Hope in Practice: Applying Solution-Focused Communication Techniques in Response to Crisis
Presented by Laurra Aagaard, MA, MS
Course Description: As a faith community nurse, or other professional in ministry, you are on the front lines of mental health and substance use care. It is possible that you engage with people and their families during some of their most vulnerable moments. This interactive session introduces attendees to the Solution Focused model, an evidence-informed, strengths-based approach that emphasizes hope, possibility, and patient resources over pathology, diagnosis and problems.
Rather than focusing on what's wrong, this model guides faith community professionals in helping people move toward hope, and what is possible. Participants will learn and practice strategies such as the miracle question, scaling techniques, and exception finding, all tailored for use in time-limited, high-stress community environments.
OBJECTIVES: At the end of this session participants will:
- Spot the Shift: Describe the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) model assists in directing conversations from focusing on problems to uncovering possibilities using application of with substance use, anxiety and depression.
- Use the Tools of Hope: Identify and apply at least three key techniques—such as the miracle question, scaling, and exception-finding—to support change in patients with depression, anxiety, and substance use.
- Reframe the Dialogue: Practice language that highlights patient strengths and small successes, even in brief or high-pressure nursing encounters.
- Bring It to the Bedside: Adapt solution-focused strategies to real-world nursing settings, helping patients envision progress and regain a sense of agency.
DATE: October 7, 2025
TIME: 3-5 pm AKT, 4-6 pm PT, 5-7 pm MT, 6-8 pm CT, 7-9 pm ET
Registration fee: $30 for LFCNA members/$50 for non-members
Nursing Contact hours provided: 2.0
This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by Montana Nurses Association, an accredited approver with distinction by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. To receive contact hours for this event, attendees must attend the entire event and submit a completed evaluation form.
Speaker Bio: Laurra is a faculty member at the University of CO, College of Nursing, situated on the Anschutz Medical Campus. With a rich professional history spanning since the early 1980s, Laura has been actively engaged in consulting, teaching, and training professionals across diverse domains.
Her expertise lies in several key areas, including wellness, communication strategies such as motivational interviewing, and solution-focused conversations. Laura plays a pivotal role in collaborating with interdisciplinary teams within the healthcare sector to implement best practices and foster team-based care.
For more information and Ms Aagaard's full bio, CLICK HERE.
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