Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT)
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a future-oriented, goal-directed approach to psychotherapeutic change. Rather than focusing on past failings and problems, it highlights your existing strengths, resources, and solutions to help you navigate toward your preferred future.
This collaborative approach is typically short-term and structured, making it highly effective for parents, adolescents, and adults seeking practical paths forward.
Core Principles
- Future-Focused: Emphasizes what you want to achieve moving forward.
- Strengths-Based: Utilizes your skills and resources for change.
- Client-Led: You define goals; the therapist supports your progress.
- Brief & Structured: Focused on practical outcomes over a limited timeframe.
Key Techniques
- The Miracle Question: Clarifying priorities by imagining your preferred future.
- Coping Questions: Highlighting resilience and past management.
- Identifying Exceptions: Exploring times when the problem is less severe.
- Scaling Questions: Using 0–10 numeric scales to clarify experiences.
How SFT May Be Used
- Mood and anxiety-related concerns
- Stress management (work or personal)
- Building self-esteem and confidence
- Relationship difficulties
- Substance-related concerns with appropriate support
"Therapy is adapted according to personal goals, preferences, and circumstances. We notice your abilities and coping strategies that are already working, even in small ways."
SFBT is suitable for clearly defined goals. For complex psychiatric conditions, it is used alongside other evidence-informed treatments when clinically appropriate.