Solution-focused therapy is a goal-oriented and collaborative approach to psychotherapy that focuses on helping you identify and work towards solutions to your problems rather than dwelling on them. Using solution-focused therapy techniques, we explore the underlying causes, but only if and when we believe that understanding them better will lead to solutions in the present. At the end of this post, I present an example of solution-focused brief therapy.
Solution-focused therapy is considered a strengths-based approach, often in the Humanistic realm. It is often my approach of choice when a client wants a more short-term intervention, but it can be a facet of longer-term treatment as well. A subset of this approach is brief supportive psychotherapy.
Please reach out or schedule a consultation if you have questions about solution-focused therapy and how it might help you or a loved one.
Principles of Solution-Focused Therapy
Key principles and techniques of Solution-Focused Therapy include:
Solution-Focused Therapy is Future-Oriented
Solution-focused therapy is future-oriented, meaning it focuses on helping you create a vision of the future you want to achieve and develop a plan to get there rather than dwelling on past problems or traumas. As the name suggests, solution-focused therapy is typically short-term and emphasizes achieving quick and practical results.
Solution-Focused Therapy is Collaborative
We will work together as partners in the therapeutic process. I see you as the expert in your own life, and we’ll explore solutions rather than having me impose advice or interpretations. We’ll set clear, concrete, and achievable goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART goals). You will be actively involved in the therapeutic process, and your feedback will be valued.
Minimal Emphasis on Diagnosis
Unlike other therapeutic approaches focusing on diagnosing and treating specific mental health disorders, solution-focused therapy is less concerned with the diagnosis and more about helping you achieve your desired outcomes. It encourages clients to set specific, realistic, and measurable goals. These goals serve as a roadmap for therapy and provide a sense of direction.
Change Is Possible
Solution-focused therapy assumes that change is possible, even if it appears difficult or unlikely. Solution-focused therapy encourages hope and optimism by helping clients imagine and work towards positive outcomes. You will be encouraged to take small, manageable steps toward your goals. These incremental changes can lead to bigger transformations over time. This is why solution-focused therapists use positive and constructive language in client interactions. We ask questions, encouraging clients to explore their strengths, resources, and potential solutions.
Solutions Focused Therapy Techniques Focus on Exceptions
We will likely spend time focusing on periods when the problem is less severe or not present at all (the exceptions). By exploring these exceptions, you can gain insights into what works and how you can replicate positive experiences. This fits the fact that solution-focused therapy avoids labeling people with psychiatric diagnoses; instead, it focuses on helping you work toward their preferred outcomes.
Amplification of Success
I will use solution focused therapy techniques to amplify successful moments and progress by highlighting your achievements and helping you see the positive impact of your efforts. This reinforces motivation and confidence. I may use scaling questions to help you measure their progress and gain insight into the severity of their issues. This scaling helps you see your success and set realistic new expectations.
Solution Focused Therapy Techniques
This is a brief outline of some of the solution focused therapy techniques I use:
Solution-Focused Therapy Initial Questions
I will use a series of questions to help you clarify your goals and identify what is already working in your life. These questions reveal your strengths, resources, and past successes. I may ask you to rate their current situation on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being the worst and 10 being the best. This scaling helps you assess your progress and identify what it would take to move closer to your preferred outcome.
Solution-Focused Therapy Follow-up Questions
After the initial questions, I often ask you about times when your problems were less severe or absent. This helps you identify exceptions to your difficulties and explore what they did differently during those times. We will also discuss the “Miracle Question,” where you will be asked to imagine a miracle that happened overnight and solved your problem. We’ll then explore their life and the steps they could take to move in that direction. Questioning like this is a core part of solution focused therapy techniques.
Compliments and Reinforcement
You’ll hear genuine positive feedback and compliments when you share their strengths, successes, and progress. This helps reinforce your decisions that are moving you toward improvement. Of course, barriers and challenges will not be ignored, but they will covered in the context of hope and strength.
Solution Focused Therapy Techniques and Homework
I often assign homework, encouraging clients to practice new behaviors or strategies outside sessions. This helps you actively work toward your goals as much as you want and in a way that allows you to get feedback on the process. These homework assignments open up conversations on what is working and what could be improved.
Exception Amplification
When discussing exceptions to the problem, I often ask clients to describe the circumstances, thoughts, and feelings that contributed to those exceptions. This can help you replicate these positive experiences in the future.
Coping Cards
Some clients create coping cards that contain reminders of their strengths, resources, and coping strategies. They can carry these cards with them and use them in challenging situations.
