Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal Volume 14, Number 4, August 1997 A Solution-Oriented Approach to Working with Juvenile Offenders Jacqueline Corcoran, Ph.D. ABSTRACT: This article describes the ways in which a solution-focused prac- tice approach is advantageous for social workers working in a variety of set- tings with juvenile offenders, due to its strengths-based and positive orienta- tion. The general approach is discussed as well as specific techniques and examples of applications, such as building a relationship with a juvenile of- fender who has been mandated into services, finding and amplifying excep- tions to the problem and other resources and strengths, and setting goals with the use of scaling questions. Solution-focused therapy is one of the newest models to enter the psy- chotherapy movement. Influenced by a variety of theories, including Eriksonian, MRI brief therapy, strategic, cognitive-behavioral, and narrative models, the crux of the solution-oriented approach is a unique emphasis on strengths and solutions rather than problems and dysfunction. Solution-oriented therapy has been used with various populations, including couples (Hudson & O'Hanlon, 1992; Wiener- Davis, 1992), sexual abuse survivors (Dolan, 1991; Durant & Ko- walski, 1991), people with chemical addictions (Berg & Miller, 1992), parents who are abusive (Berg, 1994), and middle and high school students identified as "at-risk" for dropout in the school setting (Cor- coran, under review). Although the use of the scaling technique from solution-oriented therapy has been applied to youth and their fami- lies with a multitude of presenting concerns, including juvenile jus- tice involvement (Franklin, Corcoran, Streeter, & Nowicki, under re- view), the use of a solution-focused approach with juvenile offenders has not been applied in a systematic manner. However, the solution- Jacqueline Corcoran, Ph.D., LMSW-ACP, is Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of Texas, Arlington, Texas. Address communications to Jacqueline Corcoran, Ph.D., LMSW-ACP, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Arlington, Box 19129, Arlington, Texas 76019. 277 © 1997 Human Sciences Press, Inc.