In the practice of psychotherapy, there are a large number of significant figures who have made personal contributions to a deeper understanding of the cognitive functions and capacities of human consciousness. This is also true of the American psychotherapist Bill O’Hanlon. As of this writing, O’Hanlon is a living contemporary and the founder of a unique psychological therapy based on close collaboration with the patient and the search for collaborative solutions (About Bill, n.d.). However, O’Hanlon is known not only as a psychologist but primarily as a speaker and presenter of scientific presentations, which allows him to popularize psychotherapy and engage a large number of stakeholders to stimulate the development of psychology. Although this psychologist’s professional and public activities may resemble personal growth coaches and charlatans concerned only with making a profit, O’Hanlon’s actual competencies and education are comprehensive and impressive, allowing no doubt as to O’Hanlon’s qualifications.
The essential core of the therapy proposed by O’Hanlon may seem extremely simple. The individual is confronted throughout life with a large number of desires and goals, not all of which are easily attainable: in fact, many barriers keep the result of goal-setting from realization. Focused on the problems, patients become even more desperate because of their inability to overcome the barrier, and as a result, the goal remains ephemeral. Psychologist O’Hanlon suggested a therapy that targets the solution rather than the problem: instead of focusing on the barrier, individuals are encouraged to focus their attention and efforts on a potential solution to achieve the goal (O’Hanlon, 2019). For example, when patients try unsuccessfully to solve their overweight problem, they may mistakenly focus specifically on acknowledging the problem itself — “I am fat,” “I am ugly,” “I do not attract people” — instead of focusing on the solution: “I should move more,” “I will limit my fast-food intake,” “I will watch my diet”.
To reach goals constructively, O’Hanlon suggested several steps in this solution-focused therapy. First, the need for any personal change always rests on acknowledging one’s feelings and the need to change. Reflective work on oneself is necessary to create a reference point and to manage goal-setting intelligently. Second, one needs to create specific, measurable time points that help keep one on track toward own goal. This includes short-term goal planning with notes. Finally, O’Hanlon recommends meaningfully broadening horizons to find better solutions without focusing on problems.
Notably, solution-based therapy has been systematically demonstrated to be effective for single patients and group sessions, including as family therapy. This is not surprising, as a parallel can be traced between O’Hanlon’s methodology and the strategic school of family therapy: both theories attempt to use planning and goal setting with problem delineation in order to stimulate the individual’s personal development (Premier Mind, 2017). In addition, there are traces of Rogers’ client-centered humanistic psychotherapy in this therapy, according to which the patient is responsible for his or her own life and thus is an expert for himself or herself. Similarly, decision-oriented therapy recognizes the individual as the central core of all choices and holds him or her responsible for all life decisions. Finally, it is impossible not to detect an obvious connection with solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), in which the emphasis is on the individual’s present and future goals, but not on his past. Both theories are related to the development of a positive vision of the future, in which a minimal amount of attention is given to problematic symptoms.
References
About Bill. (n.d.). O’Hanlon. Web.
O’Hanlon, B. (2019). Solution-based basics [PDF document]. Web.
Premier Mind. (2017). Types of family therapy. PMI. Web.