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Journal of Systemic Therapies. Vol. 19. No.4. 2000
THE USE OF SOLUTION-FOCUSED THERAPY WITH AN ELDERLY POPULATION
REBECCA DAHL, Ph.D.
Pima Research FoundationDEAN BATHEL, c.I.S.W., B.C.DPalo Verde Behavioral Health Professional Association CARLOS CARREON, A.C.S.W., B.C.D
Peace Health Behavioral Health
Lower Columbia Region
This study examines the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of treating seniors with solution-focused therapy (SFT) in an outpatient setting. Data was collected from 74 patients. Patients receiving outpatient behavioral services were referred to treatment for the following problems: depression. allXiety. marital problems. and stress related to chronic illness. The measures used were pre and post self-scaling scores. motivational scores. and pre and post Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores. In addition. patient sati.ljaction questionnaires were begun during the second quarter of the study. Individual two-tailed. paired t tests were used to test the differences between time one and time two self-scaling scores and GAF scores.t tests showed statistically signijicant increases for both self-scaling and GAF scores (p < .05). Sixty-nine of the seventy-four participants filled out a satisfaction survey. Patients indicated high satisfaction with behavioral health services. COllSistent with results reported from previous research studies. this study revealed the clinical effectiveness of SFT. This study went on to demonstrate what has not been well documented in the literature. namely SFT's effectiveness with elderly outpatients. In conclusion. preliminary implications for clinicians indicate that SFT can produce signijicant clinical outcomes with senior outpatient populations.
Efforts to reduce behavioral health care costs have increased the need for cost-effective treatment. Efforts to decrease behavioral health care spending for the
The authors wish to give special thanks to Wendy Catanzaro. MA. AAMFT.
Please address correspondence to Rebecca Dahl. Ph.D. Pima Research Foundation. 445 N. Silver-bell Rd . Suite 200. Tucson. AZ 85745.
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elderly put Medicare recIpients in particular at risk (Hogan. 1996). Because behavioral health problems for seniors are often underdiagnosed. untreated. or lacking follow-up after treatment. outcome research focused on treating the elderly is particularly important. This study examines both the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of treating seniors in an outpatient setting using solution-focused therapy (SFT).
The SFT methodology used in this study was modeled on the work of Scott Miller. Ph.D. (Berg & Miller, 1992), and Steve de Shazer (1985)....