Focusing on the Future
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a strengths-based, future-oriented, and goal-directed approach to therapy. Instead of focusing on the cause and history of the client's problem, SFBT concentrates on what the client wants to achieve and identifies times when the problem was less severe or absent (exceptions). It operates on the core belief that clients already possess the resources and skills needed to solve their problems.
Who Created SFBT?
SFBT was primarily developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg and their colleagues at the Brief Family Therapy Center (BFTC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, starting in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their work was heavily influenced by the work of the Mental Research Institute (MRI) in Palo Alto, which focused on brief, strategic, and systemic interventions. De Shazer and Berg streamlined and refined the process, developing core techniques—like the "Miracle Question" and "Scaling Questions"—to quickly leverage client strengths and facilitate rapid change (De Shazer, 1985).
Perspectives in SFBT
The Therapist's Perspective
The SFBT therapist adopts a collaborative, non-pathologizing, and curious stance. They believe that small changes lead to larger changes, and that language is crucial for constructing reality. They view clients as competent and expert on their own lives.
The therapist prioritizes:
Focus on Solutions: Shifting the conversation away from the problem ("What is wrong?") to successful past behaviors and desired future states ("What works?").
Minimal Intervention: Using precise, intentional questioning to guide the client toward their own resources and goals. They do not interpret or diagnose.
Future Orientation: Keeping the client focused on post-therapy life and the "preferred future" rather than the history of the problem.
The Client's Perspective
The client shifts from feeling overwhelmed and defined by their problem ("I am depressed and can't change") to feeling competent and hopeful ("I have successfully managed this problem before, and I know what a better future looks like").
The client learns to:
Define Clear Goals: Articulate specific, observable, and measurable goals for their future that do not depend on others changing.
Identify Competencies: Recognize and amplify exceptions to the problem—the times when they were coping well or when the problem was less intense.
Initiate Small Steps: Realize that complex problems do not require complex solutions; they only require small, actionable steps in the right direction.
What to Expect in an SFBT Session
SFBT is a time-efficient model, often completed in 3 to 8 sessions. Sessions are highly structured around solution-building questions.
Goal Setting: The session starts with the therapist asking "What is your best hope from coming here today?"to collaboratively establish clear, positive, and meaningful goals.
The Miracle Question: The therapist asks the client to imagine an immediate solution: "Suppose that tonight, while you were sleeping, a miracle happened and the problem that brought you here was solved. When you woke up, what would be the first small sign that the miracle had occurred?" The answers define the concrete steps of the preferred future.
Exception Finding: The therapist actively searches for times when the problem was absent or less severe (e.g., "Tell me about a time this week when you managed to avoid getting into a fight. What did you do differently?"). These exceptions are amplified.
Scaling Questions: The client is asked to rate their current state, motivation, or progress on a scale of 1 to 10 (e.g., "On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is your miracle solved, where are you today?"). The therapist then asks "What would a 4 look like?" or "What is keeping you from slipping back to a 2?" to reinforce stability and identify small steps forward.
Task Assignment: Sessions typically end with a constructive, small task or compliment, often encouraging the client to do more of what's already working or to "notice what happens that you want to continue to have happen."
How SFBT Can Help a Person
SFBT is highly effective for jump-starting change and building momentum toward a desired future.
Fosters Hope and Optimism: By focusing relentlessly on strengths and successes (exceptions), the therapy quickly shifts the client's mindset from despair to possibility.
Time-Efficient: Its brief nature makes it highly cost-effective and appropriate for settings like schools, community mental health, and employee assistance programs.
Increases Agency: The client's self-esteem and confidence grow as they realize they already possess the skills needed for solutions, strengthening their belief in their ability to cope.
Common Uses and Applications (DSM-5 Disorders and Life Problems)
SFBT is a versatile model often used as a primary approach or integrated into broader treatments, particularly for behavioral and motivational issues.
Adjustment Disorders: Providing a quick framework for defining and reaching a state of stability after a significant life stressor (e.g., divorce, job loss).
Substance Use Disorders (Motivation): Used to increase motivation and clarify the desired life post-abstinence.
Child and Adolescent Behavioral Issues: Identifying "exception" times when the child or teen was cooperative and scaling those successful behaviors.
Life Problems: School difficulties, minor marital/relational conflicts, workplace performance issues, and general goal setting where the client feels "stuck."
References
De Shazer, S. (1985). Keys to solution in brief therapy. W. W. Norton & Company.
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (3rd ed.). The Guilford Press. (Note: SFBT shares some philosophical overlap and techniques with MI regarding autonomy and eliciting change talk.)
Quick, S. (2016). Evidence base for solution-focused brief therapy in an adult mental health setting. Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work, 13(5), 475–481.
Ready to Focus on Solutions, Not Problems?
If you are ready to stop analyzing the past and begin clearly defining and actively building your preferred future, a SFBT therapist offers a focused, efficient pathway to change.
