solution focused problem solving model

7 Solution-Focused Therapy Techniques and Worksheets (+PDF)

It has analyzed a person’s problems from where they started and how those problems have an effect on that person’s life.

Out of years of observation of family therapy sessions, the theory and applications of solution-focused therapy developed.

Let’s explore the therapy, along with techniques and applications of the approach.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

5 solution-focused therapy techniques, handy sft worksheets (pdf), solution-focused therapy interventions, 5 sft questions to ask clients, solution-focused brief therapy (sfbt techniques), 4 activities & exercises, best sft books, a take-home message.

Solution-focused therapy is a type of treatment that highlights a client’s ability to solve problems, rather than why or how the problem was created. It was developed over some time after observations of therapists in a mental health facility in Wisconsin by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg and their colleagues.

Like positive psychology, Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) practitioners focus on goal-oriented questioning to assist a client in moving into a future-oriented direction.

Solution-focused therapy has been successfully applied to a wide variety of client concerns due to its broad application. It has been utilized in a wide variety of client groups as well. The approach presupposes that clients have some knowledge of what will improve their lives.

The following areas have utilized SFT with varying success:

relationship difficulties
drug and alcohol abuse
eating disorders
anger management
communication difficulties
crisis intervention
incarceration recidivism reduction

Goal clarification is an important technique in SFT. A therapist will need to guide a client to envision a future without the problem with which they presented. With coaching and positive questioning, this vision becomes much more clarified.

With any presenting client concern, the main technique in SFT is illuminating the exception. The therapist will guide the client to an area of their life where there is an exception to the problem. The exception is where things worked well, despite the problem. Within the exception, an approach for a solution may be forged.

The ‘miracle question’ is another technique frequently used in SFT. It is a powerful tool that helps clients to move into a solution orientation. This question allows clients to begin small steps toward finding solutions to presenting problems (Santa Rita Jr., 1998). It is asked in a specific way and is outlined later in this article.

Experiment invitation is another way that therapists guide clients into solution orientation. By inviting clients to build on what is already working, clients automatically focus on the positive. In positive psychology, we know that this allows the client’s mind to broaden and build from that orientation.

Utilizing what has been working experimentally allows the client to find what does and doesn’t work in solving the issue at hand. During the second half of a consultation with a client, many SFT therapists take a break to reflect on what they’ve learned during the beginning of the session.

Consultation breaks and invitations for more information from clients allow for both the therapist and client to brainstorm on what might have been missed during the initial conversations. After this break, clients are complemented and given a therapeutic message about the presenting issue. The message is typically stated in the positive so that clients leave with a positive orientation toward their goals.

Here are four handy worksheets for use with solution-focused therapy.

Miracle worksheet
Exceptions to the Problem Worksheet
Scaling Questions Worksheet
SMART+ Goals Worksheet

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Compliments are frequently used in SFT, to help the client begin to focus on what is working, rather than what is not. Acknowledging that a client has an impact on the movement toward a goal allows hope to become present. Once hope and perspective shift occurs, a client can decide what daily actions they would like to take in attaining a goal.

Higher levels of hope and optimism can predict the following desirable outcomes (Peterson & Seligman, 2004):

achievement in all sorts of areas
freedom from anxiety and depression
improved social relationships
improved physical well being

Mind mapping is an effective intervention also used to increase hope and optimism. This intervention is often used in life coaching practices. A research study done on solution-focused life coaching (Green, Oades, & Grant, 2006) showed that this type of intervention increases goal striving and hope, in addition to overall well-being.

Though life coaching is not the same as therapy, this study shows the effectiveness of improving positive behavior through solution-focused questioning.

Mind mapping is a visual thinking tool that helps structure information. It helps clients to better analyze, comprehend, and generate new ideas in areas they might not have been automatically self-generated. Having it on paper gives them a reference point for future goal setting as well.

Empathy is vital in the administration of SFBT. A client needs to feel heard and held by the practitioner for any forward movement to occur. Intentionally leaning in to ensure that a client knows that the practitioner is engaged in listening is recommended.

Speaking to strengths and aligning those strengths with goal setting are important interventions in SFT. Recognizing and acknowledging what is already working for the client validates strengths. Self-recognition of these strengths increases self-esteem and in turn, improves forward movement.

The questions asked in Solution-Focused Therapy are positively directed and in a goal-oriented stance. The intention is to allow a perspective shift by guiding clients in the direction of hope and optimism to lead them to a path of positive change. Results and progress come from focusing on the changes that need to be made for goal attainment and increased well being.

1. Miracle Question

Here is a clear example of how to administer the miracle question. It should be delivered deliberately. When done so, it allows the client to imagine the miracle occurring.

“ Now, I want to ask you a strange question. Suppose that while you are sleeping tonight and the entire house is quiet, a miracle happens. The miracle is that the problem which brought you here is solved. However, because you are sleeping, you don’t know that the miracle has happened. So, when you wake up tomorrow morning, what will be different that will tell you that a miracle has happened and the problem which brought you here is solved? ” (de Shazer, 1988)

2. Presupposing change questions

A practitioner of solution-focused therapy asks questions in an approach derived way.

Here are a few examples of presupposing change questions:

“What stopped complete disaster from occurring?” “How did you avoid falling apart.” “What kept you from unraveling?”

3. Exception Questions

Examples of exception questions include:

1. Tell me about times when you don’t get angry. 2. Tell me about times you felt the happiest. 3. When was the last time that you feel you had a better day? 4. Was there ever a time when you felt happy in your relationship? 5. What was it about that day that made it a better day? 6. Can you think of a time when the problem was not present in your life?

4. Scaling Questions

These are questions that allow a client to rate their experience. They also allow for a client to evaluate their motivation to change their experience. Scaling questions allow for a practitioner to add a follow-up question that is in the positive as well.

An example of a scaling question: “On a scale of 1-10, with 10 representing the best it can be and one the worst, where would you say you are today?”

A follow-up question: “ Why a four and not a five?”

Questions like these allow the client to explore the positive, as well as their commitment to the changes that need to occur.

5. Coping Questions

These types of questions open clients up to their resiliency. Clients are experts in their life experience. Helping them see what works, allows them to grow from a place of strength.

“How have you managed so far?” “What have you done to stay afloat?” “What is working?”

3 Scaling questions from Solution Focused Therapy – Uncommon Practitioners

The main idea behind SFBT is that the techniques are positively and solution-focused to allow a brief amount of time for the client to be in therapy. Overall, improving the quality of life for each client, with them at the center and in the driver’s seat of their growth. SFBT typically has an average of 5-8 sessions.

During the sessions, goals are set. Specific experimental actions are explored and deployed into the client’s daily life. By keeping track of what works and where adjustments need to be made, a client is better able to track his or her progress.

A method has developed from the Miracle Question entitled, The Miracle Method . The steps follow below (Miller & Berg, 1996). It was designed for combatting problematic drinking but is useful in all areas of change.

State your desire for something in your life to be different.
Envision a miracle happening, and your life IS different.
Make sure the miracle is important to you.
Keep the miracle small.
Define the change with language that is positive, specific, and behavioral.
State how you will start your journey, rather than how you will end it.
Be clear about who, where, and when, but not the why.

A short selection of exercises which can be used

1. Solution-focused art therapy/ letter writing

A powerful in-session task is to request a client to draw or write about one of the following, as part of art therapy :

a picture of their miracle
something the client does well
a day when everything went well. What was different about that day?
a special person in their life

2. Strengths Finders

Have a client focus on a time when they felt their strongest. Ask them to highlight what strengths were present when things were going well. This can be an illuminating activity that helps clients focus on the strengths they already have inside of them.

A variation of this task is to have a client ask people who are important in their lives to tell them how they view the client’s strengths. Collecting strengths from another’s perspective can be very illuminating and helpful in bringing a client into a strength perspective.

3. Solution Mind Mapping

A creative way to guide a client into a brainstorm of solutions is by mind mapping. Have the miracle at the center of the mind map. From the center, have a client create branches of solutions to make that miracle happen. By exploring solution options, a client will self-generate and be more connected to the outcome.

4. Experiment Journals

Encourage clients to do experiments in real-life settings concerning the presenting problem. Have the client keep track of what works from an approach perspective. Reassure the client that a variety of experiments is a helpful approach.

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These books are recommended reads for solution-focused therapy.

1. The Miracle Method: A Radically New Approach to Problem Drinking – Insoo Kim Berg and Scott D. Miller Ph.D.

The Miracle Method by Scott D. Miller and Insoo Kim Berg is a book that has helped many clients overcome problematic drinking since the 1990s.

By utilizing the miracle question in the book, those with problematic drinking behaviors are given the ability to envision a future without the problem.

Concrete, obtainable steps in reaching the envisioned future are laid out in this supportive read.

Available on Amazon .

2. Solution Focused Brief Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques – Harvey Ratney, Evan George and Chris Iveson

Solution Focused Brief Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques is a well-received book on solution-focused therapy. Authors Ratner, George, and Iveson provide a concisely written and easily understandable guide to the approach.

Its accessibility allows for quick and effective change in people’s lives.

The book covers the approach’s history, philosophical underpinnings, techniques, and applications. It can be utilized in organizations, coaching, leadership, school-based work, and even in families.

The work is useful for any practitioner seeking to learn the approach and bring it into practice.

3. Handbook of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (Jossey-Bass Psychology) – Scott D. Miller, Mark Hubble and Barry L. Duncan

It includes work from 28 of the lead practitioners in the field and how they have integrated the solution-focused approach with the problem-focused approach.

It utilizes research across treatment modalities to better equip new practitioners with as many tools as possible.

4. More Than Miracles: The State of the Art of Solution -Focused Therapy (Routledge Mental Health Classic Editions) – Steve de Shazer and Yvonne Dolan

It allows the reader to peek into hundreds of hours of observation of psychotherapy.

It highlights what questions work and provides a thoughtful overview of applications to complex problems.

Solution-Focused Therapy is an approach that empowers clients to own their abilities in solving life’s problems. Rather than traditional psychotherapy that focuses on how a problem was derived, SFT allows for a goal-oriented focus to problem-solving. This approach allows for future-oriented, rather than past-oriented discussions to move a client forward toward the resolutions of their present problem.

This approach is used in many different areas, including education, family therapy , and even in office settings. Creating cooperative and collaborative opportunities to problem solve allows mind-broadening capabilities. Illuminating a path of choice is a compelling way to enable people to explore how exactly they want to show up in this world.

Thanks for reading!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

de Shazer, S. (1988). Clues: Investigating solutions in brief therapy. New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Co.
Green, L. S., Oades, L. G., & Grant, A. M. (2006). Cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused life coaching: Enhancing goal striving, well-being, and hope. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1 (3), 142-149.
Miller, S. D., & Berg, I. K. (1996). The miracle method: A radically new approach to problem drinking. New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Co.
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P., (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification (Vol. 1). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Santa Rita Jr, E. (1998). What do you do after asking the miracle question in solution-focused therapy. Family Therapy, 25( 3), 189-195.

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What Is Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)?

Heather Murray

Counsellor & Psychotherapists

B.A.C.P., B.A.M.B.A

Heather Murray has been serving as a Therapist within the NHS for 20 years. She is trained in EMDR therapy for treating trauma and employs a compassion and mindfulness-based approach consistently. Heather is an accredited member of the BACP and registered with the HCPC as a Music Therapist. Moreover, she has been trained as a Mindfulness Teacher and Supervisor by BAMBA and is a senior Yoga Teacher certified by the British Wheel of Yoga.

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Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul Mcleod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

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Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

On This Page:

Take-home Messages

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a therapeutic approach that emphasizes clients’ strengths and resources to create positive change, focusing on present and future goals rather than past problems. It’s brief, goal-oriented, and emphasizes solutions rather than delving into underlying issues.
The focus is on the client’s health rather than the problem, strengths rather than weaknesses or deficits, and skills, resources, and coping abilities that would help reach future goals.
Clients describe what they want to happen in their lives (solutions) and how they will use personal resources to solve their problems.
Clients are encouraged to believe that positive changes are always possible and are encouraged to increase the frequency of current useful behaviors.
Research has shown SFBT effectively decreases marital issues and marital burnout in women (Sanai et al. 2015). Research on children has shown an improvement in classroom behavioral problems in children with special educational needs after 10 SFBT sessions (Franklin et al. 2001).

a woman sat on a sofa grasping her hands together

What is Solution-Focused Therapy?

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), also referred to as Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT), is a form of psychotherapy or counseling.

This form of therapy focuses on solutions to problems or issues and discovering the resources and strengths a person has rather than focusing on the problem like more traditional talking therapies do.

Thus, instead of analyzing how the issue arose or interpretations of it and why it is there and what it really means for the person, SFBT instead concentrates on the issue in the here and now and how to move forward with a solution for it (De Shazer, 1988; De Shazer & Dolan, 2012).

Solution-Focused Therapy was created in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee by De Shazer and Berg (De Shazer et al. 1986).

The reason for its creation was that De Shazer and Berg noticed that clients would often speak about their problems and issues, seeming unable to notice their own inner resources for overcoming these problems and focusing on the future.

They also noticed that the client’s problems or issues showed inconsistency in the way that sometimes they were present and other times they were not, as the person did have moments in life where they could function without the problems being there.

Thus it was important to think about and explore these exceptions when the problem is not affecting the person (Iveson, 2002).

What is Solution-Focused Therapy used for?

Solution-Focused Therapy is currently used for most emotional and mental health problems that other forms of counseling are used to treat, such as:

Self-esteem
Personal stress and work-related stress
Substance abuse/ addiction
Relationship problems

SFBT is best used when a client is trying to reach a particular goal or overcome a particular problem.

While it is not suitable to use as a treatment for major psychiatric conditions such as psychosis or schizophrenia, it could be used in combination with a more suitable psychiatric treatment/ therapy to help alleviate stress and bring awareness to the person’s strengths and internal resources.

Research has shown that after a one-year follow-up, SFBT was effective in reducing depression, anxiety, and mood-related disorders in adults (Maljanen, et al., 2012).

A study on substance abuse in adults showed SFBT to be just as effective as other forms of talking therapy (problem-focused therapies) in treating addiction and decreasing addiction severity and trauma symptoms (Kim, Brook, & Akin, 2018).

A literature review showed SFBT to be most effective on child behavioral problems when it was used as an early intervention before behavioral issues became very severe (Bond et al. 2013).

Solution-Focused Therapy Techniques

In a solution-focused therapy session, the practitioner and client will work collaboratively to set goals and find solutions together, to overcome the problem or issue.

The practitioner will ask questions to gain an understanding of the client’s strengths and inner resources that they might not have noticed before.

The practitioner will also use complimentary language to bring awareness to and to support the strengths that the client does have, to shift the client’s focus to a more solution-oriented, positive outlook, rather than ruminating on the problem, unaware of the strengths and abilities that they do have.

Sessions usually will last between 50 – 90 minutes, but can be as brief as 15 – 20 minutes, usually once per week, for around 6 – 12 weeks, but are also given as one-off, stand-alone sessions.

There are lots of techniques used in SFBT to shift the client’s awareness onto focusing on the future and on a solution.

These techniques include the miracle question, coping questions, exceptions to the problem, compliments, and using scales, which are explained in more detail below:

1. The Miracle Question

This is where the practitioner will ask the client to imagine that they have gone to sleep and when they wake up in the morning, their problems have vanished.

After this visualization, they will ask the client how they know that the problems or issues have gone and what is in particular that is different.

For example:

‘Imagine that when you next go to sleep, a miracle occurs during the night, so that when you wake up feeling refreshed, your problem has vanished. I want to ask you how do you know that your problem has gone? What is different about this morning? What is it that has disappeared or changed in your life?’

This question can help to identify and gain a greater understanding of what the problem is and how it is affecting the person and can provide motivation to want to move forward and overcome it after imagining what it could be like to wake up without it (De Shazer et al., 1986).

2. Coping Questions

Coping questions are questions that the practitioner will use to gain an understanding of how the person has managed to cope.

When someone has been suffering from depression or anxiety for a long time, it often begs the question of how they have continued in their life despite the potentially degrading or depleting effects of such mental and emotional health problems.

Examples of coping questions include:

‘After everything you have been through, I am wondering what has helped you to cope and keep you afloat during all this?”;

‘I feel to ask you, what it is exactly that has helped you through this so far?’.

These questions cause the client to identify the resources they have available to them, including noticing the internal strength that has helped them make it thus far, which they might not have been consciously aware of before (De Shazer et al., 1986).

3. Exceptions to the Problems

Solution-focused therapy believes that there are exceptions or moments in a person’s life when the problem or issue is not present, or the problem is there; however, it does not cause any negative effects (De Shazer et al., 1986).

