Burnout Proof Your Practice

John Weakland was one of a handful of irreplaceable figures in the development of Communication/Interactional Theory, Family, and Brief Therapy. The first person asked by Gregory Bateson to join his now famous Palo Alto Research Group, Weakland’s quiet influence, through his contributions to communication theory (Bateson, Jackson, Haley, & Weakland, 1956, 1963) and his innovative […]

The Mental Research Institute, or MRI, was founded in 1958 in Palo Alto, California, by Don D. Jackson. The goal of the Institute was to do research on interactional therapy, which later extended to the practice of family therapy, in the prevalent environment of psychoanalysis. Jackson began applying systemic thinking to understanding psychological problems. He […]

This study aimed to analyze a case conducted by John Weakland, as a cofounder of Problem Solving Brief Therapy (PSBT), in order to have a better understanding of the model and how it is developed. Existing literature was reviewed emphasizing the most characteristic aspects of PSBT, which focuses primarily on promoting changes. The case studied […]

Problem-solving brief therapy (PSBT), as developed at the Brief Therapy Center/Mental Research Institute (MRI) in Palo Alto, California, is an effective and efficient therapeutic approach to help families dealing with behavioralproblems and accompanying suicidal threats in work with adolescent clients.This article (a) describes a case of an adolescent with such problems with one goal: reduce […]

As we go to press in a COVID-19 world, the topic of anxiety is foremost on our minds. While each situation has to be considered in its own context, how to manage different anxieties has common denominators. There is currently a sharp increase in forced migration around the globe so mental health professionals must develop […]

My daughter sent me to see you and, because I am a good mother, I had to do as she asked me to and I requested an appointment. You are highly recommended, but you should know that I have had a lot of therapy in my life!” This is how Catalina, a 59-year-old Chilean woman, […]