These solution focused therapy techniques help clients shift their focus from problems to the solutions and resources they possess to make positive life changes. Solution-focused therapy is often used relatively short-term and structured, making it a practical approach for addressing specific issues.
How Can Solution-Focused Therapy Help
Solution-focused therapy can be helpful in various situations and for individuals of all ages. It is particularly effective in addressing various emotional and psychological challenges and helping individuals improve their well-being and relationships. Here’s how solution-focused therapy can be of assistance:
- Problem Resolution: Solution focused therapy techniques help you identify and work toward practical ways to address to your challenges. By focusing on solutions rather than problems, you can break issues down into manageable steps and take action to address them.
- Goal Achievement: This approach assists clients in setting and achieving specific, realistic goals. I will work with you to define clear, measurable, and achievable objectives and help you develop strategies for reaching these goals.
- Positive Change: Solution focused therapy techniques emphasize amplifying and building upon positive change and progress. This can boost confidence and motivation, leading to further improvement. By focusing on positive change, this approach can reduce rumination and negative thinking patterns, potentially alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Empowerment: Solution focused therapy techniques empower you by highlighting your strengths, abilities, and past successes. It encourages self-efficacy and a sense of control over your life. Clients can learn effective coping strategies and skills to handle life’s challenges more resiliently and adaptively.
- Improved Communication: In couples or family therapy, solution-focused techniques can enhance communication, understanding, and problem-solving skills. This can help resolve conflicts and improve relationships.
- Quick Results: Solution-focused therapy is often considered a brief and time-effective treatment. Many individuals experience positive changes relatively quickly, which can be encouraging and motivating.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Example
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) focuses on a client’s present and future circumstances and goals rather than past experiences. We work together to identify what you want to achieve through therapy and how to achieve these goals. Here is a fictitious example of how solution-focused brief therapy might work in my practice. It’s a simple description, and only the first step in multiple sessions, with new solution-focused brief therapy techniques, added each time. Still, it is designed to give you a general idea about the approach.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Scenario
A 35-year-old woman, Lilly, comes in feeling overwhelmed by stress at work. She feels stuck in her career and is unsure how to move forward. Lilly describes feeling like she’s not good enough and worries that she might fail if she tries to advance in her job.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Session
Me: “Lilly, it’s clear that work has been really stressful for you lately. Can you tell me what would be different if this stress were less of a problem for you?”
LIlly: “I think I’d feel more confident and maybe even enjoy going to work again. I wouldn’t feel so drained all the time.”
Me: “That sounds like a great place to be. Let’s imagine for a moment that you wake up tomorrow and the stress is gone. What would be the first thing you notice that tells you things are better?”
Lilly: “I think I’d feel more relaxed getting ready for work. I might even look forward to some of the tasks I have to do.”
Me: “It sounds like you’re saying you’d notice a change in your mood and outlook. What small steps you could take right now that might help you feel a bit more relaxed in the mornings?”
Lilly: “Maybe I could start with something simple, like setting my clothes out the night before or having a more calming morning routine.”
Me: “Those sound like great ideas. What do you think might happen if you tried that this week?”
Lilly: “I think it would make my mornings a little easier, and maybe I’d start the day feeling less stressed.”
Me: “That sounds promising. Let’s try that for the next week and see how it goes. When we meet again, we can discuss what worked well and what else we might add to your routine to keep building on that progress.”
Key Techniques in the Example
- Miracle Question: I asked Lilly to imagine how her life would be different if her problem were solved. This helps her envision a positive future and set goals.
- Scaling Questions: I might later ask Lilly to rate her current stress level from 0 to 10 and explore what would happen if she moved up one point on that scale.
- Identifying Strengths and Resources: I help Lilly recognize the small steps she can take and the strengths she already possesses.
- Setting Small, Achievable Goals: I encouraged Lilly to make small changes, such as adjusting her morning routine, which can lead to larger improvements over time. This is at the core of solution-focused brief therapy
This solution-focused brief therapy approach focuses on Lilly’s goals, resources, and potential for change rather than dwelling on her problems.
Conclusions and My Work
Solution-focused therapy can be particularly useful for individuals with specific situational problems and those looking for a pragmatic and strengths-based approach to change. I use it to include individual, couples, and family therapy. It can also be used in organizations and educational settings with small groups. I often integrate it into Executive Coaching, Sports Psychology, and College Admissions specialty services. Solution-focused brief therapy is a subset that involves fewer sessions.
Please reach out or schedule a consultation if you have questions about solution-focused therapy and how we might use it to help you overcome barriers and achieve success.
