SFP 13 – Episode 13: Solution Focus at Work: Interview with Victor Nelson, Pastoral Counselor and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
Simply Focus Podcast – Episode #13
Hosted by: Elfie Czerny & Dominik Godat | Intro: Bibiana Czerny | Music: www.bensound.com
SFP 13 - Episode 13: Solution Focus at Work: Interview with Victor Nelson
“So, I have been helping churches and consulting with churches ever since then (…) And I always want to bring that Solution focused, strength based, resource based perspective to help them think more positively about how they move into their preferred futures.”
“My spirituality has been really evolving over my career and over my life, where I think more in terms of my preferred future, my best hopes, and it helps me move in a more spiritual or deeper direction.”
“Great bosses are made by great staff (…) I wanted to empower my staff and use their best abilities in developing the programs. So, I really encouraged people to pursue their interests and their passions.”
Victor NelsonShow Notes
In today’s episode, we talk with Victor Nelson, a Solution Focused Pastoral Counselor and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, about
- our great time on Vancouver Island and the Orcas we saw
- what fascinates him about Solution Focus
- how a Solution Focused stance is unique for so many professionals
- what he does when he combines spirituality with Solution Focus or how he introduced a Solution Focused way of working with church congregations
- how spirituality (spiritual journeys) and Solution Focus connect for Vic and Elfie
- how he was introduced to Solution Focus (by his wife Thorana Nelson)
- how he got interested in a very effective Solution Focused program for violent offenders and applied that in his own counseling center
- how they brought SF to the community,
- the Solution Focused community worldwide (SFBTA, EBTA, collegues in Europe and China, etc.)
- how he empowered his employees to use their best abilities
- how he applies SF in class and how he supports his graduate students to become professionals
- his work, funny stories and his application of SF in his fly fishing shop
- his advice to be willing to join the Solution Focused community and ways to do that
- The challenge of the week: Become aware of the kind of questions you use in your conversations with the Good Questions Diary
Resources
- Sign up for the SFT List – the Solution Focused Mailing List and Network and/or the SOLUTIONS-L e-mail list
- This years EBTA Conference, the conference of the European Brief Therapy Association (EBTA), will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria from 21-23 September 2018. Check out this very special event – it’s EBTAs 25th Anniversary! – and connect with many brilliant SF practitioners!
- 2018 SFBTA Conference takes place in Boulder, Colorado.
- Connect with like-minded people! There are a lot of events and gatherings allowing to connect to Solution Focused practitioners, i.e. people who apply Solution Focused ideas in their work as therapists, coaches, trainers, teachers, leaders, social workers,… but also in life in general. Here are some SF gatherings (and there are many, many more!!!) worth taking a look at – and not only if you’re an SF practitioner but also if you’re just interested in finding out more about SF and in meeting great people!
- Online: Check out the Solution Focused Online Book Club on Facebook,
- 2018 SOL-World Summer Retreat takes place in Hungary, info regarding the SF Summer Retreat in Bali can be found here on Facebook, check out the Brieffest: Summer Intensive Coaching Training from 21-29 June 2018 and Brieffest: Train-the-Trainer from Track from 26-31 July 2018 in Toronto,
- and find many more events, e.g. in the SF Community Calendar, which also very much invites to add your Solution Focused events to the calendar to show what’s going on in this awesome worldwide community. Thank you, dear Rolf F. Katzenberger, for putting this calendar together and Thank You to everyone who helps making this calendar a vivid overview of SF events by adding upcoming Solution Focused events to this source!
- Here you can download your Good Questions Diary, developed by Palmen Panayotov & Boyan Strahilov, Solutions Centre Rousse, Bulgaria, for this weeks challenge.

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What a great place to be, Victoria, BC!



