Solution-focused Therapy - A Potted History
Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) was developed as a variant of Brief Therapy, an approach created by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg and colleagues at the Brief Family Therapy Centre in Milwaukee in 1978.
The solution focused approach was created in order to move away from the problem and look for times when the problem was happening less or not at all - it looked for the exception. In developing discussion around hopes for the future instead of trying to evaluate the problem behaviour (the basis of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), Solution Focused Therapy helps us to notice that even entrenched and chronic problems have times when they are less pronounced. Knowing a lot about the problem is not necessary to formulating a solution. The client, can therefore identify small changes that could take place in order to bring about change.
Solution focused therapy looks at changing the thought pattern - what would life be like if the problem was no longer there?
Solution focused therapy is tailored to move a person out of a cycle of negativity.
Going over and over the problem isn't helping the problem.
What happens in a session?
In the sessions, we ackowledge the problem and talk about these - if you want to. We look at instances where things have been going well and why. Small changes are then identifiec, so that you can move forward. Solution-focused therapy changes the negative cycle and steers you towards a more positive end result and is especially effective for those who continually talk themselves out of succeeding.
Just because it is solution-focused, does not mean we don't talk about the problem - which is very similar to counselling in that respect - of course we can and we do, but we don't have to. If you are someone who does not want to talk about the problem but you do want to move forward, solution-focused therapy is can still work. Examples of this would be around those who are selectively mute or those who are not able to voice feelings well.