Thus, raising the question of what is different during these times. The practitioner can investigate the exceptions to the problem by asking the client to think about and recall moments in their life when the problem was not an issue; they can then inquire as to what was different about these moments.

This could lead to clues for helping to create a solution for the problem. It also will help the client to know that there are times when they are not affected by the problem, which could help lessen the power it has over their emotional and mental state.

As we can often be ‘clouded’ or consumed by our problems, it can be empowering to notice or be reminded of times when we were not.

4. Compliments

This involves the practitioner actively listening to the client to identify and acknowledge their strengths and what they have done well, then reflecting them back to the client whilst also acknowledging how difficult it has been for them.

This offers encouragement and values the strengths that the client does have. The practitioner will use direct compliments (in reaction to what the client has said), for example, ‘that’s amazing to hear!’, ‘wow, that’s great.’

Indirect compliments are also used to encourage the client to notice and compliment themselves, such as coping questions or using an appreciatively toned voice to dive deeper into something highlighting the positive strengths of the client.

For example, ‘How did you manage that?!’ with a tone of amazement and happy facial expressions.

The practitioner will ask the client to rate the severity of their problem or issue on a scale from 1-10. This helps both the practitioner and client to visualize whereabouts they are with the problem or issue.

Examples of scaling questions include:

‘On a scale of 1 to 10, where would you rate your current ability to achieve this goal?’;
‘From 1-10, how would you rate your progress towards finding a job?’;
‘Can you rate your current level of happiness from 1-10?’;
‘From 1-10, how much do you attribute your level of alcohol consumption to be one of the main obstacles or sources of conflict in your marriage?’.

They can be used throughout sessions to compare where the client is now, in comparison to the first or second session, and also to rate how far from or near their ideal way of being or to complete their goal.

This can help both practitioner and client notice if something is still left to be done to reach a 9 or 10, and can then start exploring what that is.

Scaling helps to give clarity on the client’s feelings, it also helps to give sessions direction and highlights if something is holding back the client’s ability to solve the problem still or not.

Critical Evaluation

SFBT is a short-term therapy; on average, sessions will last for 6-10 weeks but can even be one stand-alone session, which helps it be more cost-effective compared to longer-term therapy that lasts for months or years (Maljanen et al. 2012).
It can help clients to identify their problems and then find a goal to overcome them; the practitioner also offers the client support through compliments which gives them the motivation to notice their strengths, increase their self-esteem, and keep striving to achieve their goals.
It is future-oriented, so it helps to motivate the client to move forward in life and not to feel stuck in their past; also, SFBT is positive in nature, so it gives the client the optimism needed to move forward into the future.
It is non-judgmental and compassionate in its approach; the client chooses their own goals, not the therapist, and they are praised/ complimented for their strengths no matter how small; even if they fail at achieving their set goal, they are praised for showing their strengths in other ways in life, helping them not to lose sight of their inner resources and still feel encouraged.

Disadvantages

Because it is short term, it is not a good fit for everyone, for example, clients with more severe problems that need more time and clients who are withdrawn or struggle to speak and open up fully to the therapist, who would naturally need more time to gain trust and feel comfortable, before being able to work towards a solution with the help of the practitioner.
Has less importance placed on past traumas, giving less room during sessions to explore these significant events (sometimes of great complexity), and help the client to understand why something in their past happened and why it is still affecting them today.
As it is solution-focused, it could minimize the client’s pain, making them feel like their past traumas have not been heard or felt by the counselor, which can and does affect the therapeutic alliance, as you are more likely to openly and honestly speak about something traumatic, if you feel the other person deems it important as well, and if they give you space for it. It is also a reason some people choose to see a counselor because they have not had the opportunity to speak about their problems or traumas with other people in their life.
As the therapy is client-led, this could lead to a few problems. For example, if the client wishes to talk about and explore a past trauma or gain an understanding of a past issue, despite cues from the practitioner to focus on the near future in a solution-focused way, then it will be difficult for the practitioner to actually use this method at all with the client, as SFBT requires the client to actively be ready and want to find a solution and focus towards their near future.
Also, the client-led approach means that the client can decide when their goals have been sufficiently reached. Therefore, they can end the therapy sessions early if they feel it’s enough, even if the practitioner is concerned about this.

Bond, C., Woods, K., Humphrey, N., Symes, W., & Green, L. (2013). Practitioner review: The effectiveness of solution focused brief therapy with children and families: A systematic and critical evaluation of the literature from 1990–2010 . Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 54 (7), 707-723.

De Shazer, S. (1988). Clues: Investigating solutions in brief therapy . New York: Norton & Co.

De Shazer, S., Berg, I. K., Lipchik, E., Nunnally, E., Molnar, A., Gingerich, W., & Weiner-Davis, M. (1986). Brief therapy: focused solution development. Family Process , 25(2): 207–221.

De Shazer, S., & Dolan, Y. (2012). More than miracles: The state of the art of solution-focused brief therapy . New York: Haworth Press

Franklin, C., Biever, J., Moore, K., Clemons, D., & Scamardo, M. (2001). The Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Therapy with Children in a School Setting. Research on Social Work Practice, 11 (4): 411-434.

Iveson, C. (2002). Solution-focused brief therapy . Advances in Psychiatric Treatment , 8(2), 149–157.

Kim, J, S., Brook, J., Akin, B, A. (2018). Solution-Focused Brief Therapy with Substance-Using Individuals: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study . Research on Social Work Practice, 28 (4), 452-462.

Maljanen, T., Paltta, P., Härkänen, T., Virtala, E., Lindfors, O., Laaksonen, M. A., Knekt, P., & Helsinki Psychotherapy Study Group. (2012). The cost-effectiveness of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy and solution-focused therapy in the treatment of depressive and anxiety disorder during a one-year follow-up. Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics. 15 (1), 13–23.

Sanai, B., Davarniya, R., Bakhtiari Said, B., & Shakarami, M. (2015). The effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) on reducing couple burnout and improvement of the quality of life of married women. Armaghane danesh, 20 (5), 416-432.

Further Information

Solution-Focused Therapy Treatment Manual.

De Shazer, S., & Berg, I. K. (1997). ‘What works?’Remarks on research aspects of solution‐focused brief therapy. Journal of Family therapy, 19(2), 121-124.

Dermer, S. B., Hemesath, C. W., & Russell, C. S. (1998). A feminist critique of solution-focused therapy. American Journal of Family Therapy, 26(3), 239-250.

Trepper, T. S., Dolan, Y., McCollum, E. E., & Nelson, T. (2006). Steve De Shazer and the future of solution‐focused therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 32(2), 133-139.

De Shazer, S., Berg, I. K., Lipchik, E. V. E., Nunnally, E., Molnar, A., Gingerich, W., & Weiner‐Davis, M. (1986). Brief therapy: Focused solution development. Family process, 25(2), 207-221.

What is Solution-Focused Therapy?

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), also called Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) was developed by Steve de Shazer (1940-2005), and Insoo Kim Berg (1934-2007) in collaboration with their colleagues at the Milwaukee Brief Family Therapy Center beginning in the late 1970s. As the name suggests, SFBT is future-focused, goal-directed, and focuses on solutions, rather than on the problems that brought clients to seek therapy.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a short-term goal-focused evidence-based therapeutic approach, which incorporates positive psychology principles and practices, and which helps clients change by constructing solutions rather than focusing on problems. In the most basic sense, SFBT is a hope friendly, positive emotion eliciting, future-oriented vehicle for formulating, motivating, achieving, and sustaining desired behavioral change.

Solution-Focused practitioners develop solutions by first generating a detailed description of how the client’s life will be different when the problem is gone or their situation improved to a degree satisfactory to the client. Therapist and client then carefully search through the client’s life experience and behavioral repertoire to discover the necessary resources needed to co-construct a practical and sustainable solution that the client can readily implement. Typically this process involves identifying and exploring previous “exceptions,” e.g. times when the client has successfully coped with or addressed previous difficulties and challenges. In an inherently respectful and practical interview process, SF therapists and their clients consistently collaborate in identifying goals reflective of clients’ best hopes and developing satisfying solutions.

The practicality of the SFBT approach may stem in part from the fact that it was developed inductively in an inner-city outpatient mental health service setting in which clients were accepted without previous screening. The developers of SFBT spent countless hours observing therapy sessions over the course of several years, carefully noting any sorts of questions, statements or behaviors on the part of the therapist that led to positive therapeutic outcome. Questions, statements, and activities associated with clients reporting progress were subsequently preserved and incorporated into the SFBT approach.

Since that early development, SFBT has not only become one of the leading schools of brief therapy , it has become a major influence in such diverse fields as business, social policy, education, and criminal justice services, child welfare, domestic violence offenders treatment. Described as a practical, goal-driven model, a hallmark of SFBT is its emphasis on clear, concise, realistic goal negotiations.

SFBT has continued to grow in popularity, both for its usefulness and its brevity, and is currently one of the leading schools of psychotherapy in the world.

Solution-Focused Therapy Online Self-Paced Courses

Designed for beginner and advanced practicing professionals in the mental health, social services, education, and health care disciplines; offering a hope-friendly, pragmatic approach for incorporating positive psychology principles and practice.

Behavioral Health Training for Staff and Organizations

Online customized training and consultation in the evidence-based practice of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). We train individuals, staff, and workforces with practical and sustainable skills that can be immediately applied with clients.

Key Concepts and Tools

Almost all psychotherapy is language-based and each utilizes its own form of specialized conversations. With SFBT, the conversation is directed toward developing and achieving the client’s envisioned solutions. The following techniques and questions help clarify those solutions and the means of achieving them.

Goal Development Questions

SF therapists variously begin a first session with one or more goal development question. These might variously include asking clients to describe their best hope for what will be different as a result of coming to therapy, what needs to happen as a result of coming in so that afterwards the client (and/or a person who cares about them) will be able to look back and think that it had been a good idea to come, or what needs to happen so that clients would be able to say afterwards that coming was not a waste of their time.

Once a goal has been identified, SF therapists ask their clients questions designed to generate a detailed description of what the client’s life will be like when the goal has been achieved. In some cases, this may include the SF Miracle Question (see below). Once a detailed description has been developed of how the client’s life will be different after the goal has been achieved, the therapist and client begin searching through the client’s life experiences and behavioral repertoire for exceptions, e.g. times when in at least some parts of the goal have already happened.

Pre-Session Change Question

In first sessions, once a client has identified a goal, a SF therapist usually asks some version of the following question: We have learned over the years that sometimes in between making an appointment and coming in, something happens to make things better. Did anything think like that happen in your case?

If the client answers no, the SF therapist simply moves on, however in the event that the client answers in the affirmative, it may likely be that the solution-development process has already begun in which case the SF therapist follows up with questions about the details of how, when and where things have begun to get better and how this might possibly continue.

Looking for previous solutions

As illustrated above, SF therapists have learned that most people have previously solved many, many problems and may likely have some ideas of how to solve the current problem. To help clients discover these potential solution ingredients, they may ask, “Are there times when this has been less of a problem?” or “What did you (or others) do that was helpful?” Or “When was the last time when something like this (client’s goal description) perhaps happened, even a little bit?”

Looking for exceptions

Even when a client does not have a fully developed previous solution that can be readily repeated, most have recent examples of at least partial exceptions to their problem; no problem happens to the same degree all the time. There are for example, times when a problem could occur, but does not.

The difference between a previous solution and an exception is small, but potentially significant. A previous solution is something that clients previously that worked, but was perhaps later discontinued. An exception, on the other hand, is something that happens instead of the problem, sometimes spontaneously and without conscious intention. SF therapists may help clients identify these exceptions by asking, “What is different about the times when this is less of a problem?”

Present and future-focused questions vs. past-oriented focus

The questions asked by SF therapists are usually focused on the present or on the future. This reflects the basic belief that problems are best solved by focusing on what is already working, and how a client would like their life to be, rather than focusing on the past and the origin of problems. For example, they may ask, “What will you be doing in the next week that would indicate to you that you are continuing to make progress?”

Compliments

Direct and indirect compliments based on careful observation of positive things the client has done or said are an essential part of solution focused brief therapy and are used throughout the therapeutic process. Validating what clients are already doing well, and acknowledging how difficult their problems are encourages the client to change while giving the message that the therapist has been listening (i.e., understands) and cares.

Compliments in therapy sessions serve to punctuate and validate what the client is doing that is working. In SF therapy, indirect compliments are often conveyed in the form of appreciatively toned questions of “How did you do that?” that invite the client to self-compliment by virtue of answering the question.

Inviting the clients to do more of what is working

Once SF therapists and their clients have identified some previous solutions and exceptions to the problem, the therapists gently invite the clients to do more of what has previously worked, or to try changes they have brought up which they would like to try – frequently called an “experiment” or a “homework experiment.”

Miracle Question (MQ)

The Solution-Focused Miracle Question is oftentimes used as a vehicle for clients identifying the unique details of the first small behavioral steps that gradually lead towards a viable solution in the context of their everyday life. Here is an example of the Miracle Question:

T: I am going to ask you a rather strange question . . . that requires some imagination on your part . . . do you have good imagination. C: I think so, I will try my best.

T: Good. The strange question is this; After we talk, you go home (go back to work), and you still have lots of work to do yet for the rest of today (list usual tasks here). And it is time to go to bed . . . and everybody in your household is sound asleep and the house is very quiet . . . and in the middle of the night, there is a miracle and the problem that brought you to talk to me about is all solved . But because this happens when you are sleeping, you have no idea that there was a miracle and the problems is solved . . . so when you are slowly coming out of your sound sleep . . .what would be the first small sign that will make you wonder . . .there must’ve been a miracle . . .the problem is all gone! How would you discover this? C: I suppose I will feel like getting up and facing the day, instead of wanting to cover my head under the blanket and just hide there.

T: Suppose you do, get up and face the day, what would be the small thing you would do that you didn’t do this morning? C: I suppose I will say good morning to my kids in a cheerful voice, instead of screaming at them like I do now.

T: What would your children do in response to your cheerful “good morning?” C: They will be surprised at first to hear me talk to them in a cheerful voice, and then they will calm down, be relaxed. God, it’s been a long time that happened.

T: So, what would you do then that you did not do this morning? C: I will crack a joke and put them in a better mood.

These small steps become the building blocks of an entirely different kind of day as clients may begin to implement some of the behavioral changes they just envisioned. Most clients visibly change in their demeanor and some even break out in smiles as they describe their solutions in the context of the Miracle Question.The next step is to invite clients to identify the most recent times when the have experienced some aspect (even the smallest pieces) of their miracle description (exceptions) and invite them to experiment with replicating these in the context of their everyday life.

Scaling Questions

Scaling questions simultaneously allow both client and therapist to assess the client’s situation, identify their current distance from the goal, what it will to maintain their current level of progress and move forward. Clients can variously be invited to rate their level of motivation, confidence, as well as identifying what specifically helps them progress on the scale in the direction of their goal, “best hope,” or “miracle.”

The couple in the following example sought help to decide whether their marriage can survive or they should get divorced. They reported they have fought for 10 years of their 20 years of marriage and they could not fight anymore.

T: Since you two know your marriage better than anybody does, suppose I ask you this way. On a number of 1 to 10, where 10 stands for you have every confidence that this marriage will make it and 1 stands for the opposite, that we might just as well walk away right now and it’s not going to work. What number would you give your marriage? (After a pause, the husband speaks first.) H: I would give it a 7. (the wife flinches as she hears this)

T: (To the wife) What about you? What number would you give it? W: (She thinks about it a long time) I would say I am at 1.1.

T: (Surprised) So, what makes it a 1.1? W: I guess it’s because we are both here tonight. That’s at least a beginning.

The Miracle 10 Question

A hybrid of the Miracle Question and Scaling, the Miracle 10 Question is worded as follows: Imagine a 0-10 scale in which 10 represents that you have now fully achieved your goal and 0 represents the exact opposite. Let’s suppose that tonight while you are sleeping somethings shifts during the night and when you wake up tomorrow you are suddenly at a 10. But since you were asleep when it happened, you don’t initially realize it. What will be the first differences(s) that you or people around you begin to notice about you that begins to give you (and/or them) the idea that something has changed, that in fact you are a 10 now?

Coping Questions

This question is a powerful reminder that all clients engage in many useful things even in times of overwhelming difficulties. Even in the midst of despair, many clients do manage to get out of bed, get dressed, feed their children, and do many other things that require major effort. Coping questions such as “How have you managed to carry on?” or “How have you managed to prevent things from becoming worse?” open up a different way of looking at client’s resiliency and determination.

Consultation Break and Invitation to Add Further Information

Solution focused therapists traditionally take a brief consultation break during the 2nd half of each therapy session during which the therapist reflects carefully on what has occurred in the session. Some time prior to the break, the client is asked “Is there anything that I did not ask that you think it would be important for me to know?” During the break, the therapist or the therapist and a team reflect carefully on all that has occurred in the session.

