Solution-focused Therapy: What it Is, Objectives and How it is Applied

When we face problems, we can choose a series of alternatives. On the one hand, there will be those people who decide not to do anything about these problems, and there will be other people who look for solutions to resolve these situations. Who hasn’t had difficulties in life? Problems are a frequent factor in the course of life and society offers a wide variety of solutions to deal with them.

However, when our emotions bring us obstacles in our daily lives, it is important to pay attention to what is happening to us so that this does not mean having greater problems in the future. One of the keys is to act in time to find effective solutions, which allow us to navigate certain situations in a different way. Do you want to know more about this? In this PsychologyFor article we will provide you with information about the Solution-focused therapy: what it is, objectives and how it is applied.

Table of Contents

What is solution focused therapy?

It is a type of therapeutic approach that focuses on finding possible solutions instead of focusing on the problems that a patient may have. The purpose of solution-focused therapy is to resolve certain difficulties in a limited period of sessions.

It should be said that solution-focused therapy is related to other types of brief therapies that provide various tools to patients so that they can cope in a different way with the conflictive situations that occur in everyday life.

Solution-focused therapy: what it is, objectives and how it is applied - What is solution-focused therapy

Goals of solution-focused therapy

In order to better understand what solution-focused therapy is, it is important to establish certain objectives that appear throughout the treatments. In this way, we will divide them into the following items:

Establishing strengths : consists of locating the patient’s positive aspects and highlighting them so that they can be used in life.
Construction of reality Another purpose of solution-focused therapy is to understand that the events that happen to the person are related to the actions and thoughts they have. These result in a particular interpretation of reality, which implies that there is no single vision of the same situation.
Solution creation : Through joint work between therapist and patient, the person tries to invent different ways to face a problem. This aims to cut dependency on other people.
Assessment of situations : This section is intended for the person to rate on a scale ranging from one to ten different moments that occur in their life. After doing this, during the sessions we talk about how it would be possible to improve these situations.
Establishment of ideal situations : here the purpose covers the elaboration of a situation in which the problems have completely disappeared. This has the effect that the person faces those moments in a different way.

How Solution Focused Therapy is Applied

Finally, we will talk about what the techniques of solution-focused therapy are, that is, how it is possible to apply the principles mentioned in the previous paragraphs in order to achieve a greater understanding of the subject. Next, we will exemplify the main techniques:

Strengthening positive aspects : consists in praise the patient so that he can achieve greater confidence in situations that present problems. If a patient has difficulty speaking in public, the therapist can highlight that his tone of voice has a positive impact on the listener.
Emphasis on maintaining virtues : This technique consists of asking the patient to describe in detail those things that he considers as strengths. This provides the possibility for the person to maintain these skills. For example, if a patient claims to be a cordial and respectful person with others, the therapist will ask him or her to describe a situation in which these characteristics are highlighted to make them visible.
Task prediction : the patient writes his problematic behaviors and then corroborate whether he was able to comply with them or not. As an example, a person could write that he is afraid to tell his partner that he no longer loves her to avoid an unpleasant situation. The next day, the idea would be for her to write on a piece of paper if she was able to engage in conversation.
Simulation of ideal situations : The main point would be for the person to describe situations in which there are no difficulties. If a patient feels guilty about not arriving at work on time, he or she is asked to describe a day in which he or she arrives on time. Without inconveniences. This makes the person understand that it is possible to modify these problematic situations.
Diversion of attentional focus : This technique refers to paying attention to other situations when persistent thoughts that generate anxiety appear. This way, if someone feels stressed facing an oral exam, they can think of a nice day to relieve thoughts.

If you liked this article about solution-focused therapy: what it is, objectives and how it is applied, we recommend you consult our post Problem Solving Process.

This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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