Topic 4
Solution-focused
Therapy
NNNC6062 Psychotherapy II
7th April, 2025 (Monday) 0800-1015
Bilik Seminar 03 Blok J, UKMKL, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz
Master in Clinical Psychology
Prepared by Gan Chun Hong
Historical context
Outcome-oriented
Competence-based approach
Help clients to achieve their preferred
outcomes by facilitating the evocation of
solutions.
Source:
[Link]
wide-support-for-all-students/solution-focused-thinking
Has moved beyond the boundaries of
therapy to apply its techniques in a wide
variety of fields such as:
Business – coaching, project
management, appraisal, team building
Education – tutoring, pastoral care,
mentoring and teaching
Mediation, advice and guidance
Psychology
Social work, including child protection
Health – physical and mental settings
Substance misuse
Image of the person
Person: Resilient, skilled, imaginative, idiosyncratic
problem-solver.
Human beings are creative and flexible solvers of the
problems presented by social environment.
Human brain is an amazing treasure house of bright
ideas and a repository of a lifetime’s solution-memories.
In response to focused questioning people can become
more aware of their signature solutions (they may also
recall their patterns of failed solutions!)
“There’s nothing wrong with you that what’s right with
you can’t fix.”
Rather than attempt to fix what may be “wrong” –
emphasis is on finding “what works” for the client and
how they could find ways of doing more of it.
Empowerment of clients – coupled with a humanistic
belief in the inherent goodness of people.
Clients are “doing their best most of the time”.
Respecting clients’ autonomy – against rescuing or
problem solving on their behalf.
Therapist does not find solutions for the client from
Therapy becomes a dialogue in which both partners
construct what is meant by the “problem” and “the
solution”.
The “problem” does not carry an objective, fixed
meaning.
Instead, clients tell and retell their story using language
which reshapes the social reality by which they live. –
“reality is invented, not discovered” (Watzlawick, 1984).
Client’s perceptions and experiences – privileged and
above those of the professional
Flexibility in negotiating a “possibility” narrative – will
“open windows” rather than “close doors”
To “join with” the client – to co-create a new and
empowering narrative
The client – “expert” in his or her own life
The therapist’s expertise – guiding the process and
keeping the dialogue within a solution-focused frame
The therapist – pays careful attention to the client’s
context
The therapist – builds upon the client’s competence and
strengths
The therapist – needs to be aware of her own values,
“blind spots” and biases
SFT – not considered
necessary to search for
the origins or causes of
people’s problesm.
The work is more in the Tip for solutions
present and about the …
Any?
future, than it is about
the past.
If a client has a theory about the causes of his problem,
the therapist will accept it on certain conditions, namely
that is legal and ethical and increases the chances of the
problem being solved – short or long term.
Containing the amount of problem talk about the
possible causes of the problem, the client is able to think
“past” the problem and become more aware of his
resources and solutions.
Not analysing the problem – focuses on the client’s
observation of changes and how they came about.
The therapist elicits the clients pattern of problem-
solving strategies by enquiring how the client has dealt
SFT assumes that clients:
Can construct solutions with minimal, if any, analysis of
their problems.
Have many resources and competences that unaware of.
More likely to open to possibilities for change – if
connected to experience of “success”, rather than
failure.
Have many ideas about their preferred futures.
Are already engaged in constructive and helpful actions
(otherwise would be worse!)
Conceptualisati
on of What do you think? – Read
psychological and figure out …
disturbance ● Since SFT does not seek to
explain problems it does
and health not have a conceptual
framework for
psychological disturbance.
Acquisition and
perpetuaion of
psychological Tip
disturbance? What SFT will say on
these aspects? – think
by linking to the
theoretical
explanation they have
offered …
● Acquisition? ● Perpetuation?
-- does not believe that -- when people spend
understanding pathology is excessive time analysing their
necessary for the client to problem they strengthen the
collaborate with the therapist neural networks attached to
in the search of solutions. the problem memory.
-- by dwelling upon
disturbance, deficits and
problems the individual is
likely to attract more of the
same.
Change!
People change when they know what to change,
when to change and how to change.
They believe that there is something better than
Tip
their present.
Any tips to
change?
They tap into what is best about themselves.
They find reasons to be hopeful, optimistic and
dynamic.
Goals of therapy
-- proposed by clients.
-- carefully negotiated in clear, specific and measurable
terms.
Qualities of effective therapists
-- listen attentively – be able to feedback – ability to
reflect back the positive aspects.
-- from “problem talk” to “solution-talk”.
-- staying on “solution track”.
-- pace the number and frequency of questions – pay
attention to clients’ body language – not like
interrogation.
-- sensitive to the use of language.
-- roll with “resistance” – signal to change the style or
pace or focus of the session.
Solution focused skills:
1. Problem-free talk
2. Pre-session change
3. Listen actively
4. Elicit client’s future
5. Exceptions and differences
6. Non-expert stance
7. Miracle (wonderful) questions
8. Utilise scaling
9. ‘and’ not ‘but’
10. ‘how’ and not ‘why’
11. Compliments and praise
12. Negotiate task
E – Eliciting exceptions
A – Amplifying exceptions
R – Reinforcing success and
strengths
S – Start again
Read: Paul Hanton “Skills in solution focused brief counselling &
psychotherapy”. SAGE 2011
Therapeutic relationship
and style:
●Respectful
collaboration.
●Partnership.
Major therapeutic strategies and
techniques
Pre-session change
Problem-free talk
Being brief
Competence seeking
Building on exceptions – direct attention toward times
when problems are managed better
The miracle question (MQ)
Scaling
Between session tasks
Feedback
Positive feedback
☟
Summarise client
achievements
☟
Link to goals
☟
FEEDBACK
Negotiate task
Examples of :
Positive feedback:
“I was really impressed by the way you …”;
“I appreciate the fact that you …” etc.
-- must be genuine and grounded in specific examples.
Summarise client achievements:
“It was good to hear that on Monday when you normally
would have done …, you managed to do … instead”.
Link to goals:
“It sounds as if what you managed to do on Tuesday
when you … is just the kind of thing you’re working on”.
Critics
➔ Solution-focused therapy
(SFT)
a version of “Positive thinking?”
➔ Preassuring people to see the
positives in every life situation
minimises or denies the complexity
and “shadow side” of the human
condition.
➔ Trauma survivor, for example? –
what do you think?
To read about:
Limitations of
SFT …
One-word key word:
Tip technician + confuse +
Discuss about the resources + explore +
limitations of SFT.
esteem + bottom + simple +
supply
has limited understanding of
the rationale behind the
approach – simply a Esteem – low esteem clients – unable to
technician. accept they have any personal
strengths or qualities.
Confuse – when therapist
combines solution-focused Bottom – convinced that cannot
with problem-focused find solutions until “go to the
techniques – confuse bottom” of the problem.
themselves and the clients.
Simple – SFT too simple – my
Resources – client in crisis problem needs a more complex
cannot access their solution!
resources.
Supply – I want the therapist to
Explore – clients want a supply solutions!
Readings
● “15 Solution-focused therapy” by Bill O’Connell. In Dryden’s
handbook of individual therapy (5th ed.) edited by Windy Dryden.
SAGE. 2007.
● “Skills in solution focused brief counselling & psychotherapy” by Paul
Hanton. SAGE. 2011.
Some videos for demonstration on SBT
… explore more on your own
● Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
[Link]
● Role Play: Solution Focused Therapy
[Link]
● Insoo Kim Berg Solution-Focused Family Therapy Video
[Link]