Solution-Focused Therapy/SFT

Solution-Focused Therapy, or SFT, is a goal-oriented and future-focused approach to psychotherapy. This therapeutic model emphasizes clients’ strengths and resources rather than focusing extensively on problems and their origins. The primary goal of solution-focused therapy is to help clients identify and work towards solutions, emphasizing positive change and achievable goals.

Solution-focused therapy is typically brief and time-limited, often ranging from a few sessions to a handful. The focus is on quickly identifying and implementing solutions rather than delving extensively into the past.

The approach is client-centered, with therapists collaborating with clients to define their goals and develop strategies to achieve them. Clients are viewed as the experts in their own lives, and the therapist’s role is to facilitate the process of change. Unlike traditional therapeutic approaches that extensively explore the origins and causes of problems, solution-focused therapy concentrates on identifying and amplifying solutions. Therapists encourage clients to envision a future without the problem and work towards that positive outcome.

Therapists often use scaling questions to help clients assess their current situation and progress. For example, a therapist might ask clients to rate their current level of satisfaction with a particular issue on a scale from 1 to 10 and explore what would need to happen to move one point higher on the scale. Exception-seeking questions are also useful in this type of therapy.

Therapists may ask clients about times when the problem is less severe or absent. By identifying exceptions to the problem, therapists help clients recognize their strengths and coping mechanisms. Another useful technique in solution-focused therapy is the “miracle question,” where clients are asked to imagine how their life would be different if the problem miraculously disappeared overnight. This helps clients articulate their goals and envision a positive future.

Solution-focused therapists consistently acknowledge and celebrate small steps and progress made by clients. This positive reinforcement reinforces the client’s ability to create change.

Solution-focused therapists pay attention to the language used by clients. They encourage the use of positive, goal-oriented language and help clients reframe negative or problem-focused statements into more constructive ones.

A central aspect of solution-focused therapy is collaboratively setting clear and achievable goals. Therapists work with clients to define specific, realistic, and measurable objectives that can guide the therapeutic process.

Solution-focused therapy is used in various settings, including individual therapy, couples counseling, family therapy, and even in organizational and educational contexts. It is particularly effective for individuals seeking practical solutions, brief interventions, or those who prefer a future-focused and goal-oriented approach to therapy.