I have been a Consultant Psychiatrist in the NHS since 1980. I currently hold a part-time contract with Children’s Services in Dorset Healthcare University Foundation Trust. I have experience in all aspects of psychiatry including secure care. My psychotherapy training includes psychodynamic, group and systemic approaches and I am registered as a family therapist and supervisor with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy. I have been the Medical Director of two Trusts and Project Director of the Mental Health Institute at St Martin's College in Carlisle and Lancaster. I am the Research Coordinator and former President and Secretary of the European Brief Therapy Association. I work as a trainer and supervisor and as a management consultant. Training workshops include solution-focused therapy, solution-focused approaches to mental health and organisational skills for finding cooperation in the workplace. I am a former Director of Dorset Child and Family Counselling Trust and a Trustee of the Dorset Trust for Counselling and Psychotherapy, both local charities.

Teaching and training in solution-focused brief therapy has been my chief interest for 20 years. I have taught in the USA, South Africa, China, Singapore and Australia, as well as many countries in Europe. I have special experience in the application of these ideas within the mental health setting and with offenders. My main research interest is in the study of process and outcomes in therapy. I have over 40 peer-reviewed publications and numerous other published pieces. My book ‘Solution focused Therapy: Theory, Research and Practice’ was published in 2007. I am on the editorial board of two journals and I supervise a research group in China. I am the Scientific Advisor for the Helsinki Psychotherapy Institute. My annotated bibliography of the current literature on this site may be freely copied with acknowledgement. I am co-author of a vocabulary book for backpackers and business travellers.

Relevant examples of my publications are listed below.

