This means it’s been studied in clinical and scientific settings, and research findings support its effectiveness. Is solution-focused brief therapy effective? You and your therapist can use scaling questions to identify, observe, and detail exceptions. It reminds you that the challenge doesn’t always happen or doesn’t happen in every situation. Identifying those exceptions is essential to the SFBT practice.įinding the exception to the challenge helps you regain control of the situation and maintain perspective. Exceptionsįocusing 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. It also focuses on your assessment of the situation instead of relying on what your therapist says. how frequently you experience the challengeĪ scaling framework can help you track your progress.how bad you feel the current challenge is.
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.
FOCUSED ON HEALTH SERIES
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.įor 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. These tools and skills may help you change harmful behaviors, achieve your life goals, and manage difficult situations. The goal of SFBT is to help you develop tools and skills, based on your current strengths, that you can use moving forward.
Instead, it focuses on your present and future needs.
SFBT doesn’t address your past experiences or aim to discover the root cause of your challenges. In other words, you’re an active participant in the creation of your life. Constructivism is a learning theory that says humans create meaning and develop knowledge as they experience the world. SFBT is considered a constructive therapy, according to 2005 research. The approach was developed by mental health professionals Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg in the 1970s and 1980s. SFBT is a short-term form of psychotherapy that focuses on solutions rather than on gaining insight into challenges and concerns.