Littrell, John M. Brief Counseling In Action. New York, NY:
This book is an introduction to brief therapy for counselors and counseling students that will enable the reader to establish the mindset for brief counseling. It will help them master the key steps in the solution-focused model, and acquire the necessary techniques for speeding up the action. The book uses many vignettes and three in-depth single-session cases demonstrating the use of brief counseling in different settings such as schools, counseling centers, and in private practice. The book also reviews research on the potential of short, effective counseling. It demonstrates how effective counseling can be when both the therapist and the client are engaged in a time-limited, action based, goal-oriented counseling process.
This book is relevant to a Bachelor of Arts degree in Counseling because it addresses the needs of many people caught up in the fast-paced modern society in which people always have too many things to do and not enough time to do them in. People recognize they need help, but the thought of committing to long-term counseling sessions is daunting to many. The idea of a quick fix to their problems is attractive. Also, many people believe that they do not have deeply rooted problems, and that the problems they do have are relatively minor and should be able to be addressed and corrected in a short period of time. The technique of brief counseling is also amenable to a number of different settings, which also makes it more attractive to many people. Although it is not the answer to all the problems for which people need counseling, it can quickly deal with many of the more minor ones and prevent them from becoming more major issues.
One thing Littrell stresses throughout the book is respect for the client and the client's problem. The counseling needs to be focused on the problem that brought the client to counseling, and this point s...