What Is Solution Focused Therapy?

Solution Focused therapy (SFT) is becoming an important method that is being used in working with individuals and families, an approach to psychotherapy. SFT is a type of therapy that focuses on solution-building with the client instead of discussing problems like other types of approaches do. Solution focus is a strength’s perspective method and has a short duration. This type of therapy focuses on holding the client responsible for the exploring strengths, learning to cope, and making it a solution building process. This method encourages the clients to look at the strengths, resources and solutions that they already have to solve their pressing problem, and in doing so, allows them to be in charge and change their own future. SFT is not
One of the first assumptions and implications of solution focused therapy is that the therapist uses strength and solution focused techniques with the client, allowing the client to see what they can do to solve the existing problem instead of the therapy sessions being all about the problem. During therapy, the therapist focuses on what strengths the client may have, what they can do and what they have achieved in life that could give them the tools to discover a solution. The therapist uses this strategy to change the way the client thinks, encouraging their energy to go toward a more positive outlook (Lee,
Language can be a powerful tool to build someone up or tear them down. SFT uses language as a power source to encourage the client through generating positive outlooks on how they want to live; not being spoken to on how to live their lives. The language that is mainly used through SFT, is the clients’ language not a textbook language. Through language, the client learns to communicate in a more positive way creating a more positive way of thinking. Through language, the therapist can encourage the client that there are more possibilities to change for the better (Lee, 2013).
Contrast /Compare to one or two other approaches. When using SFT, naturalistic dialogue is about what the client wants to discuss such as concerns, expectations, and finding solutions through solution focus which is an important element in these sessions. This is done through future focused questions that moves the clients mind set to change to a more positive interest in the future. This allows the client concept of the future to be more promising and working with them on the steps to get there (Trepper, et al.). However, with other theories such as behavioral theory, the therapist allocates on what the client needs to do. Behavioral testing is done just like in behavioral theory, but in SFT the client is the one that discusses what behaviors need to change (Trepper, et