Kidge Burns
DipSFP(BRIEF), Practice Accredited Member UKASFP, Solution Focused Practitioner & Trainer
“I have conversations with people who hope to see meaningful change in their lives, and I facilitate you to recognise your own strengths and resources as you move towards your hoped-for outcome.”
About
My Style
Solution Focused conversations facilitate people to find practical ways to achieve change. Each conversation is based on what you bring to the session; it is focused on your own everyday life and unique way of doing things. People say my sessions are warm, engaging and conversational. At the same time there is a structure to the conversation as it develops, particularly in the first session.
Before Our First Session
Solution focused practice assumes that everyone has hopes for something, even if they need might need help clarifying what that might look like. The first session begins with 'What are your best hopes from this conversation?' We will explore what this might look like in detail and what you are already doing that might contribute to these hopes being realised.
I Am Best With
Solution Focused practice can work well with anyone who is hoping for change in their lives. The key to its' effectiveness is in the fidelity of the practitioner to the approach: research shows that we do not need to combine it with other approaches. My own personal experience over the years has shown me that, regardless of the problem that a client might bring to the conversation, positive outcomes can be achieved even after a single session.
Referrals Welcome
Working in a hospital setting for 23 years I saw many clients dealing with anxiety and depression because of health conditions. I am comfortable having conversations with people of all ages: young adults aged 15 or older adults aged 100! My experience as a SLT means I am familiar with speech and communication difficulties. As an independent SF practitioner, I have helped people from all backgrounds and in different settings. Since the covid pandemic most work has been via the phone or online, but I also volunteer at a community setting where I meet people in person. I love what I do, and I think it is important to keep practising my counselling skills on a regular basis. I am also committed to supporting other professionals and SF supervision is invaluable in helping to prevent burnout. I provide ongoing group supervision online and 1:1. During Covid, for example, I supported healthcare professionals to deal with extreme work conditions - they felt they had little control over the environment they found themselves in and the solution focused approach helped them find a way forward.
I Refer Out For
Every conversation is confidential, but if a client presents as a risk to himself or others then I am professionally obliged to inform others. In the context in which I have worked, this will mean that I will talk with the organisation that has referred the client.
Outside the Practice
I enjoy travel (particularly Spain) and have lived abroad for several years, but I also enjoy living in London. We are fortunate to have lovely parks to explore and access to a wide range of activities and people to interact with. I enjoy spending time with family and practising my Spanish. Maintaining good health through exercise is important to me as well as the creative arts.
What Shaped My Practice
Working as a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) in a busy hospital in London, I saw many people with acute and chronic conditions who needed help. In 1997 I heard a colleague talk about the 'Miracle Question' and I became interested in how I could invite my clients to describe the future they were hoping for. I attended many workshops at BRIEF (the internationally recognised centre for training in Solution Focused Practice) and completed a diploma in 2006. I quickly began to use all aspects of SF in my daily practice, monitoring the positive outcomes I achieved with both acute and long-term conditions. I also developed my skills as an independent Solution Focused practitioner. Both as a solution focused SLT and as an independent SF Practitioner, I have been invited to train many others throughout the UK. I have written two books on my SF work in different settings, which includes the supervision programme I initiated within my team ('Ten Minute Talk'). I continue to learn from my clients after nearly 30 years of providing counselling and supervision, either 1:1 or in groups.
Details
LONDON, United Kingdom
GMT / UTC
Online
$100
No
Accepting new clients
English
she/her
29 years
BA Hons History, RSA Diploma in Linguistics, PGDip Speech and Language Therapy, Dip Solution Focused Practice(BRIEF), Practice Accredited Member UKASFP, Member of RCSLT.
Yes
No
Mornings / Afternoons