8 Techniques Used in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

When you think of therapy, you might picture multiple sessions where you discuss your past with a therapist. But that approach isn’t always used. In fact, a very different approach may be helpful for several mental health issues, like depression or anxiety. 

This approach — known as solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) — isn’t a long-term process. It’s designed to be short-term and focuses on the present and future rather than the past. 

Are you wondering if SFBT may be helpful for you? We’ll explore this therapeutic approach in the following sections, how it works, and use cases. 

What is solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT)?

Psychologists Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg developed SFBT in the late 1970s. It’s a type of therapy that’s done during a short time period and emphasizes finding solutions rather than unpacking the past. This therapeutic approach encourages focus on the present and motivates people to work on making changes to improve their lives and mental well-being. 

SFBT includes multiple sessions where various techniques are used to help clients find solutions to address specific issues. For example, you might participate in SFBT techniques as part of grief therapy after losing a loved one, or your therapist might use these techniques to help you manage anxiety.

How does SFBT differ from traditional psychotherapy?

Solution-focused therapy puts the focus on solutions versus taking a deep dive into the past. Traditional talk therapy or psychotherapy begins with gathering detailed historical information. The SFBT approach identifies current stressors with a goal of identifying strategies to improve. For example, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) involves examining negative thoughts and behaviors.

With SFBT, the present is front and center which differs from traditional talk therapy. Instead, you work toward a future where you’ve overcome your struggles or learned to successfully manage them. 

SFBT works under the guiding belief that you have the strength and resources you need to create adaptive changes in your life. 

The principles and goals of the solution-focused approach 

What are the aims of a solution-focused approach? What principles is it based on? This information helps you gain a better understanding of this kind of therapy. In the following sections, we’ll go over the goals and principles of SFBT.

Brevity and focus 

Traditional therapy often lasts for several weeks or even months. SFBT takes place over a much shorter period of time. This type of therapy makes directness and conciseness a priority.

Instead of spending time examining past issues, you get right to the point and start working on solutions. This tight focus helps you move through therapy at a faster pace — allowing you to begin making positive changes sooner. 

Building solutions rather than solving concerns 

SFBT includes positive psychology principles, such as being a solution-building approach rather than a problem-solving one. This forward-moving methodology can offer a clear path to achieving therapy goals — and the motivation to do so.

Focusing on solving concerns means you have to wade through them first before coming up with solutions. This may become frustrating, especially if you’re eager to make changes in your life. SFBT provides an environment that helps you create solutions to a current problem right from the start. 

Present and future-focused questions 

Answering questions about the past during therapy may make it hard to focus on the future. You might find yourself dwelling on your experiences instead of moving forward. SFBT involves answering present and future-oriented questions.

Why is this important? These kinds of questions help you stay focused on how you can change and improve your mental well-being. They encourage and inspire you to envision and realize change, giving you a sense of hope for a better future. 

Client’s strengths and resources 

Knowing that you have what it takes to make changes in your life can be incredibly empowering. And this is what SFBT helps you learn. This type of therapy helps you identify your inherent strengths and the resources you have for solving problems. 

This knowledge may help you feel more in control of your future. It can also help you feel motivated and more confident about achieving your goals, setting you up for success.

Therapeutic alliance is key 

Collaboration is key to any type of therapy, and solution-focused therapy is no different. You and your therapist work together through structured sessions to help you discover your strengths, find solutions, and set goals. 

A good therapeutic relationship between you and your therapist is essential. Without this, you may struggle to come up with solutions to your problems. Or you might find it hard to feel motivated and hopeful about reaching your goals. 

8 techniques used in solution-focused brief therapy

SFBT includes several interventions that are used to help foster change. During structured therapy sessions, you and your therapist engage in conversations that move you toward finding solutions to what you’re struggling with. 

Below, we’ll walk you through common solution-focused therapy techniques. 

1.   Goal development 

Having clear and achievable goals to work on gives you something to focus on. How do you determine what these are? You and your therapist collaborate to come up with goals for therapy.

You might answer questions about what you hope your life will be like after therapy. Or you might discuss what you think should happen to make therapy a worthwhile experience for you when you look back on it. 

2.  The Miracle Question

What would your life be like if, by some miracle, your problems went away overnight? This is what the Miracle Question entails. This question helps you visualize how your life could change for the better after overcoming or solving your problems. This can provide you with hope and encouragement that change is possible. 