Following that, the client is complimented and usually offered a therapeutic message based on the client’s stated goal. Usually this takes the form of an invitation for clients to observe and experiment with behaviors that help maintain or result in further positive movement in the direction of their identified goal.

Research Findings

Solution-focused brief therapy is an evidenced-based psychotherapy approach. There have been close to 150 randomized clinical control studies with different control populations in different clinical settings in multiple countries, almost all showing positive benefit of SFBT. There have also been eight meta-analyses on a range of outcome studies with an overall effect size ranging from small to large, for child, adolescent, and adult populations, for presenting problems such as depression, stress, anxiety, behavioral problems, parenting, and psychosocial and interpersonal problems (Kim et al, 2010; 2019). Click Here for more about the research in SFBT .

Ayisha Amatullah

December 23, 2023

Solution-Focused Approach: Coaching, Therapy, Interventions

The standard approach to problem-solving insists there is a cause and effect between problems and solutions. However, the Solutions-Focused approach skips over the continuous delving and search for what causes problems and goes straight for the solution. It focuses on solutions, not problems, strengths, not weaknesses, and on what’s going well rather than what’s gone wrong.

With this in mind, let’s delve into the practical execution of the Solution-Focused approach, exploring the specific questions, interventions, and techniques that can facilitate positive change.

In This Post

1 What is the Solution-Focused?
2 What is Solution-Focused Therapy?
3 What is Solution-Focused Coaching?
4 What is the Solution-Focused Approach?
5 Key Concepts of the Solution-Focused Approach
6 Solution-Focused Questions and Interventions
7 Solution-Focused Questions Using the OSKAR Coaching Model
8 Solution-Focused Example Coaching Session

What is the Solution-Focused?

Solution-focused is a present and future-forward approach to helping individuals reach a goal or solve a problem without focusing on the problem.

What is Solution-Focused Therapy?

Solution-focused therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on finding solutions in the present and exploring hope for the future. It aims to achieve quicker resolution of problems. This therapy style assumes that the client knows what to do to improve their own life. With appropriate questioning, they are capable of finding the best solutions.

What is Solution-Focused Coaching?

Solution-focused coaching, on the other hand, is a forward-looking, goal-oriented approach to personal or professional development. It utilizes similar principles to solution-focused therapy. However, the key difference is that it is used in non-clinical contexts like life or business coaching.

What is the Solution-Focused Approach?

Solution-focused is a proven and practical approach to positive change within people, relationships, and organizations. It goes against the standard method of solving problems by focusing solely on the solution.

Problems are often looked at as challenges. And when we think of challenges, we often believe that they are challenging to overcome. The solution-focused points out the solutions, skills, strengths, and resources in people, which motivates them to accomplish their goals.

Solution-focused is an evidence-based approach that stems from solution-focused therapy. Solution-focused therapy was founded in the late 1970s by sociologists Steve de Shazerv and Insoo Kim Berg in collaboration with their colleagues at the Milwaukee Brief Family Therapy Center.

Solution-Focused Coaching

Solution-focused then moved on to be used as a coaching tool in organizations for workplace problems and to deal with executives, teams, and people.

In recent years, it has been used in life coaching. Ayisha Amatullah, the founder of Universal Coach Institute, was one of the first to use and teach solution-focused life coaching and developed a solution-focused life coaching model.

Solution-focused focuses on the following:

The solution, not the problem – focusing on the problem does not lead to a solution; focusing on the solution leads to a solution. Albert Einstein said, ‘No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it.
Strengths, not weaknesses – reaching a goal or resolving a problem is easier when you work with what you are already good at instead of going backward and trying to enhance what you are not good at.
What’s going right, not what’s going wrong – Identify what’s going right and do more of it. Focusing on what’s going wrong can be stressful and make the situation look like there is no solution in sight. However, identifying what’s going right gives the individual hope that everything is not all bad.

The more the positives are discussed, the easier the situation appears and the more motivated the individual will be to move forward.

When should you use the solution-focused approach in coaching?

Solution-focused can be used in many types of situations. However, the best times to use the solution-focused approach in coaching are when an individual:

needs to find a solution to a problem
needs an immediate solution
family or couples conflict
workplace challenges
goal setting

Benefits of using the solution-focused approach in coaching

Individuals will feel empowered because the conversation will be about everything they can do.
It cuts the complaining – From the start of the conversation, the coach asks the individual questions that move them forward.
It builds self-esteem – In solution-focused, the coach focuses on all the positives and what the individual already has going for them to help solve the problem. This builds self-esteem and confidence to solve the problem.
It creates awareness in individuals – Using the future perfect technique makes the individual aware of what they truly want, and the scaling makes them aware of how much of the future perfect they already have going for themselves.
It gives the client hope from the very beginning. Since we don’t focus on the problem, it gives the client hope from the start.

Key Concepts of the Solution-Focused Approach

Important concepts the coach and individual should live by when arriving at solutions include:

Don’t fix what isn’t broken – if the individual is already doing something that works or something that helps move them toward the solution, it’s best to just leave it alone and not make any changes to it that could potentially break it.
Find what works and do more of it – In addition to not making changes, they should do more of it to increase the chances of results.
Stop doing what doesn’t work and do something else – If the individual discovers that their actions do not work, stop. Do not focus efforts on problems, weaknesses, or things that do not produce a result.

Solution-Focused Questions and Interventions

In the solution-focused approach to coaching, questions are asked to shift the client’s attention away from the stressful problem towards the solution. Instead of asking questions that emphasize the problems, difficulties, and causes, the coach asks questions that explore the individual’s goals, exceptions that have led to success in the past, questions about times when the problem was less severe, the ideal outcome, and questions about existing resources.

Problem-Focused Question:

Can you tell me about the problem?

Solution-Focused Questions :

What do you want to change?

Counter Finding

In the solution-focused conversation, the coach or the helper looks for anything that counts, called “counters.” Counters are the resources that are already present and are likely helpful in helping individuals find solutions.

Counters include:

Examples of the solution happening already – Sometimes, the solution is right in front of our face, and we don’t even realize it.
Evidence of parts of the solution happening.
Strengths, skills, and resources that will help to create the solution
Cooperation from others involved

The goal is to collect as many counters as possible to help search for what works.

Examples of Counter Finding Questions:

Past Success Questions

Have you had a problem similar to this before? How did you handle that problem?

Coping Questions

With all that has been happening in your life lately, I’m wondering how you are managing to cope with all this?
How did you keep it from getting worse?
What have you found that helps manage this situation?
What keeps you going under these difficult circumstances?

Reframing Questions

When we want to solve a problem, we often indulge in problem-talk. We complain and talk badly about the problem. In solution-focused, we use reframing questions to get the individual to look at the situation differently and engage them in problem-free talk

What was it like before the problem existed?
What is the positive in this experience?
What else could this situation mean?
What did you learn from this?
What other ways could you look at this?

Future Perfect

The “future perfect” is a technique used to help the individual describe how they would like the situation to be. On the surface, it may appear that the goal of the “future perfect” is to create hope through visualization. However, the future perfect technique has a deeper purpose. A trained professional will listen to the individual’s “future perfect” and be able to find counters, exceptions, possible solutions, and even a possible action plan.

The most popular solution-focused future perfect intervention is the Miracle Question . The Miracle Question is a method of questioning used to aid an individual in envisioning how the future will be different when the problem is no longer present.

Miracle Question

“Suppose tonight you go to bed and go to sleep as usual. And during the night, a miracle happens. And the problem vanishes. And the issues that concern you are resolved, but you’re still asleep. Therefore, you don’t know that the miracle has happened. When you wake up tomorrow, what will be the first things that will tell you that the miracle has happened? How will you know that the transformation has occurred?”

Recommended Reading: The Miracle Question with Examples, Worksheets, Exercises, & Demo Video

Scaling invites an individual to measure and track their progress and experience. Scaling in Solution-Focused is used to identify what the client already has working for them in reference to the future perfect.

What have you done so far to get to that number?
What would it take to get to the next number on the scale?
What would it take to get a 10?

Exception Questions

When an individual has a problem, that problem is not present all the time. Most problems are only happening occasionally. There are times when the problem is not happening at all or is happening to a lesser degree. Helping an individual to notice these times can help reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed by the problem and help identify things they or others are already doing to solve the problem.

The goal is for the client to repeat what has worked in the past and help them gain confidence in making improvements for the future.

Example Exception Questions:

Was there a time when this problem was not a problem or when it presented itself with less severity? What was it like at that time? What were you doing at that time?
When does the future perfect happen? Even a little bit? What do you suppose you did to make that happen?
Can you think of any other times in the past or in recent weeks that you didn’t have the problem? What would you say you are doing differently during those times?
What resources, strengths, and skills did you use during those times?

Affirming is about providing positive feedback on what the coach or helping professional heard. The professional will reflect and repeat back the counters, possible solutions, exceptions, strengths, and attributes the individual has revealed during the session to help the individual decide where to start to move toward the solution.

Check out Solution-Focused Techniques for Therapy and Coaching

Solution-Focused Questions Using the OSKAR Coaching Model

OSKAR is a well-known solution-focused coaching model . It was created by Mark McKergow and Paul Z. Jackson and published in their book: The Solutions Focus: Making Coaching and Change SIMPLE .

[Full Disclosure: As an affiliate, I receive a commission if you purchase this book on Amazon once you click the link]

OSKAR stands for Outcome, Scaling, Know-How, Affirm, and Review.

What is the objective of this coaching?
What do you want to achieve today?
What do you want to achieve in the long term?
How will you know this coaching has been of use to you?
On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 representing the worst it has ever been and 10 the preferred future, where would you put the situation today?
On a scale of 1 – 10, where 1 represents x and 10 represents y, where are you in relation to this goal.
You are at n now; what did you do to get this far?
How would you know you had got to n+1?

Know-How & Resources

What helps you perform at n on the scale rather than 0?
When does the outcome already happen for you – even a little bit?
What did you do to make that happen? How did you do that?
What skills/knowledge/attributes do you currently have that will help you?
When have you done this/something similar before?
What would others say is working for you?
What did you do differently?

Affirm & Action

What’s already going well?
What’s particularly impressive so far – about the strengths and resources employed?
What is the next small step?
What would you like to do personally, straight away?
You are at n now; what would it take to get you to n+1?

Review: What’s better?

What did you do that made the change happen?
What effects have the changes had?
What do you think will change next?
What is better?

Solution-Focused Example Coaching Session

If you want to learn how to use the miracle question in coaching, check out the Life and Solution-Focused Coach Training program .

101 Solution-Focused Questions for Therapy and Coaching

The Miracle Question w/ Examples, Worksheets, Demo Video & Exercises

14 Solution-Focused Techniques for Therapy and Coaching

20 Coaching Models that Get Results

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Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is one of the world's most widely used therapeutic treatments (De Shazer, 2007, Hsu, 2011). Unlike traditional forms of therapy that take time to analyze problems, pathology, and past life events, SFBT concentrates on finding solutions in the present and exploring one’s hope for the future in order to find a quick and pragmatic resolution of one’s problems. This method takes the approach that you know what you need to do to improve your own life and, with the appropriate coaching and questioning, are capable of finding the best solutions.

SFBT was developed by Insoo Kim Berg, Steve de Shazer, and their colleagues in the late 1970s. Disillusioned by the results of traditional psychoanalysis , Berg and de Shazer wanted to create a new type of therapy that dealt less with the “why” behind challenges patients face, and more with the “how” of treating them. Originally begun out of Berg’s living room, the group went on to found the Milwaukee Brief Family Therapy Center in the early 1980s.

A review of 43 studies on SFBT found that there was “strong evidence that Solution-Focused Brief Therapy was an effective treatment for a wide variety of behavioral and psychological outcomes.”

SFBT has become particularly popular in non-Western countries, another study showed. Though the treatment started in North America, since 2013 the amount of research on SFBT in non-Western countries is twice that of Western countries.

The approach is particularly popular in Asia. In the 1980s, Berg was invited to speak and give workshops on the technique in Hong Kong. The treatment received attention and study, and soon after reached Mainland China.

Researchers suggest that the efficacy, practicality, and optimistic nature of the treatment translate well across cultures, and that the approach allows patients to maintain familial relations and personal dignity while addressing mental health issues.

When It's Used
What to Expect
How it Works
What to Look for in a Solution-Focused Brief Therapist

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy can stand alone as a therapeutic intervention, or it can be used along with other ther apy styles and treatments. It is not geared toward a particular population, but aims to treat patients of all ages and a variety of issues, including child behavioral problems, family dysfunction, domestic or child abuse, addiction , and relationship problems. Though not a cure for psychiatric disorders such as depression or schizophrenia, SFBT may help improve quality of life for those who suffer from these conditions.

Goal-setting is the foundation of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. One of the first questions a therapist asks is called the “miracle question”: “If a miracle occurred while you were asleep tonight, what changes would you notice in your life tomorrow?” This opens up your mind to creating a plan to reach your goal. Along with your therapist, you will begin to chart small, pragmatic ways to make changes in your life to achieve your goals.

One of the tenets of SFBT is a positive, respectful, and hopeful outlook on the part of the clinician. Practitioners maintain the assumption that people have the strength, wisdom , experience, and resilience to effect change. What other models view as "resistance" is viewed in SFBT as people's natural protective mechanisms or a previous therapist’s error that does not fit the client's situation. These assumptions make for sessions that tend to feel collegial rather than hierarchical.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy may vary for a given patient, treatment is typically complete after four to eight sessions.

One of the original beliefs of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy practitioners was that the solution to a problem is found in the “exceptions,” or those times when one is free of the problem or taking steps to manage the problem. Working from the theory that all individuals are at least somewhat motivated to find solutions, SFBT begins with what the individual is currently doing to initiate behavioral and lifestyle changes. The therapist uses interventions such as specific questioning techniques, 0-10 scales, empathic support, and compliments to help a person recognize the virtues and strengths that have previously gotten the patient through hard times and are likely to work in the future. Individuals learn to focus on what they can do, rather than what they can’t do.

For example, a solution-focused approach would be to question the parents of a child exhibiting behavioral problems about when the child acts out and ask the parents to spot the exceptions —the occasions when the child shows good behavior—and would invite the parents to figure out how they contributed to these exceptions. Once parents discover what may be causing the exceptions, the therapists focuses them on continuing and amplifying what works.

Alternately, if parents have been taught a solution that therapists hold in high regard, but that isn’t working for them or for their child, they are invited to disregard the plan. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy suggests that no matter how good a solution might seem, if it does not work, it is not a solution.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy can be integrated into other psychotherapy or counseling practices. There is no official accreditation required to practice SFBT. It’s most important to look for someone with experience in the practice and someone with whom you feel comfortable discussing personal issues.

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What Is Problem-Solving Therapy?

Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

Daniel B. Block, MD, is an award-winning, board-certified psychiatrist who operates a private practice in Pennsylvania.

Verywell / Madelyn Goodnight

Problem-Solving Therapy Techniques

How effective is problem-solving therapy, things to consider, how to get started.

Problem-solving therapy is a brief intervention that provides people with the tools they need to identify and solve problems that arise from big and small life stressors. It aims to improve your overall quality of life and reduce the negative impact of psychological and physical illness.

Problem-solving therapy can be used to treat depression , among other conditions. It can be administered by a doctor or mental health professional and may be combined with other treatment approaches.

At a Glance

Problem-solving therapy is a short-term treatment used to help people who are experiencing depression, stress, PTSD, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and other mental health problems develop the tools they need to deal with challenges. This approach teaches people to identify problems, generate solutions, and implement those solutions. Let's take a closer look at how problem-solving therapy can help people be more resilient and adaptive in the face of stress.

Problem-solving therapy is based on a model that takes into account the importance of real-life problem-solving. In other words, the key to managing the impact of stressful life events is to know how to address issues as they arise. Problem-solving therapy is very practical in its approach and is only concerned with the present, rather than delving into your past.

This form of therapy can take place one-on-one or in a group format and may be offered in person or online via telehealth . Sessions can be anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours long.

Key Components

There are two major components that make up the problem-solving therapy framework:

Applying a positive problem-solving orientation to your life
Using problem-solving skills

A positive problem-solving orientation means viewing things in an optimistic light, embracing self-efficacy , and accepting the idea that problems are a normal part of life. Problem-solving skills are behaviors that you can rely on to help you navigate conflict, even during times of stress. This includes skills like:

Knowing how to identify a problem
Defining the problem in a helpful way
Trying to understand the problem more deeply
Setting goals related to the problem
Generating alternative, creative solutions to the problem
Choosing the best course of action
Implementing the choice you have made
Evaluating the outcome to determine next steps

Problem-solving therapy is all about training you to become adaptive in your life so that you will start to see problems as challenges to be solved instead of insurmountable obstacles. It also means that you will recognize the action that is required to engage in effective problem-solving techniques.

