“That’s a way to see it and there is also another way to see it.” – Insoo Kim Berg
“Problem talk creates problems, solution talk creates solutions.” – Steve de Shazer

Practice Question:

A social worker using solution-focused therapy is working with a client who is experiencing anxiety. Which of the following interventions would be MOST appropriate?

(A) Exploring the client’s childhood experiences to identify potential trauma.

(B) Using the miracle question to explore the client’s desired future.

(C) Focusing on the client’s past failures to identify solution-oriented behaviors.

Answer Key (Highlight to reveal answer): (B)

Solution-focused therapy, pioneered by Insoo Kim Berg and Steve DeShazer (Gurman & Messer, 1995) in the 1970s and 1980s, is a strengths-based approach that aims to unearth submerged competencies within clients. In short, it’s doing “more of what’s already working.” For example, for a client who struggles with procrastination, doing more of what works could be noticing exceptions to the rule (for example, they’re more likely to feel motivated when working in a different setting).

However, before the clinician can unearth existing strengths and competencies, the clinician must work with the client to instill hope. The miracle question is a great way to do this, since it inspires clients to think about a different future where the problem is no longer present or has been neutralized. It’s not just about picturing what that ideal future is, but being able to identify markers that it happened (for example, if I procrastinated less, I would notice myself being able to enjoy more self-care or decrease negative self-talk). Hope is also constructed in the client’s language, not the clinician’s projection.

Solution-focused brief therapy is also known for the following techniques: the use of coping questions, the skeleton key question (making actionable specific changes that tap into the client’s agency), and scaling questions.

Because of its time-limited approach, solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is not appropriate for all concerns or issues (for example, complex trauma), and as social workers, we must always take psychosocial stressors into account for assessment and intervention.

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References

Good Therapy (n.d.). Solution–Focused Brief Therapy Overview, Solution–Focused Therapist. Goodtherapy.org. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/solution-focused-therapy.

Gurman, A. S., & Messer, S. B. (Eds.). (2019). Essential psychotherapies: Theory and practice. Guilford Press.