A Framework for Helpful Conversations

Joseph Eron, PsyD and Thomas Lund PsyD

In 1996 Drs. Eron and Lund wrote a book about psychotherapy titled “Narrative Solutions in Brief Therapy” that was the culmination of fifteen years of exploration into what worked when they sat down and talked to people to help them overcome their difficulties. Rather than offering another new and different model of psychotherapy, they wanted to get at the core of what made a conversation helpful and as best they could use what was already familiar to those of us having helpful conversations with people each day. The result is an integration of existing models of psychotherapy.

In this workshop Drs. Eron and Lund will present a clear and practical framework for how to have effective conversations that motivate positive change. The approach centers around a simple, yet powerful concept called preferred view. By helping people to become more attuned to who it is they wish to be—to their hopes and positive intentions—you’ll learn how to take the first step toward motivating change. From there you’ll see how people can become inspired to address gaps in their lives, when they are not at their best, and find creative solutions.

This preferred view framework can be used to bring out your best and the best in the people with whom you live love and work. They will present the approach to helping individuals and families who come for therapy and describe how these ideas have been applied in a variety of other settings. Recent applications to motivating young criminal offenders in a residential setting, helping people with seemingly intractable symptoms in a psychiatric hospital setting, and helping managers in workplaces motivate and help people be at their best will be discussed.