Planful Problem-Solving

One problem-solving technique, called planful problem-solving, involves following a series of steps to fix issues in a healthy, constructive way:

Problem definition and formulation : This step involves identifying the real-life problem that needs to be solved and formulating it in a way that allows you to generate potential solutions.
Generation of alternative solutions : This stage involves coming up with various potential solutions to the problem at hand. The goal in this step is to brainstorm options to creatively address the life stressor in ways that you may not have previously considered.
Decision-making strategies : This stage involves discussing different strategies for making decisions as well as identifying obstacles that may get in the way of solving the problem at hand.
Solution implementation and verification : This stage involves implementing a chosen solution and then verifying whether it was effective in addressing the problem.

Other Techniques

Other techniques your therapist may go over include:

Problem-solving multitasking , which helps you learn to think clearly and solve problems effectively even during times of stress
Stop, slow down, think, and act (SSTA) , which is meant to encourage you to become more emotionally mindful when faced with conflict
Healthy thinking and imagery , which teaches you how to embrace more positive self-talk while problem-solving

What Problem-Solving Therapy Can Help With

Problem-solving therapy addresses life stress issues and focuses on helping you find solutions to concrete issues. This approach can be applied to problems associated with various psychological and physiological symptoms.

Mental Health Issues

Problem-solving therapy may help address mental health issues, like:

Chronic stress due to accumulating minor issues
Complications associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Emotional distress
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Problems associated with a chronic disease like cancer, heart disease, or diabetes
Self-harm and feelings of hopelessness
Substance use
Suicidal ideation

Specific Life Challenges

This form of therapy is also helpful for dealing with specific life problems, such as:

Death of a loved one
Dissatisfaction at work
Everyday life stressors
Family problems
Financial difficulties
Relationship conflicts

Your doctor or mental healthcare professional will be able to advise whether problem-solving therapy could be helpful for your particular issue. In general, if you are struggling with specific, concrete problems that you are having trouble finding solutions for, problem-solving therapy could be helpful for you.

Benefits of Problem-Solving Therapy

The skills learned in problem-solving therapy can be helpful for managing all areas of your life. These can include:

Being able to identify which stressors trigger your negative emotions (e.g., sadness, anger)
Confidence that you can handle problems that you face
Having a systematic approach on how to deal with life's problems
Having a toolbox of strategies to solve the issues you face
Increased confidence to find creative solutions
Knowing how to identify which barriers will impede your progress
Knowing how to manage emotions when they arise
Reduced avoidance and increased action-taking
The ability to accept life problems that can't be solved
The ability to make effective decisions
The development of patience (realizing that not all problems have a "quick fix")

Problem-solving therapy can help people feel more empowered to deal with the problems they face in their lives. Rather than feeling overwhelmed when stressors begin to take a toll, this therapy introduces new coping skills that can boost self-efficacy and resilience .

Other Types of Therapy

Other similar types of therapy include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) . While these therapies work to change thinking and behaviors, they work a bit differently. Both CBT and SFBT are less structured than problem-solving therapy and may focus on broader issues. CBT focuses on identifying and changing maladaptive thoughts, and SFBT works to help people look for solutions and build self-efficacy based on strengths.

This form of therapy was initially developed to help people combat stress through effective problem-solving, and it was later adapted to address clinical depression specifically. Today, much of the research on problem-solving therapy deals with its effectiveness in treating depression.

Problem-solving therapy has been shown to help depression in:

Older adults
People coping with serious illnesses like cancer

Problem-solving therapy also appears to be effective as a brief treatment for depression, offering benefits in as little as six to eight sessions with a therapist or another healthcare professional. This may make it a good option for someone unable to commit to a lengthier treatment for depression.

Problem-solving therapy is not a good fit for everyone. It may not be effective at addressing issues that don't have clear solutions, like seeking meaning or purpose in life. Problem-solving therapy is also intended to treat specific problems, not general habits or thought patterns .

In general, it's also important to remember that problem-solving therapy is not a primary treatment for mental disorders. If you are living with the symptoms of a serious mental illness such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia , you may need additional treatment with evidence-based approaches for your particular concern.

Problem-solving therapy is best aimed at someone who has a mental or physical issue that is being treated separately, but who also has life issues that go along with that problem that has yet to be addressed.

For example, it could help if you can't clean your house or pay your bills because of your depression, or if a cancer diagnosis is interfering with your quality of life.

Your doctor may be able to recommend therapists in your area who utilize this approach, or they may offer it themselves as part of their practice. You can also search for a problem-solving therapist with help from the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Society of Clinical Psychology .

If receiving problem-solving therapy from a doctor or mental healthcare professional is not an option for you, you could also consider implementing it as a self-help strategy using a workbook designed to help you learn problem-solving skills on your own.

During your first session, your therapist may spend some time explaining their process and approach. They may ask you to identify the problem you’re currently facing, and they’ll likely discuss your goals for therapy .

Keep In Mind

Problem-solving therapy may be a short-term intervention that's focused on solving a specific issue in your life. If you need further help with something more pervasive, it can also become a longer-term treatment option.

Get Help Now

We've tried, tested, and written unbiased reviews of the best online therapy programs including Talkspace, BetterHelp, and ReGain. Find out which option is the best for you.

Shang P, Cao X, You S, Feng X, Li N, Jia Y. Problem-solving therapy for major depressive disorders in older adults: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials . Aging Clin Exp Res . 2021;33(6):1465-1475. doi:10.1007/s40520-020-01672-3

Cuijpers P, Wit L de, Kleiboer A, Karyotaki E, Ebert DD. Problem-solving therapy for adult depression: An updated meta-analysis . Eur Psychiatry . 2018;48(1):27-37. doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.11.006

Nezu AM, Nezu CM, D'Zurilla TJ. Problem-Solving Therapy: A Treatment Manual . New York; 2013. doi:10.1891/9780826109415.0001

Owens D, Wright-Hughes A, Graham L, et al. Problem-solving therapy rather than treatment as usual for adults after self-harm: a pragmatic, feasibility, randomised controlled trial (the MIDSHIPS trial) . Pilot Feasibility Stud . 2020;6:119. doi:10.1186/s40814-020-00668-0

Sorsdahl K, Stein DJ, Corrigall J, et al. The efficacy of a blended motivational interviewing and problem solving therapy intervention to reduce substance use among patients presenting for emergency services in South Africa: A randomized controlled trial . Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy . 2015;10(1):46. doi:doi.org/10.1186/s13011-015-0042-1

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Kirkham JG, Choi N, Seitz DP. Meta-analysis of problem solving therapy for the treatment of major depressive disorder in older adults . Int J Geriatr Psychiatry . 2016;31(5):526-535. doi:10.1002/gps.4358

Garand L, Rinaldo DE, Alberth MM, et al. Effects of problem solving therapy on mental health outcomes in family caregivers of persons with a new diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or early dementia: A randomized controlled trial . Am J Geriatr Psychiatry . 2014;22(8):771-781. doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2013.07.007

Noyes K, Zapf AL, Depner RM, et al. Problem-solving skills training in adult cancer survivors: Bright IDEAS-AC pilot study . Cancer Treat Res Commun . 2022;31:100552. doi:10.1016/j.ctarc.2022.100552

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By Arlin Cuncic, MA Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

Solution-Focused Counselling

First Online: 24 April 2022

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Bernd-Joachim Ertelt 4 ,
William E. Schulz 5 &
Andreas Frey 4

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In the 1980s and 1990s, brief counselling, especially solution-focused brief counselling, challenged many of the assumptions of earlier theories and models. These earlier models have emphasised that real change was only possible when clients fully understand the true nature of their problems.

Solution-focused counselling offers new ways of thinking about counselling, because this model focuses on the potentials rather than the weaknesses or limitations of the clients. The collaborative nature of solution-focused counselling reinforces a sense of autonomy and equality in counselling for ethnic minority clients.

Updated translation of chapter 4 from: Handbuch Beratungskompetenz, 4th ed. by Bernd-Joachim Ertelt & William E. Schulz, 2019, Springer Verlag.

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What Is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy?

If you’d rather focus on creating solutions for your current challenges than gaining insight into them, solution-focused brief therapy may be for you.

Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a short-term, goal-oriented therapy approach that works with your strengths to help you create the future you desire.

In SFBT, you’ll discuss with a therapist what’s important to you, how you believe your life would be if your current challenges are resolved, and what strengths you have to make that happen.

What is solution-focused brief therapy?

SFBT is a short-term form of psychotherapy that focuses on solutions rather than on gaining insight into challenges and concerns. The approach was developed by mental health professionals Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg in the 1970s and 1980s.

SFBT is considered a constructive therapy, according to 2005 research . Constructivism is a learning theory that says humans create meaning and develop knowledge as they experience the world.

In other words, you’re an active participant in the creation of your life.

SFBT doesn’t address your past experiences or aim to discover the root cause of your challenges. Instead, it focuses on your present and future needs.

The goal of SFBT is to help you develop tools and skills, based on your current strengths, that you can use moving forward. These tools and skills may help you change harmful behaviors, achieve your life goals, and manage difficult situations.

In SFBT, therapists ask a series of questions that invite you to identify your strengths and needs, as well as focus on possibilities and solutions.

For example, instead of discussing your current concern in detail, a therapist will focus on exploring how you think your life will be once that concern is resolved. Then, they’ll work with you to figure out the tools you need to quickly solve the challenge and move toward the life you want to create.

SFBT generally lasts for approximately five sessions and sometimes can be effective in as little as one meeting with the therapist. It rarely lasts for more than eight sessions.

Main principles and goals of solution-focused brief therapy

The principles of SFBT can be summarized as “listen, select, and build.” More specifically:

The focus is on building solutions rather than solving concerns.
The therapist assumes you already possess solution-building abilities and listens intently to try to identify cues in your discussion to support this.
You and the therapist find solutions and create meaning together.
Solutions don’t have to be related or applied to specific concerns and can be used at any time.
You and the therapist do this work under the assumption that a concern may or may not actually happen.
Therapists focus on encouraging useful behaviors that help you face present and future challenges.
Therapists support you in finding other ways to interact, think, and behave that differ from current patterns.
Small changes will lead to more significant and permanent ones.

3 SFBT techniques

An SFBT therapist will repeatedly assume you are capable, strong, and wise. This will help you both focus on your existing resources and potential in order to make changes and work toward your desired life.

In this sense, every SFBT technique is focused on your strengths and resources.

Miracle question

Miracle questioning is a common technique in solution-focused therapy, according to a 2021 study . It’s designed to help you identify your goals while leading you to create manageable steps to achieve those goals.

The miracle question may also involve a mental rehearsal of your desired future by asking you detailed descriptions of how your life would be once you achieve your goals.

Some ways your therapist might approach the miracle question include:

Imagine tonight, while you’re sleeping, a miracle occurs and this challenge you’ve described is solved. What would be different in your life tomorrow?
How would you notice that the miracle happened?
How would the miracle affect you and others?
How would others notice that something is different?
How would you get to that outcome? Is there anything you can do right now to get there?

Scaling questions

Scaling questions usually follow the miracle question and serve to assess your current situation in regard to your desired goal.

The therapist may ask you to rate something from 0 to 10. This “something” can be:

your motivation to do concrete actions to achieve your goal
how confident you feel about finding a solution for the challenge or about achieving your goal
how much your life would change or improve if the miracle occurred
how bad you feel the current challenge is
how frequently you experience the challenge

A scaling framework can help you track your progress. It also focuses on your assessment of the situation instead of relying on what your therapist says.

Focusing on times when a challenge or concern could have happened but didn’t can help you stay focused on solutions instead of the challenge or concern itself. Identifying those exceptions is essential to the SFBT practice.

Finding the exception to the challenge helps you regain control of the situation and maintain perspective. It reminds you that the challenge doesn’t always happen or doesn’t happen in every situation.

You and your therapist can use scaling questions to identify, observe, and detail exceptions.

Is solution-focused brief therapy effective?

SFBT is an evidence-based approach. This means it’s been studied in clinical and scientific settings, and research findings support its effectiveness.

In fact, according to a 2019 research review , it has been consistently found effective as a therapeutical tool to manage emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal concerns.

A 2021 literature review that examined the effectiveness of SFBT techniques on a global scale also confirmed its wide relevance in psychosocial interventions.

A 2017 systematic review of 33 studies found that strength- and resource-oriented SFBT techniques were effective for the diverse challenges they were used for. The review also suggests that its effectiveness is partly attributed to both its purposeful use of language and co-construction of meaning between you and your therapist.

In fact, it’s been proposed by researchers in 2021 that this solution-based language may be effective in mental health crises and suicide interventions, even in teletherapy settings.

The findings of a 2016 study with Irani women also show that SFBT may be effective in decreasing symptoms of depression.

Results of research from 2018 similarly found that SFBT interventions decreased symptoms of depression and perceived stress in patients with breast cancer.

Plus, a 2020 study suggested that people with cardiovascular disease who focused on a solution instead of their health condition felt empowered and reported being more hopeful.

Let’s recap

SFBT focuses on building solutions rather than discussing concerns.

By identifying resources, strengths, and exceptions, you and your therapist work together to help you create your desired future.

SFBT is an evidence-based approach that typically lasts for up to eight sessions. Common techniques involve the miracle question, scaling questions, and identifying exceptions to a challenge or concern.

Last medically reviewed on April 18, 2022

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Amminasab A, et al. (2018). Effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) on depression and perceived stress in patients with breast cancer. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6534804/
Beyebach M, et al. (2021). Bibliometric differences between WEIRD and non-WEIRD countries in the outcome research on solution-focused brief therapy. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.754885
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Blog » Coaching Models and Techniques » Coaching Models: Solution-Focused Coaching Model

Coaching Models: Solution-Focused Coaching Model

The solution-focused coaching model is quickly becoming a popular tool used by professionals in many industries. It draws on key principles from positive psychology and humanistic thought to help focus conversations around solutions rather than endlessly exploring the past.

In this blog post, we will discuss the solution-focused coaching model, look at why it quickly became a sought-after technique for coaching, review different scenarios where it could be beneficial, and finally, offer steps to begin applying the model in your work.

What is a solution-focused coaching model?

How can you use the solution-focused coaching model, benefits of using the solution-focused coaching model, limitations of using the solution-focused coaching model, how can you get started using the solution-focused coaching model, how to use solution-focused coaching model to achieve success, frequently asked questions.

A solution-focused coaching model is an evidence-based approach that combines the latest in psychology theory and research with a solution-focused orientation to empower coach and client alike. This model emphasizes future outcomes, goals, and solutions rather than trying to uncover the root causes of existing problems. Solution-focused coaching sees the capacity for change inherent in every human being and goes through a process of continual goal setting rather than relying on trial and error methods. By tapping into one’s inner strength, Solution Focused Coaching allows clients to progress toward their goals and maintain personal growth over the long term.

The solution-focused coaching model is a method of empowering individuals to achieve their goals through goal-oriented techniques. It works by evaluating an individual’s current situation and then addressing how best to leverage their existing strengths, resources, and capabilities.

The solution-focused coaching model reframes issues, perspectives, or behaviors into small, realistic steps that can be taken to find the most suitable solution or resolution. This approach forces people to generate options and solutions to move forward proactively. The solution-focused coaching model is often used as part of a larger life-coaching program to help individuals deal with personal challenges, such as setting career and professional goals, improving relationships, or achieving work-life balance.

The solution-focused coaching model, or SFCM, is a type of coaching (or performance consulting) that focuses on solutions and setting goals. It encourages clients to bring their strengths and successes to the forefront to move them toward the intended outcome. This model assumes that the client knows their best solutions, while it guides them to help them reach them. The solution-focused coaching model involves efficiently assessing the situation, discovering practical ways of measuring present successes, gathering information about the client’s solutions instead of problems, and setting manageable goals for both the client and the coach.

The solution-focused coaching model (SFCM) is a comprehensive approach that helps individuals focus on solutions rather than problems, increasing motivation and promoting positive change. This model includes four distinct phases: goal orientation, developing clarity, action plan accuracy, and evaluation planning. Goal orientation allows the coach and client to set realistic objectives and define measurable goals. Developing clarity involves exploring possible options to increase understanding across all parties involved. In the next phase, action plan accuracy, specific steps are taken to ensure that appropriate actions have been taken to reach the established goals.

Finally, evaluation planning determines which outcomes can be objectively measured to evaluate progress toward desired results. A solution-focused coaching model is a powerful tool for coaches due to its emphasis on goal setting, problem-solving skills, and practical step-by-step guidance for building positive plans for success.

