Have you been distressed lately, struggling to feel good about yourself? Do you feel stuck with the same old issues and worry nothing will change in the future? Are you looking for a short-term talk therapy that focuses on solutions instead of delving too deeply into your past and your problems? If so, solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) might be for you. 

As the name suggests, solution-focused brief therapy (also called brief therapy, or solution-focused therapy) is a time-limited form of psychotherapy that helps you improve your present, gain confidence, and set goals for your preferred future. 

SFBT is based on the concept that just because a problem is complicated, doesn’t mean its solution needs to be. Most of the time we already have the strengths and skills we need to manage our issues, but we might need help recognizing what these are.

While other talk therapies tend to analyse your past, solution-focused brief therapy only looks to the past to help you uncover your strengths, and remember times in your life when things were more like what you want them to be. This helps you work towards a more balanced perspective of your “Self” and shows you the skills you can apply to your life to feel successful again. 

SFBT can help with any issue, whether that is relationship difficulties, a problem from your childhood, or feeling unable to get ahead. The number of sessions you want is entirely up to you, and you can discuss and decide this with your therapist. Brief therapy is often used in is addiction counselling, most notably for treating problem drinking.

Research has also shown that SFBT can be effective for the following challenges: 

– depression
– suicidal thinking
– sleep problems
– eating disorders
– parenting issues
– marital problems
– low self-esteem
– sexual problems

While SFBT helps with a variety of struggles, SFBT is also committed to what is referred to as ‘problem-free talk’. This means that each week you will be encouraged to discuss what is working in your life, not just what isn’t, with the belief that we are all more than just our issues.

DURING THE SESSIONS: the main tool your SFBT therapist will use with you is asking questions. Carefully designed to help you hone in on your personal strengths and visions for the future, these SFBT questions include things like ‘miracle questions.’ (If a miracle occurred overnight, what would be better in your life?) Other questions are designed to help you remember times in your life when you achieved the things you want now, or when your problems weren’t as pervasive. How can you use what you knew then to serve you in the present?

Before the end of your session, you will be invited to decide on your next step forward. This could be a small change you are ready to try, or an action that produced results for you previously that you could implement today. 

RESULTS: solution-focused brief therapy can help you recognise the strengths and resources you already have within you to create success both in the here and now, and in your future. As a result, you will feel more confident and more aware of what you are capable of.