Carl Auer International

Changing Perspective – Changing Solutions

181 p., Paperback, 2007
€ 19.95 / USD 28.95
ISBN 978-3-89670-383-5

As today more and more clients suffer from chronic problems, interrupting the vicious cycle of problem-maintaining patterns is increasingly relevant in psychotherapeutic practice. This book introduces a new method for the interruption of these vicious cycles. The presented therapeutic approach is based on Watzlawick's, Weakland's and Fisch's concept of second-order change, but re-introduces this concept from a "non-expert" stance: Instead of interrupting the client's unsuccessful attempted solutions through therapeutic expertise, the client's internal images are activated for change. With a discussion of the relevant theoretical concepts and a detailed description of the therapeutic approach, this book is equally interesting for practitioners and researchers. It provides a new perspective on resource activation and pattern interruption in the field of Systemic Brief Therapy.
For this book, Ilka R. Hoffmann was awarded the "Sponsoring Prize of the German Systemic Society 2007".

Reviews

Das Buch liest sich fluessig, erweist sich (auch wenn Bekanntes wiederholt wird) als informativ und anregend. Insgesamt ein schoenes Beispiel dafuer, wie es moeglich wird, therapeutische Konzepte aus der Falle der Technologisierung herauszuholen. Daher empfehle ich Hoffmanns Arbeit sowohl wegen ihrer praktischen Relevanz als auch wegen ihrer stimmigen theoretischen Fundierung.
Wolfgang Loth (Systhema, 2/2008, Juni)

With a discussion of the relevant theoretical concepts and a detailed description of the therapeutic approach, this book is equally interesting for practitioners and researchers.
Ilka R. Hoffmann (CSISS Newsletter, Februar 2007, Issue 7)

Ilka Hoffmann hat ein interessantes, einleuchtendes und erfolgversprechendes Modell geschaffen, das die Vorteile des Therapieansatzes des Mental Research Instituts mit einer weniger direktiven und experimentlastigen Therapiemethode verbindet, in deren Rahmen die Klienten durch Arbeit auf der analogen Ebene ihre Einstellungen und Handlungsoptionen erweitern und verbessern koennen.
Eine deutschsprachige Veroeffentlichung des Modells waere grundsaetzlich zu begruessen.
Lilo Schmitz (www.socialnet.de, 19.12.2007)

Ilka R. Hoffmann

Ilka R. Hoffmann, Dr., studied philosophy and psychology at the universities of Konstanz and Darmstadt. She obtained her PhD in psychology at the Free University of Berlin. After first engaging in counseling chronic pain patients in Darmstadt, she moved to San Francisco in 1996. There she studied couples- and family therapy, volunteered at the San Francisco Zen Hospice, and did research at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto. She received training in Brief Therapy (Watzlawick/Fisch), conducted an own research project and was elected as Research Associate of the Institute. Back in Germany Ilka R. Hoffmann worked as a systemic family counselor for the State of Berlin. Since 2003 she is a freelance systemic therapist, supervisor, coach and trainer in Berlin.