Join the conversation
Let’s make a difference for others, share your insights, and ask great questions! And be in contact with Victor. Ask him questions, and let him know what inspired you. Friendpower is stronger than willpower. So, let’s inspire each other! Share your ideas and thoughts on what inspired you and what differences this makes for you in your everyday life. Share as much detail as possible. Your story might be the one making a vital difference for someone else. Your thoughts and ideas matter and might encourage others to keep on going their SF journey. Share this podcast episode with your friends, clients or colleagues who you think might be inspired by this conversation. It could give them some practical ideas on how to apply Solution Focus in their daily life.
Thank you!
Thank you for listening to our podcast. You are awesome! That you listen to our podcast makes a huge difference for us. Please let us know and get in touch with us: Comment below or send us a message and tell us what difference our podcast series makes for you.
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Listen to more Simply Focus Podcast episodes:

SFP 85 – Interviewing for Efforts: Exploring Effort Focus and Microanalysis of Face-to-Face Dialogue with Harry Korman

SFP 84 – Trust the Model: A Constant Immersion in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Teaching, and Supervision with Jocelyne Lopez-Korman

SFP 83 – A Passion for Empowerment: Giving Young People a Voice with Solution Focus with Tara Gretton

SFP 73 – A Genuine Alternative: Differences Between Solution Focus and Problem Solving with Rayya Ghul

SFP 71 – Facilitating Change With Teams: John Brooker About Collaborating and the DNA of Solution Focus

SFP 68 – Inspiring the Next Generation: Unlearning and Unteaching Solution-Focused Practice with Dr. Biba Rebolj

SFP 67 – Building on What Works: A Different Kind of Conversation in School Counseling with Erin Cusanno

SFP 66 – Towards Collectivising Solution-Focused Practice: Into the Community with Hope and the Ordinary in Action with Guy Shennan

SFP 65 – Nothing special about it – From Mental Health to End of Life and Grief Counseling with Joel K. Simon

SFP 64 – Applying Systemic Structural Constellations SySt® and Solution Focus with Ute Habenicht and Norbert Wandl

SFP 61 – Crossing Paths: Solution Focused Practices and Community Building in Slovakia with Andrea Schovancová and Marek Koreň

SFP 59 – Supporting communication choices: How to use Solution Focused ideas in university teaching with Dr. David Weber

SFP 58 – Celebrating the SFWorldDay: The Three Questions for a Good Life with Sébastien Vernieuwe and members of the Swiss Network for Solution Focused Work (NLA)

SFP 57 – Our Perception matters: How to be minutely curious about clients being at their best with Dr. Adam Froerer

SFP 56 – Don’t assume, ask: A unique conversation about common factors, respect, and keeping clients at the center with Prof. John Murphy

SFP 55 – Practice-Based Evidence: Looking at what is effective in what we do with Prof. Frank Thomas

SFP 53 – Solution-Focused Therapy with Children and Adolescents: Creative and Play-Based Approaches with Becky Taylor

SFP 52 – Happy Birthday Simply Focus Podcast: A meaningful conversation about our journey with John Murphy

SFP 51 – Putting differences to work: The Solution Focused Counseling Program at TCU with Becky Taylor, Frank Thomas, Marcella Stark and three of their PH.D. students

SFP 50 – Being out there with Solution Focus: A hopeful perspective for the medical sector and sexual minorities with Benjamin Finlayson

SFP 49 – Living on the streets: A conversation about connection, humanity and the importance of community with Stacy Nelson

SFP 41 – Solution Focus is an Evidence-Based Intervention: The Impact of Research for Solution Focus with Johnny S. Kim

SFP 38 – Exceptional Sessions: Animal-Assisted Solution Focused Brief Therapy & More with Teri Pichot

SFP 32 – Small steps count: A conversation about SF parenting, SF in Japan and more with Keiko Yoneyama

SFP 27 – Hope in Action: A Conversation with Heather Fiske about Solution Focused Suicide Prevention

SFP 26 – Celebrating Half a Year SIMPLY FOCUS Podcast with That Reminds Me Of The Following Story by Hannes Couvreur

SFP 23 – What directions do you choose in your conversations? – A face-to-face dialogue with Dr. Peter de Jong
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I have been so inspired by the Simply Focus podcasts. This one inspired me because it highlights that SF can be a part of life and work and relationships in so many ways. When I listen to Vic it brings back 25 years of memories with Vic. As stated in the podcast Vic holds the position as my best boss ever. Beyond that we are colleagues and friends. I look forward to all being together in November. Thanks Elfie and Dominik for continuing this SF journey.
Yes “SF can be a part of life and work and relationships in so many ways.” Wow! Thank you, dear Pam, for being on this journey with us!