Solution-focused Coaching (SFC) has become popular in helping individuals reach their goals. Rather than dwelling on the past or trying to fix any alleged “problems,” Solution Focused Coaching takes an optimistic and goal-oriented approach. A major component of Solution Focused Coaching involves encouraging clients to identify the desired outcome or future state that they would like to achieve.

This future-oriented perspective is then used as a guide for creating specific action steps necessary for achieving the desired results. SFC also focuses on solutions, encouraging problem-solving rather than ruminating about dysfunctional behavior patterns. Solution Focus Coaching is also successful because it focuses on building on strengths and broadening our view of what is possible given current circumstances and resources.

Solution-focused coaching is a powerful tool used by many professionals in psychology and related disciplines to aid clients in finding solutions and making progress. The solution-focused coaching model focuses on what works instead of what could go wrong and emphasizes the client’s current skills. It supports professionals in effectively listening and engaging with their clients while helping them achieve personal successes and reach their goals. Clients benefit from Solution Focused Coaching through increased self-sufficiency, improved problem-solving abilities, clarified direction and purpose, positive perspective changes, and greater control over their journey.

The solution-focused coaching model is a widely used approach to helping people make positive and lasting changes. It encourages individuals to explore solutions rather than discuss the problem in depth. The solution-focused coaching model is well-known for its results-driven approach and ability to quickly source viable solutions to address issues before they become larger roadblocks.

This model has several advantages because it allows the coach and coachee to take a streamlined process from setting goals up to achieving them more efficiently. Solution-focused coaching model works well for motivated clients and can identify and actualize their desired outcomes for their goals to be realized sooner. By using Solution focused coaching model, clients can feel empowered that they have control over how quickly they meet their objectives and reach long-term success.

Solution Focused coaching is a highly effective coaching model since it focuses on identifying and constructing solutions to address challenges. Solution-focused coaching encourages clients to move forward positively rather than ruminating over the problem. It can be beneficial when behaviors are difficult to modify, or the client has already tried other approaches without success. Solution-focused coaching also helps clients take ownership of their actions and facilitate change. Additionally, Solution Focused Coaches challenge clients to think about the benefits of outcomes so they focus on viable solutions. Solution Focused Coaches recognize the importance of both short-term gains and long-term objectives when creating customized plans for their clients.

Solution-focused coaching (SFC) is a well-researched model that can be effective in many situations, yet it also has its limitations. The first of these is the amount of time it requires; since SFC seeks to focus on goals and strengths rather than problems, transitioning away from long conversations about difficulties may not be feasible in some situations. Additionally, since SFC concentrates exclusively on the present and future, applying this model cannot be easy if an individual or organization wishes to gain insights into the past. Lastly, Solution Focused Coaching works best with individuals willing to take responsibility for addressing their challenges; thus, those resisting self-exploration or change may struggle with this approach.

Solution-focused coaching is a powerful model that looks at solutions, not problems. It can be helpful in quickly identifying areas to address and improving the lives of individuals, couples, and even families. Though Solution Focused Coaching is popular, there are some potential limitations to consider. In Solution Focused Coaching, the level of change likely to be achieved may be limited since it relies on brief interventions that don’t allow therapists to deeply explore a client’s past or condition.

Solution-focused coaching requires both a coach and client to be skilled in using Focused solution techniques for successful outcomes. Finally, Solution Focused Coaching works best when clients have internal motivation for change; without it, chances for achieving sustainable results are low. Despite these limitations, Solution Focused Coaching remains effective for working with clients who may benefit from shorter interventions and taking a solutions-oriented approach to problem-solving.

A solution-focused coaching model is an evidence-based approach that enables clients to identify and generate solutions for their current challenges. To get started on this model, practitioners should first become familiar with solution-focused coaching model concepts, such as the Miracle Question and Scaling Questions, and understand how these techniques can be used for specific client goals. Secondly, practitioners should be comfortable facilitating conversations that empower clients to uncover their answers.

Lastly, practitioners should stay up-to-date on solution-focused coaching model research that is constantly being updated and published. With careful study and thoughtful implementation of solution-focused coaching model techniques, practitioners can provide an effective program of guidance to individuals seeking change by exploring future hopes and dreams.

Solution Focused Coaching (SFC) is an approach that helps individuals find creative solutions to their problems and set achievable goals for their future. As a coach, getting started with SFC requires a good understanding of the model’s framework, which consists of Solution Talk, Scaling Questions, Miracle Questions, and Exception Questions. Solution Talk provides a platform for clients to express their issues by focusing on the topics and patterns they identify.

Afterward, Scaling Questions help uncover and build on the client’s strengths to create concrete paths toward these issues. Miracle Questions allow clients to think outside the box and explore different possibilities. In contrast, Exception Questions allow them to reflect on resources they need or have used in the past to resolve similar situations. With an understanding of this model’s framework, coaches can successfully start Solution Focused Coaching sessions.

The solution-focused coaching model (SFCM) is a popular approach to helping people reach their goals and objectives. It is important to understand the model, including its components, such as Solution Building Blocks and Miracle Questions, to get started.

A Solution Focused coach needs to have an attitude of optimism and be prepared to take action based on client data. It helps to know areas such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and developmental psychology. This can be gained by taking related courses or working under the supervision of qualified individuals.

Once understanding the foundations of SFCM has been established, setting measurable goals and creating achievable mini-tasks support progress while giving clients ownership over their success. Additionally, appropriate strategies such as Scaling questions and customizing tasks based on individual client needs will ensure proper progress toward desired objectives.

The solution-focused coaching model, or SFCM, is an effective and efficient form of coaching that can help individuals achieve success. Similar to Solution Focused Brief Therapy, the SFCM is centered on helping clients recognize internal resources and identify solutions to problems instead of looking at what causes the problems in the first place.

Coaches have used the model in many situations, such as breaking unwanted habits, finding better career prospects, and improving relationships with colleagues. It has also been successfully implemented when children are dealing with anxiety or depression issues. By identifying their sources of strength and building on them, SFCM helps people reach successful outcomes in all areas of their life in a relatively short time.

The solution-focused coaching model is a widely accepted approach to coaching that has been shown to make lasting changes in the direction of success. This model uses Solution-Talk and Solution Building exercises, which involve setting realistic goals achievable shortly while acknowledging the client’s current resources, strengths, and capabilities. Solution-building activities can help individuals move closer to their goals by focusing on the solution and not the problem. Success is possible when a solution-focused coaching model sets up plans for individual growth that can translate into actionable short-term and long-term results. Furthermore, concentration is on actions that have already been accomplished rather than on problems or mistakes from the past, helping clients move towards success with a positive outlook on current capabilities. Ultimately, the solution-focused coaching model provides an effective individualized approach for clients to achieve their desired outcomes and success.

The solution-focused coaching model is a modern method that encourages goal-directed conversations to help clients sustain motivation. This approach empowers the client to focus on desired solutions while identifying the necessary steps which lead to success.

It also encourages envisioning different outcomes and possibilities to move forward more clearly. The solution-focused coaching model often incorporates goal-setting, future-focused questioning, and creating an action plan to guide individuals into achieving their desired results. Through this method, clients can gain insight into their current habits and strategize new methods for leading them closer to their goals. A solution-focused coaching model is a powerful tool for anyone seeking successful results.

A solution-focused coaching model is an approach that can be used to help craft achievable goals and identify solutions to potential barriers. This innovative method focuses on past successes to highlight a person’s strengths and plan for future success, helping them reach their desired outcome regardless of the internal or external obstacles standing in the way. Although this model is commonly used within business settings, it has also found success in personal relationships.

The beauty of this approach is that it can be used in various situations with clients of all backgrounds. The solution-focused coaching model may be right if you seek a coaching model that recognizes and builds upon your strengths. It should be noted that the Solution-focused coaching model may not work for everyone, but it is worth trying if you are struggling to achieve your objectives.

What type of coaches can use the solution-focused coaching model?

Solution-focused coaching is an effective method that various coaches can use, including career counselors, executive coaches, and life coaches. This approach works to help individuals identify areas where they want to see change and offers solutions for achieving their desired outcomes. Using powerful questioning techniques, Solution Focused Coaching helps them explore the space between their current situation and what they hope to achieve. Additionally, it allows coaches to help people find their hidden strengths to craft strategies to overcome any perceived difficulties to reach their goals. Solution-focused coaching offers individualized solutions applicable across all coaching scenarios making it an invaluable tool for any coach looking for powerful results.

How do you get started with the solution-focused coaching model?

The solution-focused coaching model is a proven way for individuals to take charge of their own lives and develop specific plans to help them reach their goals. To get started with Solution Focused Coaching, it is important first to identify desired outcomes. Once the objectives have been established, individual coaches should create a highly customized plan that best suits the client’s needs. Goal setting, exploration of available resources, and action planning are vital components of solution-focused coaching. Lastly, it is essential to establish periodic check-ins during which progress on goals can be monitored and evaluated to ensure maximum success.

What makes The solution-focused coaching model unique?

The solution-focused coaching model is a globally recognized, evidence-based coaching model that focuses on the present and future rather than dwelling on the past. Unlike many traditional coaching models, Solution Focused Coaching emphasizes client resources and problem-solving over analyzing root causes. This approach focuses on discovering and building upon what works well to create positive change and lasting results. Solution-focused coaching also focuses on solutions rather than issues, helping clients find their answers and gain clarity. Solution-focused coaching encourages practitioners to appreciate success instead of getting stuck in problems while developing positive relationships between client and coach.

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What is the Solution Focused Approach?

The Solution Focused approach has derived from the psychotherapy setting. On this page you will find information about the roots of the model: the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy.

Solutions Centre - Solution-focused training courses for professionals

What is Solution Focused Brief Therapy ?

Solution-Focused Brief therapy (SFBT) is a future-oriented, goal-directed approach to solving human problems of living. Initially developed as a rebellion against the traditional psychotherapy approach which is driven by the therapist/expert deciding what might be the best possible solution for those who seek help, SFBT aims to work collaboratively with the client who understands his own circumstances the best in order to arrive at a solution that is pragmatic and realistic to fit his needs. The result is a respectful, brief therapy with workable solutions that the client can actually carry out by making needed changes.

Developed in the late 1970’s and 1980’s by a team of clinicians from a variety of professional training, the work was led by de Shazer & Berg who have articulated their view of this approach in many publications (de Shazer, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, Berg & Miller, 1992, Berg, 1994, Berg & Reuss, 1997, Berg & Kelly, 2000, Berg & Dolan, 2002, Berg & Steiner, and DeJong & Berg 2002;) and their writings have been translated into 13 languages. During the 1990’s the application of the model has been expanded out to schools, prisons, hospitals, residential treatment homes, nursing homes, businesses and wherever people work with each other.

Major Tenet of the Approach

SFBT is not theory based, but was pragmatically developed. Even so, one can easily see the roots of the SFBT in the early work of the Mental Research Institute of Palo Alto, Wittgensteinian philosophy and Buddhist thought. There are a number of tenets that serve as the foundation of SFBT and which both inform and lead to the intervention model.

If it is not broken, don’t fix it. This is the over-arching tenet of SFBT. Theories, models and philosophies of intervention are not important or useful if the client has already solved the problem. Nothing would seem more absurd than to intervene when the problem is already solved, even though at times clients may not be aware of it.

Looking for exceptions. All problems have exceptions, that is, when the problem could have happened but somehow did not. Looking for those times when the problem did not arise when it would normally have, provides clues to what clients can repeat until they are satisfied that things are better enough. Even when clients may not have previous solutions that they can repeat, most clients have recent examples of exceptions to problems.

Asking questions rather than telling clients what to do. Questions are an important communication element of all models of therapy, but SFBT makes questions the primary tool of communication and rarely makes direct challenges or confrontations to a client. However, questions are used as both the primary communication method and as intervention.

Future is negotiated and created. The questions used in SFBT are almost always focused on the present and future. Therefore, rather than emphasizing the past mistakes, misfortune or trauma, it is the basic belief of SFBT that focusing on solutions is much more productive and empowering than focusing on past events or guessing about what might have been the origin of the problem.

Compliments. Compliments are another essential part of SFBT. Validating what the client already is doing well and acknowledging how difficult his problems is, encourages the client to change while given the message that the therapist understands and cares. Compliments in conversations can punctuate what the client is doing right. Soliciting the client’s perception of how other people in his or her life would compliment is also another way that SFBT connects the client with those important persons in his or her real life outside of the therapy room.

Gentle nudging to do more of what is working. Once SFBT therapist has created a positive frame via compliments and reframing and then discovered some previous solutions and exceptions to the problem, they gently nudge the client or family to do more of what has previously worked or suggests to try changes they have thought they would like to try. It is rare for a SFBT therapist to make a suggestion or assignment that is NOT based on the client’s previous solutions or exceptions to their problems.

Change is constant and inevitable. As the Buddhist teaching says SFBT believes that stability in life is an illusion; life is constantly changing and we are always changing. Some changes are more noticeable and apparent than others. It means the more we look for small changes, the more we will notice the changes. Therefore, noticing and paying attention to small changes can set in motion for more and more changes and since we are all changing, the focus is on how to direct our attention to more positive changes that are already occurring.

The solution is not always directly related to the problem. This tenet is the most shocking and it seems to go against all intuition and knowledge we have about problems and solutions. According to the “problem-solving” approach, there should be a logical and coherent relationship between problems and solutions. However, we encounter numerous examples when such logic does not stand up to real life and at times we need to take a bold step to “do something differently.”

Major Intervention Tools

Like all models of therapy, SFBT also has numerous tools that serve as interventions as well as communication tools. As with all such tools, it is in how one uses these tools that makes important difference. Among those are: how to follow up the response, the timing of when to use which tools, when to talk and when to be silent and myriad of other techniques that one masters. The following are few of the most well known tools of SFBT.

Language of solutions. The language of problems tends to be different than that of solutions. Usually problem language is negative, past-history focused in order to describe the origins of the problem and often suggests permanency of a problem. The language of solutions, however, is usually more positive, hopeful, future oriented and suggests a transience of problems. Because language is the primary tool of therapeutic interventions, all questions are viewed as potentially intervening, so we use language very carefully. For example, asking a mother: “What would your daughter say what she hates about your being drunk?” elicits very different responses from asking the same mother: “What would your daughter say what she likes the most about you being sober?” We pay very close attention to how words are used since we believe that “words were originally magic” and they still can perform a lot of magic.

Solution-focused, collaboratively negotiated goals. All therapeutic activities are goal-driven, that is, it is a purposeful activity and “negotiated” between the client and therapist. Therefore, clear, concrete and specific, measurable goals are important to SFBT because any treatment model can begin with problems but unless one is clear about the presence of solutions, it is difficult to know when the hard work should end. Or from the client’s point of view, when is it “better enough” that he or she can have enough confidence to go on with his/her daily living on his/her own. Without such specific termination criteria, any therapeutic relationship can go on for a long time without realizing that successful changes may have been made already.

Miracle questions. When some clients or organizations have difficulties articulating clearly defined criteria for successful outcome, the miracle question serves a very important role in defining the beginning step toward solutions. Not so surprisingly, the miracle question conveys the therapist’s respect for the immensity of the problem and at the same time leads to the client’s coming up with small, realistic, concrete steps, the beginning of a solution behavior. The answer to the miracle question constructs a vision of what the solution would look like. It is important to learn how to follow up and expand on this wonderful beginning of solution and help to build on this so that the client can transform it into a manageable, doable beginning steps.

Exception-finding questions. As described previously, all problems have exceptions and paying attention to those times when exceptions occur is an important intervening tool since doing so indicates to the client that the therapist is confident of his ability to find solutions and that problems become more manageable when one has a clear sense of exceptions. Exceptions also point out what needs to be done to create badly needed solutions.

Scaling questions. The most versatile tool of the SFBT model that also can be adapted to elicit useful information that will help negotiate and assess numerous things that matter to the client. Because of it’s simplicity and also it is a subjective information that tells both the therapist and the client, the state of any useful information is. Numbers are so simple to use that even four or five year olds can respond competently by showing visual aids or toys that indicate what their own assessment of the situation is on a number of issues.

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Solution-focused practice toolkit

The solution-focused practice toolkit provides inspiration for worksheets and activities to use, adapt or devise for the children and young people you work with.

Developed by practitioners from our Face to Face service, the toolkit is based on their experiences using a solution-focused approach. It's available as one download or 11 printable sections covering different aspects of solution-focused practice.

Published: 2015

What is solution-focused practice?

Solution-focused practice concentrates on helping people move towards the future that they want and to learn what can be done differently by using their existing skills, strategies and ideas – rather than focusing on the problem.

It was originally developed in the USA in the 1980s and 1990s. The approach has always been used with children and young people, as well as adults. We've been using solution-focused practice in our Face to Face service [internal link] since September 2011.

This approach treats the child or young person as the expert on their own life. Practitioners ask questions to help the young person begin moving towards the future they want and help them make positive changes in their lives.

