Abstract
Brief therapy, with America playing the central role, has become one of the main flows in the field of psychotherapy today. The roots of brief therapy can be found in the outstanding psychotherapy of M.Erickson, and the human communication research by G.Bateson and his group. From there, the new psychotherapy project at MRI (Mental Research Institute), headed by J.H.Weakland, formed the foundation of brief therapy. J.Haley developed a creative remedy called the strategic approach, and today, the solution-focused approach by S.de Shazer and I.Kim Berg has become very influential. The narrative model and systems approach seen in family therapy also have a close relation to it. In resolving the clinical problems of man, brief therapy takes a different point of view from the usual medical psychology, which looks for the cause and pathology of the problem. The factors regarded as important in brief therapy are pragmatism, social constructionism, the development of therapeutic language which focuses more on the solution rather than the problem itself, and the client/family's needs, thus proving that a brief, effective and efficient therapy is possible. Recently, there have been reports of practical treatment using brief therapy in the field of psychosomatic medicine. By offering a concrete way to focus on the resource and strength that pull out the solution that is characteristic of each client/family, brief therapy shows the possibility that may open the door to a new "holistic medicine" in psychosomatic medicine.
