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MRI/Problem-Solving Brief Therapy:

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 behavioral
problems 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 the antagonism between her and her parents, and (b) illustrates the evolution in the practice of MRI brief therapy since its founding in 1966. We promote change in the whole system—family therapy—by choosing strategically to meet with different individuals in different sessions to make interventions that fit. We started with a clear, actionable goal to show family members that things were improving. We identified the attempted solutions—actions that
unwittingly kept the problem alive—and used interventions to work on the spaces in between the parties to promote change.

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Other papers

Discover other papers and independent research, led and developed by our colleagues at the Brief Therapy Center.

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John h.weakland: an interview in retrospect

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 […]

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Mental Research Institute

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 […]

Read Paper

PROBLEM SOLVING BRIEF THERAPY: A CASE CONDUCTED BY JOHN WEAKLAND

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 […]

Read Paper

My child is anxious because we might get deported

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 […]

Read Paper

Our clients are able and strong

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, […]

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A Mom (Susan) Who Is Concerned For Her Son – Session 1

Our intervention, from the Problem Solving Brief Therapy actually starts with the first phone call. Like in many cases involving ‘offspring’, the person making the phone call is a preocuppied adult, usually mother and so we try to start in the first session with that person in our office. The person we call a client. […]

Read Paper

John h.weakland: an interview in retrospect

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 […]

Read Paper

Mental Research Institute

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 […]

Read Paper

PROBLEM SOLVING BRIEF THERAPY: A CASE CONDUCTED BY JOHN WEAKLAND

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 […]

Read Paper

My child is anxious because we might get deported

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 […]

Read Paper

Our clients are able and strong

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, […]

Read Paper

A Mom (Susan) Who Is Concerned For Her Son – Session 1

Our intervention, from the Problem Solving Brief Therapy actually starts with the first phone call. Like in many cases involving ‘offspring’, the person making the phone call is a preocuppied adult, usually mother and so we try to start in the first session with that person in our office. The person we call a client. […]

Read Paper

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August 15, 2025,
‎ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
‎ ‎PST

Stronger Together: Tools for Kids, Teens, and the Adults Who Support Them

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