A CONVERSATION ANALYSIS OF A SOLUTION‐FOCUSED MARITAL THERAPY SESSION*

Abstract

This study is a qualitative exploration of the therapeutic process occurring in a solution‐focused therapy session. A complete one‐session solution‐focused marital therapy case conducted by Bill O'Hanlon was analyzed using conversation analysis. Conversation analysis is a method of data analysis that describes how language is used to elicit new constructions of reality; it offers descriptive categories useful to both clinicians and researchers. Through intense examination of the communications of the therapist, wife, and husband, nine categories of linguistic strategies used by O'Hanlon in his pursuit of solution‐focused conversation are developed. Implications of these strategies for the field are discussed.