What is Solution Focused Therapy?

The full term for this style of therapy is “Solution Focused Brief Therapy”. It is an approach to psychotherapy developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s the Korean psychotherapist and social worker Insoo Kim Berg, and American psychotherapist Steve de Shazer,

Typically, counselling (or psychotherapy) focuses on the reasons that have brought the client to seek help. Commonly, the first three sessions will will be spent reviewing the client’s problems before a strategy to move beyond these is formulated.

Rather than dwelling on the problem/s, solution focused brief therapy puts attention on the best hopes of the client. This style of therapy relies on the counsellor helping the client recognise their own resources and strengths. Then, with the client focusing on their personally devised solutions and best future possibilities, the client is empowered to build the life they desire.

This tends to be a much quicker way towards the client resolving their issues. That is why the word “brief” is included in the name of this modality. This makes solution focused brief therapy much more cost effective than other styles of therapy.