5 essential principles of solution focused therapy

• Solution-focused brief therapy


  Approach developed by Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg and their team at the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee, USA
• Solution-focused brief therapy does not require knowing all the details of the problem or investigating the course of the complaints or asking about the symptoms of a diagnosis
• Solution-focused approach


  Focuses on the desired changes of the client rather than the problem-history of the client
• Solution-focused approach


  Respectful, goal-oriented approach based on collaboration with the client and the client's ideas rather than the insight of the therapist-expert
• Basic assumption of solution-focused approach

  The client has the required knowledge, skills and resources to move towards their desired goal
• The solution-focused approach was developed in the 1980s and has gained traction over the years, redefining the field of psychotherapy
• The solution-focused approach is not restricted to the field of therapy and social work, but has been applied in hospital care, education, business, management and many other fields
• More than 1900 books and articles on the solution-focused approach have been written in many languages around the world
• Traditional psychotherapies


  Expert-driven and problem-focused, where the therapist is the expert and helps the client gain insights to understand their problem
• Solution-focused approach


  The therapist does not dig into the problem, but asks solution-focused questions to help the client envision their desired changes
• Solution-focused approach


  The therapist does not experience themselves as an expert, but sees the client as the expert with many ideas
• The interviewer was able to study the solution-focused approach by attending sessions taught by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg in the town where they lived
• Solution-focused questions


  Questions that help the client envision their desired changes and what they want instead of their problem
• The interviewer has developed a conceptual framework with five principles to understand the working of the solution-focused approach
• First principle: "Towards desired changes"


  The solution-focused practitioner focuses on where the client wants to go, what the client wants instead of the experienced problems
• Second principle: "Activating clients' useful ideas"


  The solution-focused practitioner asks questions to activate the useful ideas of the client, rather than giving advice
• Third principle: "Working from a strength-based perspective"


  The solution-focused practitioner focuses on the client's resources, strengths and resilience, highlighting what's working for the client
• Fourth principle: "The use of constructive language"


  The solution-focused practitioner uses constructive language instead of problem language, to shape a constructive conversation
• Fifth principle: "Placing the solutions in a social context"


  The solution-focused approach places both problems and effective solutions in the context of the client's relationships and culture