This book describes a general view of solutions and how they work and of related specific procedures that have been developed during 15 years of doing and studying brief therapy.

"Join de Shazer behind the on-way mirror for a fascinating journey into the land of brief therapy, where the emphasis is not on how problems arise, but on how to solve them. His case examples read like well-written detective novels, and his concept of 'skeleton key' interventions is both provocative and promising. This is a book that is firmly grounded in the tradition of Milton Erickson, but that extends Erickson's work into new areas. Highly recommended." —Bill O'Hanlon, Editor, Milton H.Erickson Foundation Newsletter

"De Shazer's work is testimony to simplicity and parsimony in the therapeutic art of addressing the complex. The author's sense of delight, curiosity, and utter respect for the human condition and people's capacity for creative problem-solving resound in rich case examples, therapist repertoire, and team cooperation. This book presents a teachable model whose outer edges remain open, flexible, and inviting." —Evan Imber Coppersmith, Ph.D., University of Calgary

"De Shazer offers, among other things, an expansion of our horizons by an emphasis on solutions as counterweight to previous emphasis on the origins or the nature of problems, an expansion of one's vision of 'cooperation' in therapy as contrasted to 'resistance,' including ideas about how to work with those vague clients who are otherwise the bane of strategic therapists, and some seminal thoughts on 'formula' interventions. These last, together with the recent work of Mara Selvini Palazzoli, may well mark an important new step." —John H. Weakland, Ch.E., Mental Research Institute, Palo Alto