Last week I had the opportunity to facilitate a working on creative problem solving with a group who were exploring different ways of addressing emotional wellness. Although creative problem solving has been around as long as humans have been thinking creatively and solving problems, I found it refreshing to revisit some of the activities and then use it myself to address the roadblocks in a fun way which also were great stress relievers. So what is Creative problem-solving? It is defined in the web as a type of\u00a0problem solving, it is the mental process of searching for a new and novel\u00a0creative\u00a0solution to a\u00a0problem, a solution which is novel, original and not obvious.<\/p>\n
Trying to find some evidence based research I came across a course on Creative Problem Solving Process (CPSP) has been taught at the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo College in Buffalo, New York. According to them the CPSP involves seven straightforward steps; Clarify and identify the problem; Research the problem; Formulate creative challenges; Generate ideas; Combine and evaluate the ideas; Draw up an action plan and finally Do it! (Implement the ideas). It\u2019s a word that often has a great deal of positive power and energy associated with it, within and across cultures. One of the premises of fostering the idea of suing creativity is to establish an open, safe atmosphere by supporting and reinforcing unusual ideas and responses of individuals when engaged in both creative\/exploratory and critical\/developmental thinking. This resonates with me as a counsellor as this is one of the techniques which helps me to set goals and works on solution focused outcomes with clients.<\/p>\n