Although the principle is simple, the delivery is often not an easy process. Practitioners need to ask questions that really get to the heart of the issue and come up with creative ways to help young people find their solution.

Who is the toolkit for?

Practitioners who already have some training in solution-focused practice and are looking for resources to use when working with children and young people.

The worksheets and activities are designed to be used with children and young people aged 5-19 years old.

Creating the toolkit

Our practitioners have lots of experience using a solution-focused approach with children of different ages, interests and needs.

And in the process, they’ve come up with some really creative ways of working with children and young people.

Download the toolkit

Solution-focused practice toolkit: helping professionals use the approach when working with children and young people (PDF)

Ymarfer sy'n canolbwyntio ar atebion: pecyn ar gyfer gweithio gyda phlant a phobl ifanc (PDF)

Download Solution-focused practice toolkit: helping professionals use the approach when working with children and young people (PDF)

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Article contents

Solution-focused brief therapy.

Mo Yee Lee Mo Yee Lee College of Social Work, Ohio State University
https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.1039
Published online: 03 September 2013

Building on a strengths perspective and using a time-limited approach, solution-focused brief therapy is a treatment model in social work practice that holds a person accountable for solutions rather than responsible for problems. Solution-focused brief therapy deliberately utilizes the language and symbols of “solution and strengths” in treatment and postulates that positive and long-lasting change can occur in a relatively brief period of time by focusing on the solution-building process instead of focusing on the problems. Currently, this practice model has been adopted in diverse social work practice settings with different client populations, which could be partly accounted by the fact that the assumptions and practice orientation of solution-focused brief therapy are consistent with social work values as well as the strengths-based and empowerment-based practice in social work treatment.

brief treatment
empowerment-based
social work treatment
solution-focused
strengths-based

The development of solution-focused brief therapy was originally inspired by the work of husband and wife Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg, along with their associates at the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee. The Brief Therapy Center was first established by de Shazer and Berg in 1978 and formally became the home of solution-focused brief therapy in 1982. With the passing of de Shazer in September 2005 and then Berg in January 2007, the stewardship of the Brief Therapy Center was transferred to the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Association (SFBTA). De Shazer was instrumental in the development of SFBTA because he was the one who first invited the solution-focused community to meet in 2001. This group, including de Shazer, Berg and 27 colleagues, founded the SFBTA in the fall of 2002. The European Brief Therapy Association (EBTA), which was established earlier in 1993, shares similar aims to promote the development and dissemination of solution-focused brief therapy. Both the SFBTA and the EBTA hold annual conferences, support research efforts, and further the development and promotion of solution-focused brief therapy in practice.

When de Shazer and Berg first conceptualized the approach, solution-focused brief therapy was atheoretical, and the focus was on finding “what works in therapy.” Wary of the potentially limiting effects of assumptions or presumptions of theory-based practice approaches pertaining to clients, problems, and diagnoses, these pioneers of solution-focused brief therapy took a new and different approach in exploring the treatment process by asking one simple question: “What works in treatment?” They were interested in listening to what clients have to share, noticing what actually happens in session that helps positive improvement, and distancing themselves as much as possible from presumptions about what works as proposed by diverse treatment approaches. The original team regularly met and observed therapy sessions using a one-way mirror. While observing the therapeutic dialogues and process, the team behind the mirror diligently attempted to identify, discover, and converse about what brought beneficial positive changes in clients and families. In other words, the early development of solution-focused brief therapy was antithetical to the modernist epistemology of understanding human behavior and change based on a presumed understanding of the observed phenomena. Instead of taking a positivistic, hierarchal, or expert stance, the understanding is accomplished by a bottom-up and grounded approach, which strives for a contextual and local understanding of what works in therapy (Berg, 1994 ; Lee, 2011 ).

De Shazer, the co-founder of solution-focused brief therapy, was trained in brief therapy at the Mental Research Institute (MRI) in Palo Alto, CA. Consequently, the brief therapy tradition at MRI does have some legacy on the development of solution-focused brief therapy. Brief therapy, as based on MRI, is influenced by a systems perspective (Bateson, 1979 ), social constructivism (for example, see Berg & Luckmann, 1966 ; Neimeyer & Mahoney, 1993 ; Rosen & Kuehlwein, 1996 ), and the work of the psychiatrist Milton Erickson, who was an expert in observing and utilizing what clients brought to the session in order to solve their presenting problems. Erickson’s work exemplified the belief that individuals have the strengths and resources to solve their problems (Erickson, 1985a ; Erickson, 1985b ). To note, a major difference between MRI and solution-focused brief therapy is that while the brief therapy approaches that were developed at MRI focus on disrupting the problem-maintaining pattern, solution-focused brief therapy emphasizes the solution-building process. Such a shift in treatment focus is influenced by a strong emphasis on the role of language in creating and sustaining reality as embraced by solution-focused brief therapy (de Shazer, 1994 ).

Practice Assumptions of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Insoo Kim Berg, Steve de Shazer, and the solution-focused community emphasized that solution-focused brief therapy is not simply a set of therapeutic techniques but instead represents a way of thinking (de Shazer, 1985 ). Mastering the techniques without embracing underlying assumptions and beliefs of solution-focused brief therapy toward clients and change is not helpful in the treatment process. While the original development of solution-focused brief therapy was atheoretical, the practice of solution-focused brief therapy is consistent with the views posed by a systems perspective, social constructivism, and the work of the psychiatrist Milton Erickson. The practice assumptions of solution-focused brief therapy are:

Focus on solutions, strengths, and health . Solution-focused brief therapy focuses on what clients can do versus what clients cannot do. Instead of focusing and exploring clients’ problems and deficiencies, the focus is on the successes and accomplishments when clients are able to satisfactorily address their problems of living. The focus is on how to notice, identify, expand, and use these successes them more often (Berg & Kelly, 2000 ; de Shazer, 1985 ). The emphasis on solutions and successes is neither a consequence of “naive” beliefs regarding strengths in clients nor simplistic “positive thinking.” It is a deliberate therapeutic choice, which is supported by repeated clinical observations that clients discover solutions more quickly when the focus is on what they can do, what strengths they have, and what they have accomplished (de Jong & Berg, 2013 ). Theoretically speaking, the focus on solutions and successes to facilitate positive changes in clients is supported by a systems perspective (Bateson, 1979 ) and the role of language in creating reality (de Shazer, 1994 ). Systems perspective . One major proposition of a systems perspective is that change is constant in any system (Bateson, 1979 ). Because change is constant and there is movement in any system, every problem pattern includes an exception to the pattern (de Shazer, 1985 ). For example, no matter how conflicted a relationship is, there must be times that the dyads (that is, a couple or two people) are not fighting or bickering. The time when the dyad is doing something else to handle its differences constitutes an exception to the problem pattern, which also contains potential solution to the problem of fighting. Underlying such a view is a belief in the inherent strengths and potentials of clients to engage in behavior that is outside the problem pattern (De Jong & Berg, 2013 ). In other words, despite the multi-deficiencies and problems that clients may perceive that they have, there are times when clients handle their life situations in a more satisfying way or in a different manner. These exceptions provide the clues for solutions (de Shazer, 1985 , 1988 ) and represent the client’s “unnoticed” strengths and resources. The task for the solution-focused practitioner is to assist clients in noticing, amplifying, sustaining, and reinforcing these exceptions, regardless of how small or infrequent the exceptions may be (Berg & Kelly, 2000 , Lee, Sebold, & Uken, 2003 ). Once clients are engaged in non-problem behavior, they are on their way to a solution-building process (Berg & Steiner, 2003 ).

Another major assumption of a systems perspective is the inter-relatedness of all parts of a system, which presumes that everything is connected. Change in one part of a system leads to change in other parts of the system (Bateson, 1972 ; Becvar & Becvar, 2012 ; Keeney & Thomas, 1986 ). As such, a systems perspective does not assume a one-to-one linear relationship between problem and solution. The focus is on circular relationships rather than linear relationships among different parts of a system. The complex inter-relatedness of different parts of systems also renders the effort to establish a causal understanding of problems essentially futile. It is almost impossible to precisely ascertain exactly why any problem occurs in the first place and the trajectory of development. As such, solutions to a problem can happen in multiple pathways and do not necessarily have to be directly related to the presenting problem (de Shazer, 1985 ). In other words, insight into the problem’s origin is not necessary to initiate a process of change in clients. Without minimizing the importance of a person’s experience and perception of the history of the problem, solution-focused brief therapy views what is going on in the present as more important than what caused the problem at the very beginning.

The choice of not drilling into the history and patterns of problem but focusing on what clients do well is further influenced by the power of language in shaping clients’ experience of their reality (de Shazer, 1994 ; Lee et al., 2003 ).

Language and reality.

There is a conscious effort in solution-focused brief therapy to stay focused on solution dialogues and to de-emphasize problem dialogues. Such a conscious effort grows out of a concern about the role of language in creating or sustaining reality. Solution-focused brief therapy views language as the medium through which personal meaning and understanding are expressed and socially constructed in conversation (de Shazer, 1991 , 1994 ). Furthermore, the meaning of things is contingent on the contexts and the language within which issues are described, categorized, and constructed by clients (Wittgenstein, 1958 ). Wittgenstein ( 1958 ) suggested that the way an individual experiences the reality is framed and limited by the language available to him or her to describe it. As such, these meanings are inherently unstable and shifting (Wittgenstein, 1958 ). Consequently, a major therapeutic task for social work professionals is to consider how we can use language in treatment that will facilitate the description and construction of a “beneficial” reality that will open space for individuals to find solutions to their presenting problems.

Recognizing the power of language in creating and sustaining realities, the “conversation of change” is the preferred language of solution-focused brief therapy. The “conversation of change” uses language with the following characteristics (Lee, et al, 2003 ):

Language that implies the person wants to change

Language that implies that the person is capable

Language that implies change has occurred or is occurring

Language that implies the changes are meaningful

Language that encourages the person to explore possibilities for change

Language that suggests that the person can be creative and playful about life

Language that conveys recognition of the persons’ evolution of their personal story

Language that does not encourage negative, blaming, or self-defeating descriptions

This “conversation of change” uses presuppositional language that assumes a possibility of change and thereby induces hopefulness in clients (Lee et al., 2003 ; Walter & Peller, 1992 ).

Accountability for Solutions

Practitioners of solution-focused brief therapy choose to hold the client responsible for solutions instead of problems in the treatment process in order to ethically and effectively facilitate positive changes in clients (de Shazer, 1985 ). The advantage of such a focus is that the practitioner and the client can direct therapeutic efforts toward supporting the client’s responsibility for building solutions and avoiding the potential negativity cycle that might be perpetrated by the language of blaming (Lee et al., 2003 ). However, holding clients to be accountable for solutions is neither simple nor easy. Clients usually seek treatment because they do not know or even feel that there are solutions to their presenting problems. Change requires hard work and a solution-building process requires discipline and effort (Berg & Kelly, 2000 ; De Jong and Berg ( 2013 ). In solution-focused treatment, the “solution” is established in the form of a goal that is to be self-determined and attained by the client (Lee, Uken, & Sebold, 2007 ). Characteristics of useful goals are:

personally meaningful and important to the clients;

small enough to be achieved;

concrete, specific, and behavioral so that indicators of success can be established and observed;

positively stated so that the goal represents the presence rather than the absence of something;

realistic and achievable within the context of the client’s life; and (6) perceived as involving hard work (Berg & Miller, 1992 ; Lee et al., 2007 ).

A Present and Future Orientation

People can take helpful actions to impact the present and the future, but obviously we cannot change what has already happened in the past. Solution-focused brief therapy believes that problems belong to the past while solutions exist in the present and future. Solution-focused brief therapy assumes that the meanings of a problem are artifacts of the context (de Shazer, 1991 ). Because one can never know exactly why a problem exists and because problem perceptions are not external objective “realities,” insight into the problem’s origin is not necessary to initiate a process of change in clients. Without minimizing the importance of the client’s experience and perception of the history of the problem, a solution-focused practitioner listens attentively to clients’ sharing of their stories and experiences. However, the practitioner does not reinforce this line of conversation and instead looks for opportunities to shift to a “conversation of change” that assists clients in “staying at the surface of their problems” (de Shazer, 1991 ). “Staying at the surface of problems” should not be equated with being superficial in the treatment process. The treatment process avoids going “deep” into the problem; rather, it aims to assist clients to do something attainable and observable in their present, immediate life context (de Shazer, 1994 ). Solution-focused brief therapy acknowledges that we cannot change the past but assumes that we can do something helpful in the present.

Solution-focused brief therapy also assumes that “the future exists in our anticipation of how it will be” (Cade & O’Hanlon, 1993 , p. 109). In other words, how we construct a picture of a desirable future will influence how events will unfold in life. Consequently, the solution-focused practitioner asks questions that will help clients to describe a future that does not contain the problem. The more specific and clearer the vision of a desirable future, the more likely it will happen because the client will have a goal to aspire to and steps to follow. Consequently, the task of therapy is to help clients envision a desirable future and identify the first small step that they can take to attain a future without the problem (Berg, 1994 , De Jong & Berg, 2013 ). Such descriptions also inspire hope and enhance motivation in clients to engage in beneficial behaviors that will lead to positive changes in their lives.

Clients define their goals: The client as assessor

Solution-focused brief therapy views goals as individually constructed by clients in a collaborative process during treatment. Aligned with social constructivism (Berg & Luckmann, 1966 ; Neimeyer & Mahoney, 1993 ; Rosen & Kuehlwein, 1996 ), solution-focused brief therapy believes that solutions to problems are not objective “realities” but rather individually constructed. Clients are the most legitimate “knower” of their life experiences and should be the center of the change process. Externally imposed therapeutic goals, as promoted by therapy approaches or society, may be inappropriate or irrelevant to the needs of clients. In addition, clients generally are willing to work harder if they define the goal of therapy and perceived the goal as personally meaningful (Lee et al., 2007 ). Consequently, a distinctive characteristic of solution-oriented assessment is its focus on the client as the assessor (Lee et al., 2003 ). Contrary to most medical models of assessment, which view professionals as possessing expert diagnostic knowledge and clients as the objects for assessment, solution-focused assessment emphasizes the client as the assessor who constantly self-evaluates what the problem is, what may be feasible solutions to the problem, what the desirable future is, what the goals of treatment are, what strengths and resources the client has, what may be helpful in the process of change, how committed or motivated the client is to make change a reality, and how quickly the client wants to proceed with the change, etc (Lee et al., 2003 ). Solution-focused practitioners are experts on the “conversation of change” and keep the dialogues going in search of a description of an alternative and beneficial reality (de Shazer, 1994 ).

Collaborative therapeutic relationship.

This view of clients as the assessor fundamental shifts the relationship between the client and the social work practitioner, so that it is no longer a hierarchal relationship but rather a collaborative one, with the client as the assessor and the social work practitioner as an expert of the conversation of change. Clients no longer simply provide “data” for professionals to use in determining a diagnosis and a treatment plan. The role of the solution-focused practitioner is to provide a therapeutic context for clients to construct and develop a personally meaningful goal. The practitioner enters into their perspective, adopts their frame of mind, listens to and understands their goals, and looks for strengths instead of weaknesses or diagnoses (Lee, 2011 ). Instead of being hierarchical, the solution-focused practitioner-client relationship is an egalitarian and collaborative relationship in which both the client and social work professional work together to facilitate positive changes (de Jong & Berg, 2013 ). This collaborative relationship inherently enhances the process of engagement and client’s ownership of the treatment process.

Utilization.

Milton Erickson was an expert in utilizing clients’ symptoms to help resolve their presenting problems. He firmly believed that individuals have the strengths and resources to solve their problems and that the main therapeutic task is to uncover and activate these resources in clients (Haley, 1973 ). Influenced by Erickson’s work, solution-focused practitioners utilize whatever resources clients bring with them, whether these are skills, knowledge, beliefs, motivations, behaviors, symptoms, social networks, circumstances, and personal idiosyncrasies, to uncover the solution (de Shazer, 1985 ; O’Hanlon & Wilk, 1987 ). Such a practice orientation is based on several beliefs: (1) there is the presence of exception in every problem situation (de Shazer, 1985 ); (2) instead of attempting to teach clients something new or foreign based on the practitioner’s presumed notions of what is best for the client, it is usually more efficient to focus on what clients are doing when they engage in non-problem behaviors; (3) utilizing and building on exceptions is a more efficient and effective way for clients to develop solutions that are relevant to and viable in their unique life circumstances as opposed to suggestions from professionals; (4) people are usually more invested in solutions that they discover or identify by themselves. As such, the task for the solution-focused practitioner is to elicit, trigger, reinforce, expand, and consolidate the exceptions that the client generates. Solution-focused practitioners stay away from teaching clients skills or intervening in their lives in ways that may fit our “model” of what is good, but may not be appropriate or viable in their lives (Lee, et al., 2003 ; Lee, 2011 ).

