As the name suggests, Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is future-focused, goal-directed, and focuses on solutions, rather than on the problems that brought clients to seek therapy.

Described as a practical, goal-driven model, an emblem of SFBT is its focus on clear, concise, realistic goal negotiations. The SFBT approach presumes that all clients intrinsically know the solutions to a problem, even though they may need some help defining the details of the ideal outcome.  SFBT believes that everyone who seeks help already possesses some or all the skills necessary to create solutions.  The first step towards a solution is coming to a session!

Key Concepts and Tools

With SFBT, the conversation is directed toward discovering, expanding and realizing the client’s vision of solutions.  The following techniques support the clarification of those solutions and the means of achieving them:

Looking for previous solutions: 
As a therapist, I am aware that most people have experienced solving problems and that possibly they have some ideas on how to resolve the current issue.

Looking for exceptions: 
Clients are invited to talk about recent examples of exceptions to the problem.  Situations when the problem could have happened but didn't.  Something else happens instead even though the situation was ideal for the problem to manifest.

Present and future-focused questions:
SFBT mirrors the basic belief that solutions to a problem are more easily solved when the attentions goes to what is already working and what the clients want their life to be.  Keeping our attention in the past or in the problem will interfere with moving forward. 

Compliments:
Compliments are a crucial element of solution focused brief therapy. Acknowledging what clients are doing well in spite of the challenge, and validating how difficult their problems are, inspires the client to change while giving the message that the therapist has been listening. 

Inviting the clients to do more of what is working:
Once the rapport is created, the client is gently invited to do more of what worked in the past or to try different solutions that they would like to try.

Miracle Question:
This question or tool is very powerful in generating the first small steps towards a solution, by helping clients describe small, doable steps they can take immediately.  This question moves clients to a possible solution, were they realized the steps needed to carry them out.  This is my favorite part of a session. It gives me the opportunity to use all the information the client shared and ask questions that are empowering and action oriented.

Scaling Questions:
Scaling questions can be used when there is not enough time to use the miracle question and it is also useful in helping clients to assess their own situations, track their own progress, or evaluate how others might rate them on a scale of 0 to 10.  It is used in many ways, including with children and clients who are not verbal or who have impaired verbal skills. 

Coping Questions:
Coping questions help clients recognize the many ways they engage in many useful things even in times of great difficulty.   Even in the midst of despair, they manage to get out of bed, feed their children, make a phone call or do many other things that require great effort.

Wrapping up and further information:
The session is summarized and reflected on.  The client is complimented on the effort and commitment shown during the session. Usually a therapeutic message is offered based on the client’s stated goal.

As the name also implies, SFBT is meant to be brief and empowering, allowing clients to explore, process and take charge of a current situation.

Benefits of Solution focused therapy:

• Focus on immediate improvement

• Goal setting

• Focus on what the client wants

• Clients know themselves best

• Measurable short term goals

• Exploration on how to achieve this goal

• Exploration on how to deal with setbacks

• Clients feel more empowered