3.  Exception-finding questions 

Have there been times when your problem wasn’t as severe? Or times when it could have happened, but didn’t? How did you handle these situations? These exception questions help you look for exceptions to your problem.

Answering them may help you identify coping methods that you were able to use. Or you might discover hidden strengths you didn’t realize you had. 

4.  Scaling questions 

Scaling questions help you and your therapist keep track of the progress you make during your sessions. These questions involve giving ratings from 0 to 10 on your progress. Your therapist might ask you to rate how confident you feel about reaching your goals or how severe your problem currently seems. 

Your ratings help your therapist determine how to help you move in the right direction toward achieving your goals. 

5.  Coping questions 

How have you been able to handle day-to-day life, despite your problem? This is an example of a coping question that may be used in SFBT. These questions cause you to think about how you’ve successfully coped with difficulties. 

Knowing that you’ve been able to keep going, even while struggling, may help you feel more optimistic about the future. It also shows that you’re more resilient than you thought!  

6.  Presupposing change questions 

Noticing positive changes can be tough when you’re struggling. Presupposing change questions encourage you to think about these kinds of changes — whether they’re big or small changes.

Your therapist may ask you if anything happened that improved your situation, even if it was only slightly. This helps you realize that positive change is already occurring to some degree.

7.  Compliments 

Compliments are a core part of solution-focused therapy. These can be direct or indirect. For example, your therapist might acknowledge the steps you’re taking to make changes and how difficult this can be.

Giving compliments helps validate your efforts and experiences. It can also help raise your self-esteem and build trust between you and a therapist who understands you.

8.  Reframing 

You can look at the same situation or experience in different ways. That’s the basis behind reframing in SFBT, and other therapeutic methodologies like CBT. This technique involves helping you see a situation from another perspective that’s more helpful. 

Your therapist can point out positive aspects of the situation, or challenge unhelpful views you might have about it. This can give you an objective perspective about how you coped with a difficult experience or situation. 

What is solution-focused brief therapy for?

SFBT can be used to treat a wide range of issues and conditions. It may not be suitable for more severe or complex disorders. However, it has been successfully used for certain mild to moderate disorders and other kinds of issues. 

We’ll discuss the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy below. 

Depression

SFBT has been effective when used to treat mild or moderate cases of depression. It’s been shown to help treat specific symptoms of depression. It has also been beneficial for individuals who may not have the time to commit to long-term therapy, as results can be achieved with fewer sessions. 

In one study by the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, SFBT was administered to an adolescent girl with moderate depression. Using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the young woman’s baseline score of 21 — which categorized her depression as severe. Post SFBT intervention, her score dropped to 6, putting her back in the “normal” range. 

Anxiety disorders 

As with depression, SFBT has been an effective form of therapy for mild to moderate cases of anxiety. It has been successfully used to help adults who have generalized anxiety and social anxiety. SFBT has also been shown to be effective in helping adolescents with anxiety. 

Relationship problems 

SFBT can be used in family therapy or couples therapy to help improve relationship issues. Research shows that individuals participating in this type of therapy for relationship issues were able to resolve the presenting problem at least partially or mostly with just a few sessions. 

Behavioral issues 

Is SFBT effective for treating behavioral issues in children? Research supports the use of this therapeutic approach for behavioral problems in children and adolescents. It has also been shown to help improve internalized and externalized behavior problems in all age groups. 

Stress management 

SFBT can offer an effective way to manage stress. As an example, one Tanaffos study illustrates that this solution-focused approach helped lower perceived stress and depression in patients with breast cancer. 

The study was conducted over eight sessions, and used Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) to assess patients at the start of the sessions, and then after the sessions completed. The study found substantial differences between the experimental and control groups after SFBT.

Life transitions and adjustments 

Losing loved ones, getting divorced, moving away from family, and other life transitions may be difficult to manage. SFBT offers a short-term approach to helping people navigate these changes in life and adapt in healthy ways. 

Receive the right support and counseling for your needs with SonderMind 

SFBT can give you an alternative perspective on your challenges, help you form solutions, and celebrate your wins — no matter how small or insignificant they might seem at the time. 

No matter what type of mental health challenges you may be experiencing, you deserve the support you need to improve your well-being and quality of life. If you’re looking for a therapy provider, SonderMind can help. 

With SonderMind, you can access the specialized mental health care you need to help you navigate life’s challenges. With access to online or in-person therapy, SonderMind makes it easy to connect with a compassionate therapist quickly.

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