Tipping the first domino: A small change.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” (Laozi, Dao Te Ching , Chapter 100) Solution-focused brief therapy fully embraces the wisdom of beginning the change effort with the first, small step. There are many benefits of focusing on the first small step: (1) small changes are more feasible, doable, attainable, and manageable than big changes; (2) small steps provide indicators of improvement; (3) people are usually more encouraged and committed to the change process when they experience successes; and (4) small successes provide feedback for more successes in the process of change. Change requires both the vision of a “big” picture and a pragmatic plan for the first small step.

The emphasis on the first small step is also influenced by systems perspective. Introducing any change in a system may disturb a person’s equilibrium in unpredictable ways as a result of reiterating feedback. Repetitive attempts at the same unsuccessful solution are precisely what create problems in the first place (Watzlawick, Weakland, & Fisch, 1974 ). Consequently, solution-focused brief therapy believes that the best responses to client’s problems involve minimal, but personally meaningful, intervention by the solution-focused practitioner into their lives (Lee et al., 2003 ). Clients should determine what constitutes acceptable solutions. The most important thing is for practitioners to help clients identify the first small behavioral step toward desirable change.

The Solution-Focused Treatment Manual adopted by SFBTA succinctly describes the basic tenants of solution-focused brief therapy. It can be found at: http://www.sfbta.org/researchDownloads.html (Trepper, McCollum, De Jong, Korman, Gingerich, & Franklin, 2010 ).

Solution-Focused Interventions

Solution-focused interventions engage the client in a “conversation of change” that is conducive to the solution-building process. In this conversation, the solution-focused practitioner invites the client to be the “expert of change.” Collaboratively, the solution-focused practitioner and the client co-construct a desirable future that does not contain the problem. The practitioner listens intensely and explores the meaning of the client’s perception of his or her situation. Practitioners utilize solution-oriented questions, including exception questions, outcome questions, coping questions, scaling questions, and relationship questions to assist clients in constructing a reality that does not contain the problem. De Shazer, Berg, and their colleagues develop these questioning techniques to fully utilize the resources and potential of clients (for example, Berg & Kelly, 2000 ; de Jong & Berg, 2013 ; de Shazer, 1985 ). Questions are perceived as better ways to create open space for clients to think about and self-evaluate their situation and solutions.

First session.

In terms of the treatment process, clients are first oriented to a solution-focus frame in which the focus of therapy is to assist clients in finding solutions to their problems with as few sessions as needed. The clients are immediately encouraged to give a clear and explicit statement of their presenting complaint. Without focusing on the history of the problems, the solution-focused practitioner uses solution-building questions to begin assisting clients in identifying solutions for their problems. Specific interventions include:

Pre-session change . Early in treatment, the solution-focused practitioner helps clients to notice positive changes in their natural environment before they receive any treatment. “What changes have you noticed that have happened or started to happen since you called to make the appointment for this session? (Trepper et al., 2010 ). Pre-session change assumes that change is ongoing and is initiated by the clients and not the professionals.

Exception questions inquire about times when the problem is either absent, less intense, or dealt with in a manner that is acceptable to the client (de Shazer, 1985 ). The solution-focused practitioner presupposes that change is happening in the client’s problem situation. Such an effort shakes the rigid frames constructed by many clients with respect to the pervasiveness and permanency of their complaints. Examples of exception questions include: When was the last time that you didn’t have this problem? When was the last time that you expected that you’d have the problem but it did not happen? When was the last time that you thought you would lose your temper but you didn’t? What was different about these times?

Miracle questions allow clients to separate themselves from their problem-saturated context and construct a future vision of life without the presenting complaint or with acceptable improvements in the problem. Miracle questions foster a sense of hopefulness and offer an opportunity for clients to develop a beneficial direction for improving their lives. The focus is on identifying small, observable, and concrete behaviors that are indicators of small changes, which can make a difference in the client’s situation (de Shazer, 1985 ). A widely used format of miracle question is: Suppose that after our meeting today, you go home, do your things, and go to bed. While you are sleeping, a miracle happens and the problem that brought you here is suddenly solved, like magic. The problem is gone. Because you were sleeping, you don’t know that a miracle happened, but when you wake up tomorrow morning, you will be different. How will you know that a miracle has happened? What will be the first small sign that tells you that the problem is resolved? (Berg & Miller, 1992 ). Variations of the miracle question include the dream question (Greene, Lee, Mentzer, Pinnell, & Niles, 1998 ) and the nightmare question (Reuss, 1997 ).

Coping questions help clients to notice times when they are coping with their problems and what they are doing when they are successfully coping. Asking coping questions indirectly reframes the meaning frames of clients who have assumed that they are entirely helpless and thus they have no control over the problem situation (Berg, 1994 ; Berg & Steiner, 2003 ). Examples of coping questions include: How have you been able to keep going despite all the difficulties you’ve encountered? How are you able to get up despite being so depressed? A newly developed question is the “lemon question” that embraces personal pride and dignity in assisting clients to look for personal strengths in coping with difficult situation: Suppose you came to see, with a new clarity, that ______ [a normalized statement of the difficult life predicament in which the clients find themselves], what would you be most proud of as your response to that situation? (Taylor, 2012 ).

Scaling questions ask clients to rank their situation or goal on a 1-to-10 scale (de Jong & Berg, 2013 ). Usually, 1 represents the worst scenario that could possibly be and 10 is the most desirable outcome. Scaling questions provide a simple tool for clients to quantify and evaluate their situation and progress so that they can establish a clear indicator of progress for themselves. Some examples of commonly used scaling questions are: On a 1-to-10 scale, with 1 being the worst the problem could possibly be and 10 as the most desirable outcome, where would you put yourself on the scale? On a 1-to-10 scale with 1 being you don’t believe you can do anything to change the situation and 10 meaning you are absolutely determined to do something to change the problem, how would you put yourself on the scale? What would your wife say using the same scale?”

Relationship questions ask clients to imagine how significant others in their environment might react to their problem or situation and changes they make (Berg, 1994 ; de Jong & Berg, 2013 ). Relationship questions recognize the interactional aspect of many problems. These questions not only contextualize problem definition but also the client’s desired goals and changes. In addition, relationship questions help establish multiple indicators of change as grounded in clients’ real life context. Examples of relationship questions include: Who would be the first to notice changes in you? What would your friends notice that is different about you if you are more comfortable with the new college environment? How would your mother rate your motivation to do something different and helpful on a 1-to-10 scale?

Taking a break.

Solution-focused practitioners are encouraged to take a break near the end of the session prior to wrapping up the session. The break serves several important functions: (1) the practitioner can consult with his or her team or supervisor about the session and solicit ideas and feedback for complimenting and providing solution-focused interventions to the client; (2) the practitioner can use the time to organize his or her thoughts and develop with compliments and ideas for possible interventions (Berg, 1994 ; Trepper et al., 2010 ); and (3) the break prepares the client or family to focus and receive the feedback from the solution-focused practitioner.

The end-of-session message usually consists of three components: a compliment, a bridging statement, and tasks. The compliment helps the client or family to clearly notice, register, and anchor what they have done well, what might be helpful in the change process, and what things that they should be proud of, and so on. Authentic compliments serve to motivate and direct clients for positive changes. A bridging statement serves to connect the compliment with the solution-focused tasks and experiments. An example of an end-of-session message is:

Apparently, you are determined to be a better mom for your children despite your kids being in foster care right now. Some parents might choose to distance from their children because of the pain of not able to be with them and you are determined not to let that pain takes control over you (compliment). Since you are such a keen observer (bridging statement), between now and next time we meet I would like you to observe, what happens in your daily life and in particular your interaction with the child welfare people that you want to continue to have happen more often so that you have a better chance to reunite with your children in the near future (observation task) .

Solution-focused tasks and experiments.

Solution-focused brief therapy routinely uses task assignments and experiments to assist clients in noticing solutions in their natural life context (de Shazer & Molnar, 1984 ; Molnar & de Shazer, 1987 ). Some common solution-focused tasks and experiments are:

If clients can identify exception behaviors to the problem, then clients are asked to “do more of what works.”

For clients who focus on the perceived stability of their problematic pattern and fail to identify any exceptions, an observation task is given: “Between now and next time we meet, we (I) want you to observe, so that you can tell us (me) next time, what happens in your (life, marriage, family, or relationship) that you want to continue to have happen” (Molnar & de Shazer, 1987 ). Another observation task directs clients to notice what they do when they overcome the temptation or urge to engage in the problem behavior.

Other tasks that assist clients in interrupting their problem patterns and developing new solutions include: Do something different (“Between now and next time we meet, do something different and tell me what happened”) and the prediction task , which asks the client to predict his or her behavior by tossing a coin (“If it is heads, do what you normally do; if it is tails, pretend that the miracle day has happened”) (Berg, 1994 ).

Second session and after.

The focus of second session and afterwards is on facilitating clients to notice and expand changes that have happened or were observed between sessions. A typical question is the “What’s better?” question: So, what is better, even a little bit, since last time we meet? (Berg, 1994 ; Trepper et al., 2010 ). Noticing change is a small but important step for clients to realize their desired future. The solution-focused practitioner continues to use solution-focused questions and interventions to elicit, amplify, and consolidate positive goal efforts that are demonstrated by the client. An important skill is to encourage clients to describe their small change effort in great detail so that the “ordinary” becomes “extraordinary” (Lee et al., 2003 ). Another important therapeutic task in the second session is to help clients notice the connection between their behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and their desired solutions. Examples of these questions include: How are you able to go out together for a walk four out of seven days last week? How did both of you do that? How did you feel when you decided to stop arguing instead of exploding despite your anger? What’s in you mind when you chose not to talk back and argue with your parents?

It is not uncommon for clients become distracted by problems, for things to not get better, or for clients to have not acted on the solution-focused tasks, and so on. From a solution-focused perspective, there is no good or bad response, because clients’ responses are just feedback to the practitioners to continue co-construct a beneficial reality with the clients (Lee et al., 2003 ). In other words, there is no failure because responses are just feedback (de Shazer, 1985 ). Oftentimes, clients might have overlooked the small change or been distracted by problems. The trick is for the solution-focused practitioners to remain persistent and patient. It is helpful to ask the client to restate in a different way his or her goal and the things that he or she has noticed. The task is to help the client to look for small changes that can be further amplified and expanded. Other times, the client might need to reevaluate his or her goals based on experimentation. People might need to experiment using trial and error to determine what is important and helpful to them. When clients do not improve or have done nothing by the second session, it is likely that the stated goals or tasks are not important, not appropriate, or not relevant to the extent that the clients are committed to do something different. It is important for the practitioner to offer choices as much as possible and to continue helping the clients to self-assess what might be beneficial for them. Solution-focused practitioners should not view clients as resistant or unmotivated. Instead, they should look for ways that clients are cooperating (Lee et al., 2003 ).

The solution-building process is allows the clients to notice a difference that can make a difference in their livesin their natural environment. The solution-focused practitioner cautiously refrains from providing or suggesting solutions. The solution-focused practitioner is responsible for creating a therapeutic dialogical context in which clients experience a solution-building process that is initiated from within and grounded in clients’ cultural strengths as well as thier personal construction of the solution reality (Lee, 2003 ). It is for clients to discover what works for them in their unique life context.

Termination.

The goals of termination in solution-focused brief therapy is to (1) review goals and discuss progress; (2) facilitate clients to own and take full credit for their improvement and positive changes; (3) assist clients in developing connections between their actions and positive change efforts; and (4) assist clients in establishing indicators of relapse and follow-up measures. Oftentimes, the solution-focused practitioners use scaling questions to help clients evaluate differences in their presenting problem between now and before: Suppose when we first started meeting, your problem was at a 1 and where you wanted to be is at a 10. Where would you say you are at today on a scale of 1-to-10? In addition, scaling questions are used to e valuate the clients’ confidence in their ability to maintain change: On a scale of 1-to-10, with a 10 meaning that you have every confidence that you will keep up with your progress and a 1 meaning that you have no confidence at all to maintain the change, where would you put yourself today? What would it take for you to move from a 5 to a 6?

In addition to complimenting clients for the positive change efforts, one major solution-focused intervention at termination is to use questions that assist clients to make connections between their actions and positive changes as well as to take ownership of the change. Looking back, what have you done to help you in making these changes? How do you decide that you are determined to make the change despite not being easy? “When did you decide to do that?” “Where do you think it comes from for you, the commitment?”

Change will be more long lasting when clients are able to consolidate their changes into alternative, beneficial “self-descriptions” such as an honest man, a caring parent, or a loving husband. These descriptions encapsulate the overall change so that clients develop “the language of success” in place of the “language of problem” in describing the self (Lee et al., 2003 ). How would you describe yourself as a husband now as compared to when we first met a few months ago?

In addition to consolidating change efforts, it is important to help clients prepare for the ups and downs in life. Solution-focused practitioners use scaling and relationship questions to assist clients establish earliest indicator(s) of relapse and develop contingency plan: What will need to happen in order for you to slide back again? What you will need to do to prevent that happen again? What would be the earliest sign to you that you are starting to go backward? When you notice that you are sliding back, what can you do differently to pull yourself up?

Solution-focused brief therapy takes a developmental perspective in viewing change. In other words, there are always ups and downs in life, and clients might need to seek help again in the future for different problems of living, which is normal and not an indicator of failure. The important thing is for clients to learn something new and useful each time that they can use in addressing future problems.

In sum, solution-focused brief therapy advocates for an open process of self-evaluations and choice making through a “conversation of change.” There is no longer an objective problem or reality that exists independently outside the client. Treatment is essentially an ongoing and open process in which the client and the social work practitioner actively engage in co-constructing an inherently unstable reality that is different from the problem reality and contains the desirable future as defined by the client. The practitioner listens for and absorbs clients’ descriptions, words, and meanings, and then formulates responses by building on clients’ frames of reference and connecting to clients’ words and meanings. This cyclical and ongoing process of listening, connecting, and responding allows solution-focused practitioners and clients to co-construct a new, alternative, and beneficial solutions or desired future as determined by the clients (Trepper, 2010 ). Assessment and treatment are no longer alienated procedures operated on the client by an expert. Instead, treatment focuses on co-constructing a “conversation of change” that deliberately utilizes the language of change, strengths, and resources to help clients developing useful goals, recognizing exceptions, amplifying change efforts, and consolidating the new behaviors in their life. It becomes an open process in which the clients continuously make evaluations and choices. Ownership, options, and choices become an integral part of the treatment process (Lee et al., 2003 ).

Clinical Applications of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Solution-focused brief therapy has gained prominence in social work practice despite its relatively short history as compared to other established practice approaches in social work treatment. One plausible reason is that solution-focused brief therapy has its roots in social work because social work professionals actively participate in its development and dissemination. The late Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer, the founders of solution-focused brief therapy, were social work professionals. Peter de Jong, Michelle Weiner-Davis, and Eve Lipchik, who all belonged to the original group at BFTC, were social work professionals. Cynthia Franklin, Johnny Kim, and Michael Kelly applied solution-focused brief therapy to family practice and school social work (Franklin & Jordan, 1998 ; Kelly, Kim, & Franklin, 2008 ). Mo Yee Lee, Adriana Uken, and John Sebold are social work professionals who use solution-focused brief therapy to work with domestic violence offenders (Lee et al., 2003 ). Wally Gingerich, who conducted the first systematic narrative review of solution-focused brief therapy outcome studies, is a social work professional (Gingerich & Esiengart, 2000 ). This list is certainly not exhaustive as there are many other social work professionals actively applying solution-focused brief therapy with their client populations in creative and beneficial ways. Because the founders of solution-focused brief therapy were social work professionals, it is not surprising that the practice and value orientation of solution-focused brief therapy are consistent with the social work overarching framework of person-in-environment as well as the social work values of respecting clients’ dignity and self-determination (Karls, 2009 ; NASW, 1999 ). The practice of solution-focused brief therapy—being systems-based, collaborative, strengths-based, respectful, pragmatic, and focused—facilitates the adoption of this model by social work professionals in their work (Lee, 2011 ).

The increasing adoption of solution-focused brief therapy by social work professionals is plausibly related to its focus on clients’ strengths and resources, which is consistent with the empowerment-based and strengths-based approaches in human services; approaches that have gained increased prominence since the late 1990s (Rees, 1998 ; Saleebey, 2009 ). In addition, solution-focused brief therapy provides a specific set of treatment skills and techniques that help to operationalize strengths-based and empowerment-based practice in daily social work practice. In other words, solution-focused brief therapy translates the concept of strengths and empowerment to every day practice of using the “language of empowerment” (Rappaport, 1985 ; Rees, 1998 ) and the “lexicons of strengths” (Saleebey, 2008) in social work treatment. Finally, while the development of solution-focused brief therapy is entirely independent of the development of managed care, its emphasis on being brief, efficient, and effective clearly aligns with the mandate of managed care, which is on cost-effectiveness and cost-containment.

