Core Competencies in the Solution-Focused and Strategic Therapies

Ellen K. Quick, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who specializes in brief psychotherapy. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College (1970) and a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Pittsburgh (1974). Since 1981, she has practiced at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. Dr. Quick trained with Milton Erickson, at the Mental Research Institute, and at the Brief Family Therapy Center. She has written and taught about the integration of solution-focused and strategic therapy, with an emphasis on “doing what works” on multiple levels: in the client’s life, in the therapist’s work, and as a philosophy shared with the client.

• Beyebach, Foreword. Introducing the Clinical Competencies of the Solution-Focused and Strategic Therapies. Understanding the Conceptual Basis of the Solution-Focused and Strategic Therapies. Forming an Effective Therapeutic Alliance. Maintaining an Effective Therapeutic Alliance. Performing an Integrative Solution-Focused and Strategic Assessment. Developing a Case Conceptualization and Intervention Plan in the Solution-Focused and Strategic Therapies. Implementing Solution-Focused and Strategic Methods and Interventions. Monitoring and Evaluating Clinical Outcomes. Maintaining Treatment Gains and Planning for Termination. Practicing the Solution-Focused and Strategic Therapies with Cultural and Ethical Sensitivity. Becoming a Highly Effective and Competent Solution-Focused and Strategic Therapist.

“Dr. Quick has accomplished a seemingly impossible task! She has produced a book so thoughtfully conceived, and so clear and detailed about the best practice of solution-focused and strategic therapies, that it is an invaluable resource for both the novice and the seasoned practitioner.” – Eve Lipchik, Private Practice, ICF Consultants, Inc., Milwaukee, WI; Author, Beyond Techniques in Solution-Focused Therapy “Ellen Quick has taken on an extremely important task in the evolution and maturation of solution-focused brief therapy. […] This book offers an outstanding blend of solid scholarship and accessibility, which will be of great interest to students, practicing therapists, and clinical researchers alike.” – Terry S. Trepper, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Purdue University Calumet; Editor, Journal of Family Psychotherapy; Co-Editor, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: A Handbook of Evidence-Based Practice