Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Essay

If given the opportunity to choose which techniques with Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, I would like to use within my work setting, I would choose scaling and miracle questioning. “Solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a future-focused, goal oriented therapeutic approach to brief therapy” (Corey, 2013, pg 400). Being that solution focus on therapy as being very short term and brief, I feel that it is beneficial within a school setting. Also, there is a greater possibility the school I attend will possess more than 500 students, and it is imperative that I see each student, and make each session as short, adequate, and useful to the client, as possible. With this frame of mind, Solution focused therapy is also beneficial because of its
motto of not having to be any longer than is needed to in order to address a client’s problem, is realistic to a school setting of over 500 students.
From a historical setting Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, began as a “family therapy” approach, and later progress into individual counseling and therapy, as well as, group counseling.
With this information, I took into account personal views about counseling, which I believe would be beneficial to children. As a former teacher, I realize that students often view their problems as very dramatic, “over the top,” horrific, etc., which all could be true from the perspective of the child. However, individual who are “on the outside looking in,” fail to understand the complication of the problem that the child is facing. Upon a child entering my office from a disruption within class or other problems, there are several steps that I must take into
account.
First, I would like to introduce my student the concept of scaling and how this is valuable to the understanding of the problem. Scaling is define as “when change in human experiences are not easily observed, such as feelings, moos, or communication, and to assist client in notice that they are not completely defeated by their problems” (Corey, 2013, pg. 407). I would ask the student to rate his/her feelings or emotions on a scale of 1 to 10, whereas 1 is least emotional and 10 extremely emotional. Upon doing so, I would like the child to tell why he/she has chosen this number, as well as, what actions or events, brought him or her to this point.
Next, I would like to understand the problem from the child point of view, but reminding the child, that I am unbiased and I will not take either side (teacher nor student), instead I am there to assists with the problem(s), and make sure that my student(s), receive adequate advice, and allow him/her to create a solution he/she feel is best suitable for the problem.
Solution-focused brief therapy allows me to use this concepts, due to the belief that the client is the expert within his/her problem(s). As the counselor, I would make sure that I focus on the solution rather than the problems, by bring emphasis to “change talk (creating a solution) rather than problem
talk.
After this is done, I would ask my students the “Miracle Question.” The Miracle Question is defined as “if a miracle happened and the problem you have was solved overnight, how would you know it was solved, and what would be different” (Corey, 2013, pg. 406)? Once, this concept is explained the student would be asked to explain, “If this day could be repeated, how could his /her behavior change within school or even possibly the classroom. From this standpoint, the student would be able to see that not only is the problem much smaller that he/she perceives, but that he/she has the power to change their circumstances.
The last step would be to make sure that student completes another scaling. Again, I would remind him/her the significances of scaling and what purposes it serves within the counseling process. Next, I would ask the student how has his/her emotional anxiety level change. For example, if the emotional anxiety level was an 8 before, how has it change to a 5 after the counseling process. What steps have made the student the level of emotional anxiety change? What steps must be we (the student and I) take in order to lower the number of anxiety on the number scale?
Overall, I think these techniques would definitely benefit children and work well within a school setting. From personal experiences, I have often seen student entering the counseling session, not receiving adequate time and patient to explore their perspective. Also, in most cases, the counselor will immediately believe the teacher, rather than being an unbiased party, to student and teacher. The Scaling and Miracle Question, would definitely be a “staple piece” within my work environment and I foresee it to be very helpful with my students.