Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) concentrates on finding solutions in the present and exploring hope for the future to find resolution of one’s problems. This method takes the approach that you know what you need to do to improve your own life and, with the appropriate coaching and questioning, you are capable of finding the best solutions.  SFBT is used to treat people of all ages and a variety of issues, including child behavioral problems, family dysfunction, domestic or child abuse, addiction, and relationship problems.

 

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy accepts that the basic Nature of Human Beings is:

• All people are free to make choices.

• Clients feel empowered as they describe what they want to happen in their lives.

• Clients have the personal resources to solve their problems.

• Clients are encouraged to increase the frequency of current useful behaviors.

 

GOAL-SETTING:  One of the first steps is to identify and clarify your goals. The therapist will question what you hope to get out of working with them, and question specifically how your life would change when steps are taken to resolve problems. By answering these types of questions, you can begin to identify solutions and come up with a plan for change.  One of the key questions the therapist asks is called The Miracle Question:

    “If a miracle occurred while you were asleep tonight, what changes would you notice in your life tomorrow?”

This opens up your mind to creative thinking and, again, to setting goals and developing a clear plan that will lead to life-changing solutions.

 

SFBT was developed out of an interest in paying more attention to what people want and what works best for the individual. One of the original beliefs of SFBT therapists was that the solution to a problem is found in those times when one is free of the problem or taking steps to manage the problem.

 

I like to think of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy as a four step process.

1. What’s the problem?

2. What have you done to solve it?

3. How has it worked out for you?

4. Building on your successes and accounting for setbacks, Make a plan for moving forward.

 

Through specific questioning techniques, 0-10 scales, empathy and compliments the therapist helps clients to recognize their own virtues, like courage and strength that have worked in the past and are likely to work well in the future. Individuals learn to focus on what they can do, rather than what they can’t, which allows them to find solutions and make positive changes more quickly

 

What to Look for in a Therapist

SFBT techniques can be incorporated into other forms of counseling and therapy. Look for a licensed, experienced counselor, psychotherapist or other mental health professional with training in SFBT and with whom you feel comfortable discussing personal issues.

Narrative therapy is a form of counseling that views people as separate from their problems. This perspective allows individuals to feel more empowered to make changes in their thought patterns and behavior and “rewrite” their life story for a future that reflects who they are, what they are capable of, and what their purpose is, separate from their problems.

 

Those who define themselves by their problems, whose lives are dominated by such feelings as “I am a depressed person” or “I am an anxious person” can learn to see their problem as something they have but not something that identifies who they are.

 

THE GOAL: Is for you to see how there are positive and productive ways to approach your life and your future when you stop identifying yourself by your problems.

 

The events that occur over time in a person’s life are stories, some of which stand out more than others. These significant stories, usually stemming from negative events, can shape one’s identity.  The therapist helps clients see that they (the clients) are the experts regarding their own life and, as such, can uncover the dreams, values, goals, and skills that define who they really are, separate from their problems. From there, stories can be rewritten and woven into the ongoing and future story of their lives.

 

What to Look for in a Narrative Therapist

A licensed mental health professional who has additional training in narrative therapy and someone you feel safe and comfortable working with.

Reality therapy is a client-centered form of cognitive behavioral psychotherapy that focuses on improving present relationships and circumstances, while avoiding discussion of past events. Reality therapy teaches that while we cannot control how we feel, we can control how we think and behave. The goal is to help clients people take control of improving their own lives by learning to make better choices.

 

Studies have proven the effectiveness of reality therapy in treating addiction and other behavioral problems, and the principles can be applied to individual, parent-child, and family counseling. It also works with people in leadership positions in education, coaching, administration, and management, where problem solving, instilling motivation, and a focus on achievement play essential roles in their connection to others.

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Reality therapy focuses on present issues and current behavior as they affect you now and in the future. Since reality therapy is solution-oriented, you will examine how your behavior is interfering with forming stronger relationships and figure out what changes you can make to get what you want out of life. You can learn how to reconnect with people and how to make new connections.  The therapist will show you how making excuses and blaming results in behavior that prevents you from improving relationships and reaching your goals. You can learn and practice new behavior and techniques in the privacy of the therapist’s office before trying them in your life.

 

Reality therapy is founded on the idea that everyone is trying to fulfill five basic needs:

1. Power, or a sense of self-worth and achievement

2. Love and belonging

3. Freedom, or independence

4. Fun, which includes a sense of satisfaction or pleasure

5. Survival, or the comfort of knowing that one’s basic needs—food, shelter, and sex—are met.

 

Reality therapy is also based on choice theory, the principle that humans choose to behave in certain ways and that these choices can help or hamper your ability to satisfy needs and reach goals. You cannot change or control others, so the only sensible approach to solving problems is to control yourself and your own behavior by making choices that help you achieve your life goals.

 

What to Look for in a Reality Therapist

Look for a licensed mental health professional, a cognitive behavioral therapist, or a counselor with training and experience in reality therapy with whom you feel comfortable working.