To date, solution-focused brief therapy has been adopted in a variety of social work practice settings (Nelson & Thomas, 2007 ). Examples of these settings or practices include but are not limited to the followings:

Child welfare, for example, the Sign of Safety (Berg & Kelly, 2000 ; Turner, 2007 )

Family practice (Berg, 1994 ; Franklin & Jordan, 1998 )

Child and adolescent practice (for example, Berg, & Steiner, 2003 ; Selekman, 1993 , 1997 ).

Students from single-parent families and their parents (Lee & Grover-Ely, 2013 )

Schools (for example, Franklin & Gerlach, 2007 ; Kelly, Kim, & Franklin, 2008 ; Metcalf, 2008 )

Substance use (for example, Berg & Reuss, 1998 ; Smock & Trepper et al., 2008 )

Mental health (Knekt & Lindfors, et al., 2008a ; Knekt & Lindfors, et al., 2008b ; Macdonald, 2007 )

Domestic violence (Lee, 2007 ; Lee et al., 2003 ; Lee et al., 2012 ; Uken, Lee, & Sebold, 2013 )

Health (O’Connell & Palmer, 2003 )

Suicide prevention (Fiske, 2008 ; Hendon, 2008 )

Restorative justice (Walker & Hayashi, 2009 )

Administration and management (Lueger & Korn, 2006 )

Culturally competent practice (Lee, 2003 ; Kim, 2013 )

Coaching (for example, Berg & Szabo, 2005 ; Szabo & Meier, 2009 )

Supervision (Triantafillou, 1997 ; Wheeler, 2007 )

Relevant Research and Challenges

SFBT is gaining increased recognition as an evidence-based model. Solution-focused brief therapy is currently listed in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquent Prevention Model Program Guide ( http://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/mpgProgramDetails.aspx?ID = 712) and is included in SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices. In addition, Franklin and her associates published the book Solution-focused brief therapy: A handbook of evidence based practice (Franklin, Trepper, Gingerich, & McCullum, 2012 ). These are important milestones for solution-focused brief therapy, in part because the history of solution-focused brief therapy is relatively recent compared to other established treatment approaches such as cognitive-behavioral approaches. In addition, solution-focused brief therapy was developed by social work professionals in practice and not by academics at universities or research institutes. Nonetheless, the founders of solution-focused brief therapy, Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer, had a clear vision and support for advancing research in solution-focused brief therapy (de Shazer & Berg, 1997 ). At the EBTA conference at Brugge, Belgium, in 1997, t Berg facilitated a one-day post-conference meeting of people who were interested in solution-focused brief therapy research. This was probably the first “Research Day” to discuss research development in solution-focused brief therapy. The Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Association (SFBTA), which is the professional organization promoting solution-focused brief therapy in North America, continues its vision for promoting research of solution-focused brief therapy. The Research Committee of SBFTA is charged with the mission to promote, strengthen, and disseminate research pertaining to solution-focused brief therapy. This committee organizes a Research Day as part of the pre-conference activities. Since 2010, SFBTA has also funded the SFBTA Research Award, under the auspice of the Research Committee, to continue promote and support research in SFBT.

Outcome research.

Over the years, numerous intervention studies have been conducted for solution-focused brief therapy in diverse practice settings. Gingerich and Eisengart ( 2000 ) conducted the first systematic narrative review of solution-focused brief therapy outcome study. They conducted a systematic review of 15 outcome studies on solution-focused brief therapy. More recently, Johnny Kim has conducted a meta-analysis that consisted of outcome studies that were conducted between 1988 and 2005 (Kim, 2008 ). This review included 22 studies that used a control or comparison group in their study design. In addition, the meta-analysis focused on external behavioral outcomes, internal behavioral outcomes, and family or relationship problem outcomes. In addition, Corcoran and Pillai ( 2009 ) reviewed 10 studies that used SFT in treatment. The analysis of these studies found about 50% of the studies can be viewed as showing improvement over alternative conditions or no-treatment control.

While there is increasing empirical evidence of the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy, the rigor of these studies is limited by numerous issues in research design. These limitations, however, are not unusual in intervention studies conducted in real life practice settings. The identified problems include small and non-representative samples, lack of randomized controlled procedures, lack of specific manualized protocol, problems with treatment fidelity, measurement problems, and so on (Gingerich & Eisengart, 2000 ; Kim, 2008 ; Lee et al., 2007 ). To further develop and strengthen evidence for the efficacy of solution-focused brief therapy, future studies should consider a more rigorous research design that (1) uses larger and more representative samples; (2) includes control or comparison groups using randomized assignment procedures; (3) uses standardized measures that are sensitive enough to measure treatment changes; (4) uses observation-based rating systems in data collection when possible and appropriate, (5) further refines and develops the treatment manual for training purposes and fidelity analyses, (6) increases the rigor of the fidelity procedures by using observation-based approaches with a refined, specific, and rigorous fidelity measurement protocol; (7) carefully monitors the data collection process to reduce problems in measurement attrition; and (8) includes research sites that serve ethnically and racially diverse populations (Lee, 2011 ).

Process research.

A unique development in solution-focused brief therapy research is its incorporation of microanalysis as a major research effort. Microanalysis is the close examination of moment-by-moment, utterance-by-utterance communicative actions in conversations, with an emphasis on how these sequences function in the interaction (Bavelas, McGee, Phillips, & Routledge, 2000 ). Microanalysis views communication as constructive and directive (Bavelas, Coates, & Johnson, 2000 ). Consequently, microanalysis as a research method allows us to closely examine the co-constructive process in treatment, which is a hallmark of solution-focused brief therapy. A group of researchers led by Janet Bevalas that includes Peter de Jong, Harry Korman, Sara Smock, Adam Froerer, Christine Tomori, and Sara Healing are using microanalysis to study therapeutic communication as a mechanism of change in solution-focused brief therapy. Their work includes the following types of research: (1) process research (for example, microanalysis of communication within therapy sessions) that assesses congruence between theory and practice and reveals similarities and differences in therapeutic approaches (De Jong & Bavelas, 2009 ; Froerer & Smock, 2009 ; Tomori & Bavelas, 2007 ), and the communication process such as formulation and grounding sequences in treatment (Bavelas, 2011 ); (2) basic experiments in a laboratory setting that provide evidence supporting fundamental assumptions such as co-construction in the treatment process (for example, Bavelas et al., 2000 ; 2002 ); and (3) experiments on therapeutic techniques, which test key techniques such as the miracle question in the laboratory using non-therapeutic tasks and populations (Healing & Bavelas, 2009 ). Such research program illuminates important mechanisms of change and other process issues involved in the solution-focused treatment process. In addition, microanalysis in itself introduces novel research methodologies in understanding the therapeutic processes that may be relevant to other types of social work treatment approaches.

Each social work treatment approach makes different assumptions about how problems of living should be approached as well as how change happens. Recognizing the power of therapeutic dialogues and the potentially harmful effects of a pathology-based and deficits-based perspective in sustaining the problem and disempowering clients, solution-focused brief therapy deliberately adopts the language and symbols of “solution and strengths” and fully embraces clients’ voices and resources in the search for effective solutions. While doing so, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy and carefully examine the associated mechanisms and processes that contribute to its effectiveness so that treatment is based on an informed position in addition to ethical choices or theoretical preferences (Lee, 2007 ).

Another challenge in the development of solution-focused brief therapy is the dilemma between fidelity adherence versus open flow. Solution-focused brief therapy emphasizes itself as a way of thinking and not just a set of techniques (de Shazer, 1985 ). The treatment process is a co-constructive process between the solution-focused practitioner and the client. Consequently, there are questions about how much the professional body, that is, SFBTA, can and should ensure strict fidelity to an “established” treatment protocol. If this is not feasible or desirable, how can we develop some structure (such as a national network of basic solution-focused brief therapy training), establish defining parameters, or the minimum amount of SF to ensure the adherence to the model (personal communication with Gallagher & Nelson, 2012 ).

Albeit these challenges, helping professionals around the globe are practicing solution-focused brief therapy in a variety of settings with diverse client groups in beneficial ways.

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Article • 8 min read

The FOCUS Model

A simple, efficient problem-solving approach.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

Are your business processes perfect, or could you improve them?

In an ever-changing world, nothing stays perfect for long. To stay ahead of your competitors, you need to be able to refine your processes on an ongoing basis, so that your services remain efficient and your customers stay happy.

This article looks the FOCUS Model – a simple quality-improvement tool that helps you do this.

About the Model

The FOCUS Model, which was created by the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), is a structured approach to Total Quality Management (TQM) , and it is widely used in the health care industry.

The model is helpful because it uses a team-based approach to problem solving and to business-process improvement, and this makes it particularly useful for solving cross-departmental process issues. Also, it encourages people to rely on objective data rather than on personal opinions, and this improves the quality of the outcome.

It has five steps:

F ind the problem.
O rganize a team.
C larify the problem.
U nderstand the problem.
S elect a solution.

Applying the FOCUS Model

Follow the steps below to apply the FOCUS Model in your organization.

Step 1: Find the Problem

The first step is to identify a process that needs to be improved. Process improvements often follow the Pareto Principle , where 80 percent of issues come from 20 percent of problems. This is why identifying and solving one real problem can significantly improve your business, if you find the right problem to solve.

According to a popular analogy, identifying problems is like harvesting apples. At first, this is easy – you can pick apples up from the ground and from the lower branches of the tree. But the more fruit you collect, the harder it becomes. Eventually, the remaining fruit is all out of reach, and you need to use a ladder to reach the topmost branches.

Start with a simple problem to get the team up to speed with the FOCUS method. Then, when confidence is high, turn your attention to more complex processes.

If the problem isn't obvious, use these questions to identify possible issues:

What would our customers want us to improve?
How can we improve quality ?
What processes don't work as efficiently as they could?
Where do we experience bottlenecks in our processes?
What do our competitors or comparators do that we could do?
What frustrates and irritates our team?
What might happen in the future that could become a problem for us?

If you have several problems that need attention, list them all and use Pareto Analysis , Decision Matrix Analysis , or Paired Comparison Analysis to decide which problem to address first. (If you try to address too much in one go, you'll overload team members and cause unnecessary stress.)

Step 2: Organize a Team

Your next step is to assemble a team to address the problem.

Where possible, bring together team members from a range of disciplines – this will give you a broad range of skills, perspectives, and experience to draw on.

Select team members who are familiar with the issue or process in hand, and who have a stake in its resolution. Enthusiasm for the project will be greatest if people volunteer for it, so emphasize how individuals will benefit from being involved.

If your first choice of team member isn't available, try to appoint someone close to them, or have another team member use tools like Perceptual Positioning and Rolestorming to see the issue from their point of view.

Keep in mind that a diverse team is more likely to find a creative solution than a group of people with the same outlook.

Step 3: Clarify the Problem

Before the team can begin to solve the problem, you need to define it clearly and concisely.

According to " Total Quality Management for Hospital Nutrition Services ," a key text on the FOCUS Model, an enthusiastic team may be keen to attack an "elephant-sized" problem, but the key to success is to break it down into "sushi-sized" pieces that can be analyzed and solved more easily.

Use the Drill Down technique to break big problems down into their component parts. You can also use the 5 Whys Technique , Cause and Effect Analysis , and Root Cause Analysis to get to the bottom of a problem.

Record the details in a problem statement, which will then serve as the focal point for the rest of the exercise ( CATWOE can help you do this effectively.) Focus on factual events and measurable conditions such as:

Who does the problem affect?
What has happened?
Where is it occurring?
When does it happen?

The problem statement must be objective, so avoid relying on personal opinions, gut feelings, and emotions. Also, be on guard against "factoids" – statements that appear to be facts, but that are really opinions that have come to be accepted as fact.

Step 4: Understand the Problem

Once the problem statement has been completed, members of the team gather data about the problem to understand it more fully.

Dedicate plenty of time to this stage, as this is where you will identify the fundamental steps in the process that, when changed, will bring about the biggest improvement.

Consider what you know about the problem. Has anyone else tried to fix a similar problem before? If so, what happened, and what can you learn from this?

Use a Flow Chart or Swim Lane Diagram to organize and visualize each step; this can help you discover the stage at which the problem is happening. And try to identify any bottlenecks or failures in the process that could be causing problems.

As you develop your understanding, potential solutions to the problem may become apparent. Beware of jumping to "obvious" conclusions – these could overlook important parts of the problem, and could create a whole new process that fails to solve the problem.

Generate as many possible solutions as you can through normal structured thinking, brainstorming , reverse brainstorming , and Provocation . Don't criticize ideas initially – just come up with lots of possible ideas to explore.

Step 5: Select a Solution

The final stage in the process is to select a solution.

Use appropriate decision-making techniques to select the most viable option. Decision Trees , Paired Comparison Analysis , and Decision Matrix Analysis are all useful tools for evaluating your options.

Once you've selected an idea, use tools such as Risk Analysis , "What If" Analysis , and the Futures Wheel to think about the possible consequences of moving ahead, and make a well-considered go/no-go decision to decide whether or not you should run the project.

People commonly use the FOCUS Model in conjunction with the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. Use this approach to implement your solutions in a controlled way.

The FOCUS Model is a simple quality-improvement tool commonly used in the health care industry. You can use it to improve any process, but it is particularly useful for processes that span different departments.

The five steps in FOCUS are as follows:

People often use the FOCUS Model in conjunction with the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, which allows teams to implement their solution in a controlled way.

Bataldan, P. (1992). 'Building Knowledge for Improvement: an Introductory Guide to the Use of FOCUS-PDCA,' Nashville: TN Quality Resource Group, Hospital Corporation of America.

Schiller, M., Miller-Kovach, M., and Miller-Kovach, K. (1994). 'Total Quality Management for Hospital Nutrition Services,' Aspen Publishers Inc. Available here .

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The FOCUS Model is a simple quality-improvement tool commonly used in the health care industry. You can use it to improve any process, but it is particularly useful for processes that span different departments. The five steps in FOCUS are as follows: Find the problem. Organize a team. Clarify the problem. Understand the problem. Select a solution.

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This Article Contains:

Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Exercises (PDF)

Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Tools Pack (PDF)

1. Miracle Question

2. Presupposing change questions

3. Exception Questions

4. Scaling Questions

5. Coping Questions

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1. Solution-focused art therapy/ letter writing

2. Strengths Finders

3. Solution Mind Mapping

4. Experiment Journals

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1. The Miracle Method: A Radically New Approach to Problem Drinking – Insoo Kim Berg and Scott D. Miller Ph.D.

2. Solution Focused Brief Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques – Harvey Ratney, Evan George and Chris Iveson

3. Handbook of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (Jossey-Bass Psychology) – Scott D. Miller, Mark Hubble and Barry L. Duncan

4. More Than Miracles: The State of the Art of Solution -Focused Therapy (Routledge Mental Health Classic Editions) – Steve de Shazer and Yvonne Dolan

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What Is Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)?

Take-home Messages

What is Solution-Focused Therapy?

What is Solution-Focused Therapy used for?

Solution-Focused Therapy Techniques

1. The Miracle Question

2. Coping Questions

Examples of coping questions include:

3. Exceptions to the Problems

4. Compliments

Examples of scaling questions include:

Critical Evaluation

Disadvantages

Further Information

What is Solution-Focused Therapy?

Solution-Focused Therapy Online Self-Paced Courses

Behavioral Health Training for Staff and Organizations

Key Concepts and Tools

Goal Development Questions

Pre-Session Change Question

Looking for previous solutions

Looking for exceptions

Present and future-focused questions vs. past-oriented focus

Compliments

Inviting the clients to do more of what is working

Miracle Question (MQ)

Scaling Questions

The Miracle 10 Question

Coping Questions

Consultation Break and Invitation to Add Further Information

Research Findings

Suggested Readings and References

Ayisha Amatullah

Solution-Focused Approach: Coaching, Therapy, Interventions

What is the Solution-Focused?

What is Solution-Focused Therapy?

What is Solution-Focused Coaching?

What is the Solution-Focused Approach?

Key Concepts of the Solution-Focused Approach

Solution-Focused Questions and Interventions

Solution-Focused Questions Using the OSKAR Coaching Model

Solution-Focused Example Coaching Session

101 Solution-Focused Questions for Therapy and Coaching

The Miracle Question w/ Examples, Worksheets, Demo Video & Exercises

14 Solution-Focused Techniques for Therapy and Coaching

20 Coaching Models that Get Results

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What Is Problem-Solving Therapy?

Problem-Solving Therapy Techniques

At a Glance

Key Components