Macdonald, AJ  'Brief Therapy in a Mental Hospital'.  Context (Association for Family Therapy Newsletter), 1990, 6, 40-41.
Macdonald, AJ  'Training and Outcome in Supervised Individual Psychotherapy'. British Journal of Psychotherapy, 1992, 8, 237-266.
Macdonald, AJ  'Systemic Family Therapy in Adult Psychiatry'.  British Journal of  Psychiatry, 1992, 160, 718 (letter).
Macdonald, AJ  'Family Therapy in the Training of General Psychiatrists'. Psychiatric Bulletin, 1993, 17, 173 (letter).
Macdonald, AJ  'Brief Therapy in Adult Psychiatry'.  Journal of Family Therapy, 1994,16, 415-426.
Macdonald, AJ ‘Training and outcome in supervised individual psychotherapy’ British Journal of  Psychotherapy, 1995, 12, 132 (letter).
Macdonald, AJ  'Brief Therapy in Adult Psychiatry: Further Outcomes'. Journal of Family Therapy, 1997, 19, 213-222.
Macdonald, AJ ‘Losungsorientierte Kurtzzeittherapie in einer schottische Psychiatrie: Die Erfahrungen von acht Jahren’  In: Eberling,W & Vogt-Hillman, M (Eds): Kurzgefasst: Zum Stand der losungorientierten Praxis von Europa; borgmann publishing, Dortmund 1998.
Macdonald AJ  Chapter.  In: Berg, I K and Dolan, Y (eds) ‘Tales of Solutions: a collection of hope-inspiring stories’  Norton: New York 2001.
Macdonald AJ ‘Solution-focused brief therapy’  Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 2002, 8, 316 (letter).
Macdonald AJ  ‘Research in solution-focused therapy’  In: O’Connell, Bill ‘Solution-focused therapy in practice’  Sage Publications: London 2002.
Macdonald AJ ‘Solution-focused brief therapy’ Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 2002, 8, 316 (letter).
Macdonald AJ, Ross J ‘Solution-focused brief therapy in general practice’, Journal of Primary Care Mental Health and Education, 2003, 7, 68-69.
Macdonald AJ ‘Hyperventilation: a curable cause of symptoms of anxiety’  Journal of Primary Care Mental Health and Education, 2004, 7, 105-108. (For patient leaflet click here.)
Macdonald AJ  ‘Thiamine treatment of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome in alcoholism’,  Psychiatric Bulletin, 2005, 29, 233 (letter).
Macdonald AJ  ‘Input via partners for anxiety and depression in primary care’. Journal of Primary Care Mental Health and Education, 2005, 8, 61.
Macdonald AJ ‘Voices: an exercise in developing solution focused conversations with the mentally ill.’ Journal of Family Psychotherapy (special issue: Solution Focused Brief Therapy Training), Ed Nelson TS.  2005, 16:1/2.
Macdonald AJ ‘Brief therapy in adult psychiatry: results from 15 years of practice’ Journal of Family Therapy, 2005, 27, 65-75.
Macdonald AJ ‘Applying solution-focused brief therapy in acute mental health care’ In: Thomas FN and Nelson T (Eds) ‘Applications of solution-focused brief therapy’ Howarth Press: New York 2007.
Macdonald, AJ ‘Solution-focused Therapy: Theory, Research and Practice’.  Sage: London 2007.
Macdonald AJ ‘Solution-focused situation management: finding cooperation quickly’.  In Lueger, G. and Korn, H-P. (eds) ‘Solution-focused Management’.  Rainer Hampp Verlag: Munchen und Mering 2006. 
Macdonald AJ ‘Warmup / starting exercise for solution-focused workshops in therapy and management: too many to shake hands?’  in ‘57 SF Activities for Facilitators and Consultants’ P. Rohrig and J. Clarke (eds), Solution Books: Cheltenham, UK  / Managerseminare Verlag: Koln / Bonn 2008.
Macdonald AJ  ‘Applying solution-focused brief therapy in acute mental health care’  In: Thomas FN and Nelson T (Eds) ‘Clinical applications of solution-focused brief therapy’  Howarth Press: New York 2007.
Macdonald AJ  ‘A journey towards solutions.’   In Metcalf L and Connie E (eds), The Art of Solution-focused Therapy.  Springer: New York 2009.
Macdonald AJ ‘Solution focused brief therapy.’  In Nelson-Jones R (ed) Theory and Practice of Counselling and Therapy (5th edn).  Sage Publications: London 2010.
Bakker JM, Bannink FP, Macdonald AJ  ‘Solution-focused psychiatry.’ Psychiatric Bulletin, 2010 34, 297-300.
Macdonald AJ. Solution focused brief therapy.  In Nelson-Jones R (ed) Theory and Practice of Counselling and Therapy (5th edn).  Sage Publications: London 2010.
Macdonald AJ. Solution focused brief therapy.  In Nelson-Jones R (ed) Six Key Approaches to Counselling and Therapy.  Sage Publications: London 2010.
Macdonald AJ, Popovic M (2010)  100 Useful Words in 37 Languages: The Essential Vocabulary To Travel The World.  Olympia Publishers: London.
Montagu R, Macdonald AJ.  (2010)  A New Initiative In Child And Family Counselling: Dorset Child And Family Counselling Trust. Context: Newsletter of Association for Family Therapy, 112: 35-38.
Macdonald AJ (2011) Introduction to classic paper. Interaction, 3: 46-7.
Macdonald AJ (2011) Common questions about solution-focused approaches.  Interaction, 3: 21-33.
Gingerich WJ, Kim J, Stams GJJ, Macdonald AJ.  Current evidence base for solution focused therapy.  In Franklin C, Trepper T, Gingerich WJ, McCollum EE (eds) Solution-focused Brief Therapy: A Handbook of Evidence-Based Practice. Oxford University Press: New York 2011.
Macdonald AJ (2011)  Some recent studies of outcome in solution-focused research. Solution focused Research Review (in press).
Macdonald AJ (2011)  Studies of outcome in solution-focused research since 2007.  Context: Newsletter of Association for Family Therapy (in press).

In press / in preparation:

Macdonald AJ (2007) ‘Solution-focused Therapy: Theory, Research and Practice’.  Sage: London.  (Mandarin translation; in press)
Luo, H, Macdonald AJ (2011)  Solution-focused training manual.  Ningbo Publishing House, ZheJiang, China (in preparation).
Macdonald AJ ‘Meeting Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg’  Essay in book of the same name, Wolf F and Vogt, M (eds).  Borgmann Publishers: Dortmund.