Solutions-Focused Therapy

Solution-focused therapy is a form of counselling that aims to build change within clients’ lives by focusing on solutions, rather than problems. It is goal-oriented and future-focused.

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In contrast to most other forms of therapy, solution-focused therapy does not linger on the past or how a problem emerged, but rather looks to the future and at what is possible for the client. While most other theoretical approaches believe that problems have specific causes that can be identified and that there is a connection between this process and finding a solution, solution-focused therapists do not focus on exploring this link. They believe that it is not necessary to assess problems or understand their cause – what matters most is initiating behaviour change within the client’s life

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The two central tasks that clients are asked to do in solution-focused therapy in order to facilitate change are:

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1. Describe their preferred future.

 

2. Describe instances of success and the skills and resources they used to achieve those moments. The counsellor then works with the client to utilise and build upon these instances of success and resources in order to achieve their desired future.