About the Brief Therapy Center

The revolution of Problem-Solving Brief Therapy from the MRI

The Brief Therapy Center started in 1967 at the Mental Research Institute (MRI) in Palo Alto, CA as a research project by Richard Fisch in collaboration with John Weakland and Paul Watzlawick (John Haley and Don Jackson also participated in the beginning). Their idea: cultivate an quick and effective therapy method, which we now know today as Problem-Solving Brief Therapy. Today, the Brief Therapy Center continues as the institution leading the promotion and exposure of this form of therapy.

Thanks to its efficiency, this method has gained a significant amount of global popularity; professionals across the world come to our facilities and participate in our trainings to improve their therapeutic skills.

Taking into account the global interest in learning the model, we've opened partner offices of the BTC in different parts of the world: Mexico, Paraguay, and Chile. We're excited to announce that two new offices will open up in Argentina and Peru in 2020.

The Brief Therapy Center is headquartered in the United States in Palo Alto, CA under the direction of Karin Schlanger.
Drawing of a hand turned upwards with a line flying out of it

Timeline

Innovative therapy practices across the generations.

1952 - 1961

Bateson Group at the Veteran's Administration Hospital

1953 - 1956
Schizophrenia Project

1959

Don Jackson founds the Mental Research Institute (MRI) as a part of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation

1961

Paul Wazlawick y Richard Fisch arrive at MRI

1967

Creation of Brief Therapy Center (BTC)

1974

Publication of Change of Principles of Problem Formation and Problem Resolution by Watzlawick, Weakland, and Fisch

1978

First training in Brief Therapy

1983

Karin Schlanger arrives at the MRI

1994

Foundation of the Latino Brief Therapy Center

1999

Publication of Brief Therapy with Intimidating Cases: Changing the Unchangeable by Fisch and Schlanger

2007

Karin Schlanger becomes director of the BTC

2017

50th anniversary of BTC

2019

MRI sells building, Brief Therapy Center continues on...
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Meet our team

The professionals of the Brief Therapy Center. We'd love to meet you!
Ignacia Pérez Botto

Ignacia Pérez Botto

MFT
Since I began my studies in Psychology in Chile, the systemic current is what made me the most sense and where I wanted to direct my work. I have always felt that more traditional therapies tend to isolate people and problems, treating them separately from their context. On the other hand, the more traditional family therapy, although it included the family as part of the context to be visualized, did not allow work if it was not present...
Palo Alto, California, United States
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Karin Schlanger

Karin Schlanger

MFT
Karin Schlanger was the Director of the Brief Therapy Center in MRI since 2008 until the sale of the building in 2019. She continues to be the director of the BTC currently. She has worked as a psychologist, supervisor in the Brief Therapy Model and professor at several universities internationally.She studied Psychology in the Universidad of Buenos Aires - Argentina and graduated in 1982. She arrived at the MRI in 1983 having head of the work of John Weakland, Dick Fisch and Paul Wazlawick and worked with them until the end of their days...
Palo Alto, California, United States
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Gloria Díaz

Gloria Díaz

Gloria Díaz is a Psychologist and has a Master’s from the Universidad de Barcelona, 2005. Intermediate piano degree from the Conservatorio Superior de Música del Liceo. Worked as a therapist with children, teenagers and families, helping schools of Barcelona for more than 7 years. Looking for efficiency in her profession she got to know the Brief Therapy and completed graduate studies...
Palo Alto, California, United States
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Esther Krohner

Esther Krohner

LMFT, RYT
I have 14 years of experience working in mental health settings. I am and LMFT and RYT. I have been training and practicing family therapy with Karin Schlanger for 5 years at the Mental Research Institute. I help couples, families, kids and teens to make the changes they want to.When faced with challenges we sometimes get stuck in patterns that don’t support us or our relationships...
Palo Alto, California, United States
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Margarita Irazusta

Margarita Irazusta

LIC
Clinical Psychologist, doing Brief Therapy – Problem Solving for more than 7 years. She works with teenagers, adults, couples, children, parents, and families. She has been working under the supervision of Karin Schlanger, Director of the Brief Therapy Center in the MRI, Palo Alto – California. She visited the MRI (Mental Research Institute), in 2009, getting to know more about the model of Problem Solving...
Asuncion, Paraguay
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