Solution Focused Brief Therapy

An informational guide for Social Work students.

What is Solution Focused Brief Therapy?

What it is
Solution focused brief therapy is a common type of therapy learned about and practiced in college level social work classes. According to Advances in Psychiatric treatment, Solution focused brief therapy is an approach to psychotherapy based on solution-building rather than problem-solving. Solution focused brief therapy looks at current resources and future hopes rather than present problems and past causes. Typically, it only lasts three to five sessions. (Iveson, 2012)

History
Solution focused brief therapy was developed at the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee, WI. (de Shazer, et al, 1986) It formulated an interest in the inconsistencies present in problem behaviors. The foundation of solution focused brief therapy is the belief that, despite how difficult the problem is, the client always has positive attributes that can help with them finding useful solutions to their largest problems. The founders of the Milwaukee team, de Shazer (1988, 1994) and Berg (Berg, 1991; Berg & Miller, 1992) were also interested in determining the goals of therapy so the clients would know when they came up with a beneficial solution to their current problem(s). de Shazer and Berg discovered that if a clients goals were clear to him/her, the more likely he/she could achieve his/her goals. The idea of solution focused brief therapy became finding and eliciting ways to apply future goals for positive change in the clients life.

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The basic philosophy of solution focused briefed therapy is

Change is constant & inevitable Clients are the experts and define goals Clients have resources and strengths to solve problems Future orientation history is not essential Emphasis is on what is changeable and what is positive Short-term therapy Clients want change

Founders of SFBT
Who are they?
Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg, the founders of solution focused brief therapy, were influenced by the work of Milton Erickson. Erickson placed emphasis on metaphors, use of language and indirect techniques.

Success
Throughout the years, solution focused brief therapy has proven to be successful. Early studies (de Shazer, 1988, Miller, et al, 1996) show positive outcomes. Solution focused brief therapy acknowledges distress, but focuses on success.

Some follow-up questions to the miracle question include What difference would you (and others) notice? What are the first things you notice? Has any of this ever happened before? Would it help to recreate any of these miracles? What would you need to happen to do this? Anything else? The Miracle Question The Miracle Question is a question that de Shazer came up with to help clients focus on their goals and success; this is what he asked them: "Suppose that one night, while you are asleep, there is a miracle and the problem that brought you here is solved. However, because you are asleep you don't know that the miracle has already happened. When you wake up in the morning, what will be different that will tell you that the miracle has taken place? What else?" (de Shazer, 1988) This Miracle Question provides a first step to clients in helping them come up with a solution to their problem. It helps them look at their problem(s) in a positive light, rather than negative. Focusing solely on the problem at hand and all of the negatives isnt a stable foundation; solution focused brief therapy provides more stability and options for the client. Its important to help the client come up with realistic, achievable goals. If a client is focusing on a goal that may seem unrealistic, he/she may be setting him/herself up for additional struggles he/she do not need. Work with the client to come up with realistic, reachable goals.

Scaling Question
Its important to ask your client to rate the success of their goal on a numeral scale to understand how their therapy is progressing. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being at your worst point and 10 being at your best point after the miracle has happened, where are you now? Where do you need to be? What will help you move up one point? How can you keep yourself at that point? What would be the first sign that you had moved up one point? Who would be the first person to notice that youve moved up? What would they notice? Anything else?

Coping questions to ask the client

How do you cope with these difficulties? What keeps you going? Who is your greatest support? What do they do that is helpful? What do you do that prevents the problem from getting worse? When you had this problem, what helped you get through it? How did you manage to solve the problem? What advice would you give to someone else who has the same problem?

Summary
Keep in mind that some clients may have a difficult time at first with the therapy. Some may find their lives very difficult and struggle to overcome adversity. Focus on helping them come up with realistic goals and help them recognize their positive qualities in order to come up with an effective solution. Key points to remember and practice in class: The miracle question encourages creative thinking toward a solution A realistic description of the client getting on with his/her life without the problem interfering too much. Focus on everything the client is doing now to reach the desirable point on the scale and focus on everything he/she is doing to keep the situation from getting worse. Focus on the best-case scenarios. Do not dwell too much on worst-case scenarios, but acknowledge their existence. Help the clients work on coming up with and reaching realistic goals and help clients focus on their positive qualities.