Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a short-term, goal-directed therapy focusing on solutions over problems. It uses positive psychology to motivate change, helping clients envision and achieve desired outcomes, suitable for various contexts.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is one of the leading schools of brief therapy, emerging from family therapy in the 1980s. It is a short-term, goal-directed approach that emphasises solutions rather than problems. Drawing from principles of positive psychology, it elicits positive emotions in clients by being future-orientated, motivating them to formulate, achieve, and sustain desired behavioural changes.


Techniques:

  • SFBT focuses on the present and the future. Therapists collaborate with clients to get a clear vision of their life if their challenge would resolve. Then, they would draw on the client’s existing resources to construct practical and sustainable solutions that the client is able to readily implement. 

Techniques include:

  • Exception questions – “Has there ever a time when this wasn’t something challenging for you?” This helps guide clients in formulating a solution based on what sets the “exceptions” apart from other instances where the client was actively affected by the challenge.
  • Coping questions – “How do you manage, in the face of such difficulty, to fulfil your daily obligations?” This helps clients to identify how they have been coping with their problems previously.
  • Miracle questions – “Suppose, while you are sleeping, a miracle happened and all these things we’ve been talking about just disappeared. When you wake up, you don’t know that a miracle has happened, but you know all the problems have disappeared. What would be the first small clue that something was different”. By envisioning a problem-free scenario, clients may notice overlooked personal resources, being more motivated to work towards resolving their problems.


Strengths:

  • SFBT is used in individual, couples, and family therapy, applicable to a wide spectrum of contexts from everyday stressors to significant life events. However, it is not typically used for specific mental conditions such as schizophrenia or major depressive disorders.
  • SFBT is practical, goal-driven, and efficient, making it suitable for short-term therapy. The goal is to find and implement a solution in as minimal time as possible. Its growing popularity and large evidence-base highlights its effectiveness and broad applicability.


Consultants who practice this

Grace Goh

Hi, I’m Grace, a counsellor. I work mainly with adults, and my primary clinical interest is relationship issues.

Joel Yang

Hi, I’m Joel, a clinical psychologist. I work mainly with adults, and my primary clinical interest is depression.

Lysia Tan

Hi, I’m Lysia, a clinical psychologist. I work mainly with adults, and my primary clinical interest is behavioral management/ social skills intervention.

Tiffany Ng

Hi, I’m Tiffany, an associate counsellor. I work mainly with adults, and my primary clinical interest is relationship issues.
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