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What is Solution-focused therapy?
In solution-focused therapy patient and Therapist work together in a collaborative manner to achieve change. Unlike therapeutic modalities such as Psychoanalysis, little exploration is made of the patient’s past beyond areas where the Therapist might express empathy for challenges they have experienced; rather, the focus of therapy is on the present and the future.
The hope and expectation of Solution-focused therapy is that meaningful behavioural change can be achieved rapidly, with measurable results being seen in a short period of time. It is a positive approach to behavioural change that identifies and builds on strengths and capabilities that the patient already has and assumes not just that patients are capable of positive change, but that they are already making a positive change in a number of areas of their lives.
A key aspect of Solution-focused Therapy is the asking and answering of questions in a rather structured way. Therapists pose certain structured questions to their patients that help them both work to identify what the patient’s goals are, to envision what their life will look like when their goals have been accomplished—or when their problems have diminished to the point whereby they are no longer a serious issue—and what aspects of the patient’s goals are already being achieved to some extent. For example, in a patient dealing with substance abuse or alcoholism, they might explore those days or times of the day when they are not using the substance in question and look at what they are doing right during those periods. They will explore how the patient has managed to achieve their current level of progress, and what they are already doing well in certain aspects of their lives, with a view to building on the competencies that they already have.
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The “Miracle Question” in Solution-focused Therapy
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How can I get Solution-focused Therapy in London?
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