Abstract
M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)
Solution-Focused Therapy is a strength-based approach that views clients as
resourceful, capable, motivated to change, and existing in a state of
interaction with other people. In addressing how having this strength-based
philosophy influences personal interactions, the research question of this
paper is: “How does a Solution-Focused philosophy influence the personal
relationships of an educational psychologist in a family with young children?”
This research specifically focused on female educational psychologists who
are married and have young children under the age of thirteen. These
educational psychologists all had worked within a school environment and
used Solution-Focused Therapy in their workplace. The aim of the research
was to explore and describe how having such a philosophy influenced
educational psychologists’ personal relationships with their own husbands and
young children.
This study used a bio-ecological framework to situate this research within the
understanding that we do not operate in isolation. The qualitative approach
was used to provide descriptive data of the Solution-Focused philosophy
phenomenon, and an interpretive paradigm was employed to allow for
understanding the experiences of the research participants.
The data itself included a book chapter written by each participant, and an
interview with each participant, in which she was asked to name a book that
she chose to read to her children, because the book has a Solution-Focused
philosophy. The data collected was analysed through thematic analysis. The
themes that emerged showed how having a Solution-Focused philosophy
influenced educational psychologists’ personal relationships specifically, the
way in which they speak, their outlook and their interactions with their family.
Possible limitations to this study included the lack of previous research on the
influence of being an educational psychologist on personal lives, the small
sample size, possible researcher bias owing to the nature of a qualitative...