Solution Based

Definition : "a goal-directed collaborative approach to psychotherapeutic change"  (Steve de Shazer et al).

So what does solution-focused mean for you?

Serious problems can overwhelm our ability to think straight and can impact on our normal behaviour and moods. Whilst the cause of a problem may be very complicated, the solution does not have to be.

Solution-focused therapy builds up a brief picture of what has contributed to the client feeling how they do, deconstructs the problem and starts to consider what the client is looking for. This identifying of goals helps to generate a description of what life would be like when the goal is achieved and the problem is either completely gone or feels more manageable.

The focus then is working with the client to search through their life experiences for occasions where some aspect of the client’s goal has already been happening i.e. looking at the exceptions to the problem. There is an emphasis on successful choices and behaviours and these can then form a basis for creating effective solutions. The process will be gradual, possibly with the client challenging themselves, firstly in less contentious situations, before moving on to constructing the solution.

Solution based therapy would typically last from 6 – 10 sessions.