insoo Kim Berg and Peter De Jong

Throughout their eight years of marriage, this family has received a multitude of services for problems: protective service issues, drug abuse and dealing, violence and incarcerations. The range of issues this family presents would be a nightmare for most practitioners.

This two session summary moves from family work in the first session to couples work in the second where common issues of modern day couples deadlock them in a way that break-up seems inevitable. Observe how the therapist avoids temptations to offer quick solutions, instead respectfully working to open up possibilities for solutions that both partners can accept. Commentary and graphics highlight elements of the Solution-Focused work with families and couples.

Solutions step by step - Substance abuse treatment demonstrations

Insoo Kim Berg and Norman H. Reuss

After reading Solutions Step by Step: A substance Abuse Treatment Manual, You’re ready to watch the videotape to see the authors in action. Insoo Kim Berg and Norman Reuss begin with a brief yet informative introduction to the solution-focused approach to substance abuse treatment. They then work with several different clients to demonstrate many of the techniques discussed in the manual, including getting started, constructing a workable goal, using the miracle-scaling questions, and giving end-of-session feedback and homework tasks. The many cases range from 21-year old Carl, a mandated client; to Bruce, who wants to stop drinking and “get back on the right track” with his wife and two small children after serving time in jail; to group therapy for a DWI program. The clients are diverse, showing that this innovative, client-driven approach works with a broad array of clients.

"So what else is better" Solutions for Substance Abuse

Insoo Kim Berg

The client in this tape is a 21 year old cocaine and alcohol abuser who Insoo Kim Berg works with over a period of a year to help him discover ways to build solutions where there is a long history of substance abuse, treatment and relapses. This tape is reedited version of Working with the Poly-Substance Abuser, Sessions 1 and 2, with added comments by Insoo Kim Berg, additional introductory remarks, and excerpts from the third session. It demonstrates how the Miracle Question, Scaling Questions, Goal Negotiation, and Exception Finding Questions can be used with clients with substance abuse problems.