The Action Factory Podcast

#122 Lifeshare Manchester

Welcome to another Action Factory Podcast with me, Michael Dawson.
Before we begin this episode, here's a quick reminder: Don't miss my 30-minute webinar 'The BIG 4 in Youth Work.' You'll also get two powerful tools and my popular 'Brief Therapy Toolkit' eBook—already a hit with nearly 40,000 youth workers. Click below to subscribe and watch!"
 WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR
 
Now, lets begin...
Doing the podcast here has taken me back a few years to the thing I loved most during ten years on FM radio. Talking to the most interesting and fascinating people I could find. 
For that reason and because thousands of you now listen to us I have changed the name of the podcast to the Action Factory Podcast.
This will enable me to open up our remit and seek out fascinating people. It's all selfish and it's all for me but still, if you'd like to share or click something for a stranger then please do. After thousands of downloads we have very few subscribers.
 
This week I'm introducing a chat I had with an organisation called Lifeshare. They provide services for Manchesters homeless such as breakfasts and Christmas dinners.
They are at www.lifeshare.org.uk where you can volunteer or donate.
Visit us at www.theactionfactory.com
Grab the free digital download here.
BIG Four Download
 

#121 Who cares, wins

Welcome to another Action Factory Podcast with me, Michael Dawson.
Before we begin this episode, here's a quick reminder: Don't miss my 30-minute webinar 'The BIG 4 in Youth Work.' You'll also get two powerful tools and my popular 'Brief Therapy Toolkit' eBook—already a hit with nearly 40,000 youth workers. Click below to subscribe and watch!"
 WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR
 
Now, lets begin...
Welcome to the solutions toolkit podcast from the Action Factory.
I'm Michael Dawson
Yes, I've neglected you but saying I've been busy probably won't cut it.
For the 9th time I took it upon myself to cycle the Tour De France from start to finish. (direct) before you get too impressed. A mere thousand or so Km and that's a podcast right there.
I also managed to finish the new studio at our home in France. Another potential podcast.
Instead, I wanted to talk to myself again about something personal. 
Not what the hell got me here but most importantly, who the hell got me here?
I thought it would be interesting to say it out loud because in the main it was people like you.
Residential carers
Social workers
Teachers.
So I just wanted to say thanks.
I've finished the solutions toolkit audio course and I'll be releasing it to subscribers early. Why?
Because I value your opinion.
Visit us at www.theactionfactory.com
Grab the free digital download here.
BIG Four Download

#120 Why did the solution focused therapist cross the road?

Welcome to another Action Factory Podcast with me, Michael Dawson.
Before we begin this episode, here's a quick reminder: Don't miss my 30-minute webinar 'The BIG 4 in Youth Work.' You'll also get two powerful tools and my popular 'Brief Therapy Toolkit' eBook—already a hit with nearly 40,000 youth workers. Click below to subscribe and watch!"
 WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR
 
Now, lets begin...
I believe that solution focused workers don't need to be therapists and they don't need problems to solve. Having had comments both in person and online about my attitude towards traditional therapists and their methods I thought it worth some clarity.
I often quote in sessions my Aunt Betty, of course Aunt Betty doesn’t exist in reality as a person but she does exist. In fact Aunt Betty might even be you.
So before I explain let me tell you something about Aunt Betty. She is an extremely positive person, she is someone who is always fun and reassuring to be around. In a crisis it’s aunt betty who remains calm and focuses on the positive. In fact when things go wrong in life then it’s Aunt Betty that people gravitate to. People who talk to aunt betty about problems always come away feeling more upbeat and positive about a solution, the problem seems smaller and sometimes afterwards it seems to evaporate all by itself. The funny thing about Aunt Betty is this. She never gives advice or instruction or any of those things. Yes Aunt Betty will tell stories or mention her experiences but never directs them at anyone. Whenever I talk about Aunt Betty then I’m talking about any one of our clients, the social workers, teachers and residential workers whom we train in solution focused working. As i said earlier I could be talking about you.
So here’s the thing. Aunt Betty isn’t trained in the solution focused approach, she certainly never did any therapeutic training either formal or informal. She has no degree’s and wouldn’t know the first thing about therapy. She has no experience and never wrote a book or paper.
However, let me ask you a question
Is she the kind of person that you'd prefer to approach in a crisis?
Visit us at www.theactionfactory.com
Grab the free digital download here.
BIG Four Download
 

#119 Solution focused lessons from 1963

Welcome to another Action Factory Podcast with me, Michael Dawson.
Before we begin this episode, here's a quick reminder: Don't miss my 30-minute webinar 'The BIG 4 in Youth Work.' You'll also get two powerful tools and my popular 'Brief Therapy Toolkit' eBook—already a hit with nearly 40,000 youth workers. Click below to subscribe and watch!"
 WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR
 
Now, lets begin...
I suffer from solution focused bias, I see it everywhere. Yesterday I was reading a very old book called the power of the subconscious mind by Dr John Murphy. It was first published in 1963.
Although John Murphy doesn't refer to the miracle question, mainly because it wasn't invented in 1963 I recognised that there might be some lessons for us within his words.In this podcast I pull out three principles that he insists we apply to our subconscious thought process. Once the miracle question is adopted then surely this is a subconscious thought process for your clients. Used in your work then these principles can help you multiply its power and thus multiply the effect with clients. I think these three principles might serve us when using our own version of the miracle question.
1. Physically speak out loud
2. Repeat daily.
3. Speak in the present tense.
They can't be followed verbatim, then again neither can the solution focused approach. We help our clients adapt and adopt this powerful model (sfbt) into their working lives. A thing we call proactive therapy. It helps improve lives and it doesn't look for problems.
Visit us at www.theactionfactory.com
Grab the free digital download here.
BIG Four Download
 
 

#118 The universal LAWS of the solution focused approach

Welcome to another Action Factory Podcast with me, Michael Dawson.
Before we begin this episode, here's a quick reminder: Don't miss my 30-minute webinar 'The BIG 4 in Youth Work.' You'll also get two powerful tools and my popular 'Brief Therapy Toolkit' eBook—already a hit with nearly 40,000 youth workers. Click below to subscribe and watch!"
 WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR
 
Now, lets begin...
There are a number of principles behind the solution focused approach that are unchanging under any circumstance. Like Issac Newtons laws of motion they apply in every situation. Whether you're a professor of solution focused therapy or simply my aunt betty, if your solution focused then these laws apply.
If you can apply these in your work then you will be a solution focused worker. Everything else is simply the tools. As we discuss in the podcast, Issac Newtons laws are principles. Our tools such as airplanes, rockets and human cannonballs are just tools. Likewise in practice we have to start with the 'LAWS' of the solution focused approach.
ALSO: Exciting news as we launch our individual training course online. Over 2.5 hours of video content designed to take the solution focused model out of the therapy room and into your workplace. Launch offer. 
Visit us at www.theactionfactory.com
Grab the free digital download here.
BIG Four Download