Volume 9 Number 2 of the Journal of Solution Focused Practices features another strong mix of practical and conceptual articles plus a riveting interview and a review selection of the latest research published elsewhere.
David Blowers’ well-argued piece on the contracting phase of solution focused (SF) therapy sessions calls into question what might be called some ‘established wisdom’. Wouter Decock’s article shows in detail an ultra-brief feedback session format, based on his experience in higher education setting and rooted in the Bruges model. Victoria Spashchenko brings her take on the ideas of noticing and responding to ‘glimmerings’, which seems like an excellent fit with the SF idea of noticing useful change.
In terms of empirical research, Dominik Godat and Elfie J Czerny give a detailed account of their microanalysis of the impact of SF leadership trainings, which clearly shows the kind of effects we might have hoped for but have not measured so rigorously up to this point. Gianluca Cuffardi and colleagues describe their incorporation of empathy in SF training in Italy.
The interview with Allan Wade is a particular highlight of this issue. Allan was a keynote speaker at the European Brief Therapy Association (EBTA) conference at Roskilde, Denmark and was a big hit with the audience. This interview allows him space to talk about his work, the early support and encouragement he received from Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer, and how his view of dignity – “the opposite of violence” – is a key underpinning of both his Response Based Practice and SF practice.
A new development for JSFP is JSFP Live, an occasional series of opportunities to hear directly from authors, discuss their articles and question them directly. David Blowers got the series off to a great start; his session is available on the journal’s new YouTube channel. The next session with Dominik Godat and Elfie Czerny is planned for January 2026. As with all our output these sessions are free to participate and watch later thanks to the support of our international sponsors. A big thank you to EBTA, the Australasian Solution Focused Association (ASFA), the Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association (SFBTA), SF in Organisations (SFiO), the UK Association for Solution Focused Practice (UKASFP), the Swiss NLA-Schweiz, the Austrian Solution Circle and Fondazione Franceschi Onlus (Italy).
Plus we have our usual selection of book and resource reviews including Nick Perry’s collection on SF Practice and Mental Health Crisis, in my view one of the most important SF books for some time. There are lots of other papers in the midst of peer review and plenty of new books for 2026. My thanks to the editorial team, all the hard-working peer reviews, our editorial board and to Scholastica for their first-rate support.
Finally, our colours for this issue come from the cover of Steve de Shazer’s 1985 book Keys To Solution In Brief Therapy. While this book is still a precursor to what became Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), there is plenty in it to enjoy and learn from. Can you guess what our next issue colours will be? See you for Volume 10 next year.