Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Solution focused brief therapy was developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg along with their colleagues in the late 1970s to the early 1980s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin(Solutionfocusednet,2016). As the name suggests Solution focused brief therapy is solution focused, goal directed and future focused (Solutionfocusednet, 2016). The solution focused approached was developed in an inner city outpatient setting where clients were accepted without any prior screening (Solutionfocusednet, 2016). Hours were spent observing therapy sessions over the course of several years, carefully looking at the therapist’s questions, behaviours and emotions that happened during the session and how the different activities of the therapists affected the clients …show more content…
This therapy focuses on what could be and unlike the psychoanalytic approach have little or no interest in trying to understand how the clients problem emerged (Corey,2016). Behaviour change is seen as the most effective approach in assisting people in making their lives better(Corey,2016). According to De Shazer(1988,1991 as cited in Corey, 2016) it is not important to know the cause of the problem to solve it and that there is no relationship between the causes of the problems and their solutions. Scrutinizing problems is not necessary for change to occur(Corey,2016). If knowing and understanding problems isnt important, finding the “right” or absolute solution also isn’t(Corey,2016). Solution focused Brief Therapy gives the client the opertunity to choose which goal they would like to accomplish and pays little or no attention to diagnosis, history taking or exploring when the problem emereged(Berg&Miller,1992; Gingerich &Eisngart 2000;O’Hanlon & Weiner-Davis,2003 as cited in Corey, …show more content…
The therapist poses the question “what will be different in your life when your problems are solved?” the therapist works collaboratively with the client in developing goals as soon as possible(Corey,2016). The therapist will ask the clients about the times when their problems didn’t exist or when they were less severe. The therapist then assist the clients in exploring the times that they did not experience problems with special emphasis on what they did to make these experiences happen(Corey,2016). At the end of a therapeutic conversation the therapist gives the client a summary, feedback gives them encouragement and offers suggestions of what the client might consider doing after the session (Corey,2016). The progress is evaluated using a rating scale. The therapist will ask the client which goals they think are important and will ask them how they think that they should go about accomplishing