Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
SFBT was developed to help clients become more future-focused, goal-directed, and focused on solutions rather than focusing on problems the client is experiencing. It is a short-term goal-focused approach that utilizes positive psychology practices which helps clients construct solutions as opposed to problems. Overall, SFBT promotes positive feelings, motivation, achievements, and sustaining desired changes in behavior. The first step in SFBT is to create a description of how the client’s life will be different when the problem is gone or their situation is improved to a point where the client is satisfied. Following this, the client and clinician will search through the client’s lived experiences and behavioral reactions to find the necessary resources needed to create a practical and sustainable solution that the client can quickly implement.
When creating a solution the clinician will help the client to explore previous “expectations” such as when the client has successfully coped with previous challenges. Both the client and clinician will identify goals that reflect the clients’ desires when developing positive solutions. There are techniques the clinician will use when questioning the client in order to clarify solutions and how they can achieve them. One technique is goal developing questions which includes asking the client to describe their best hope for what will be different after coming to therapy. Another goal developing question is asking what needs to happen after coming to therapy so the client will be able to reflect on therapy being a good idea.
Pre-session change questions are another SFBT technique where, following the identification of a goal, the therapist will say something along the lines of: “We have learned that sometimes in between making an appointment and coming in, something happens to make things better. Did anything like that happen in your case?”. If the answer is “No,” the therapist will move on, however if they say “Yes,” it hints that the solution-development process has begun. There are many other techniques used in SFBT including looking for previous solutions, looking for exceptions, utilizing present and future-focused questions versus past-oriented focus questions, compliments, asking the client to do more of what is working, and asking miracle questions.
Source: Institute for Solution-Focused Therapy