Brief Strategic Therapy

Brief Strategic therapists use – brief and advanced interventions (10 sessions) – for the treatment of specific mental health problems such as:

• Anxiety disorders
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Relationship problems (families & couples)

Why Brief Strategic Therapy?

When we have a problem we try to find a solution by choosing among the “coping strategies” that worked in the past. It’s an automatic response based on associative processes. In some cases it works quite well and the problem is solved. However people requesting psychological support have already tried to solve their problems several times with “attempted solutions”. In most of the cases the attempted solutions have become the problem in itself. The reiteration of them causes a vicious circle  of “helpless and worthless” behaviours and feelings.

Our therapy aims to break the vicious circle through specific strategies, apparently simple solutions – which enable the clients to – perceive the problem from a different perspective and solve it in a short period of time.

Theoretical Background

This therapy has its roots in the theories of first and second cybernetics of Von Foster and Von Neumann, the theory of systems of Von Bertanlaffy and the studies on the human communication of Bateson, Watzlawick and the Mental Research Institute (MRI) of Paolo Alto, which had among its members: D. D. Jackson, J. Haley, P. Watzlawick and J. Weakland.

The Brief Strategic Therapy was born formally as Brief Therapy in the late ’60’s from the meeting between the therapy of Milton Erickson and the tradition of Brief Systemic-Strategic Therapy of the MRI .

The clinical research and practice carried out within the last twenty five years by the Strategic Therapy Centre of Arezzo founded by  Watzlawick and Giorgio Nardone has achieved significant outcomes in terms of efficacy and effectiveness.