In the ever-evolving world of psychological therapy, few models have had as profound and lasting an impact as Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). Developed in the 1980s by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg, this approach was revolutionary in its simplicity, efficiency, and its emphasis on building solutions rather than delving into problems.
As an award-winning psychologist known for dynamic, solution-focused approaches, I have found this model to be transformative in helping clients move from stuckness to movement, from despair to hope, and from passive reflection to meaningful action. Whether working with individuals, couples, or families, solution-focused therapy offers a refreshing, empowering framework that honours client strengths and potential rather than pathologising their difficulties.
This article explores the key principles of solution-focused therapy, why it works, and how it can be applied across various contexts, including mental health, relationships, workplace stress, parenting, and adolescent development.
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Understanding the Essence of Solution-Focused Therapy
Unlike many traditional psychotherapeutic approaches that focus on analysing the origins and mechanisms of a person’s problems, Solution-Focused Therapy pivots attention towards what is working, what is possible, and what the client wants to achieve.
Core Beliefs of the Model:
• Clients have the resources and strengths to solve their problems.
• Change is constant and inevitable—even small shifts can create ripple effects.
• It is more useful to amplify what’s working than to dissect what’s wrong.
• The client is the expert in their own life, not the therapist.
• Therapy should be brief, respectful, and goal-oriented.
The core question guiding the therapy becomes:
“What would life look like if things were better—and how do we get you there?”
This future-focused lens contrasts with more pathology-driven models, where problems are named, analysed, and treated over long durations. SFBT, instead, believes that if we can clarify the destination, the route often reveals itself naturally.
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Solution-Focused Therapy in Practice
In my own practice at the London Psychologist Centre, solution-focused therapy is a cornerstone of how I work—with individuals of all ages, including children, adolescents, couples, and families. It lends itself particularly well to clients who feel stuck, demoralised, or uncertain about where to start. Because it focuses on progress rather than perfection, even small shifts are validated and built upon.
Some of the techniques I regularly use include:
1. The Miracle Question
“Suppose tonight, while you’re asleep, a miracle happens. The problem you’ve come to talk about is resolved. But because you’re asleep, you don’t know it has happened. When you wake up tomorrow, what will be different that will tell you the miracle has happened?”
This question opens the door to imagination, clarity, and hope. It forces the mind out of a cycle of “why” and into the possibility of “how.”
2. Scaling Questions
“On a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst it’s ever been, and 10 is the miracle outcome, where are you now?”
“What makes it a 4 and not a 2?”
“What would move you one step forward?”
Scaling questions are deceptively simple but clinically powerful. They allow progress to be measured, visualised, and celebrated, even when the change seems minor.
3. Exception Seeking
Instead of asking when the problem was worst, we ask:
“When is this problem not happening?”
“What’s different on those days?”
“What helped you do that?”
Identifying exceptions helps clients notice and reproduce helpful behaviours already present in their lives—often unconsciously.
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A Strengths-Based Approach
Solution-focused therapy assumes that people already have the skills, strengths, and past successes needed to change. The therapist’s role is not to fix, but to elicit, notice, and amplify.
This approach is inherently hopeful. It treats each client as capable, resilient, and full of potential—qualities that are often buried beneath the noise of anxiety, depression, or trauma.
Even in cases of chronic distress or long-standing problems, solution-focused therapy does not ignore the pain—it simply refuses to let it define the person. I often say to my clients:
“Your past explains you, but it doesn’t have to define you.”
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Why Solution-Focused Therapy Works
SFBT is more than just a feel-good model. Its effectiveness is supported by empirical research and clinical trials. Studies show that it can lead to:
• Reduced depressive symptoms
• Decreased anxiety and distress
• Improved goal clarity and motivation
• Stronger sense of agency and control
• Better outcomes in fewer sessions
It is particularly effective in brief therapy settings, school-based counselling, coaching, and contexts where clients are ready to move forward but unsure how.
The brevity of the model is not a sign of superficiality. Instead, it reflects the model’s focus on what is useful, and its refusal to waste precious time going over terrain that doesn’t support growth.
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Applications Across Life Domains
1. Adolescent Mental Health
Teenagers respond extremely well to solution-focused work. In a developmental stage defined by identity, possibility, and independence, SFBT fits naturally.
When I work with teenagers, I avoid pathologising labels and instead help them articulate what they want to be different in their friendships, school performance, confidence, or family relationships.
For example, a teenager struggling with low mood might say:
“I don’t want to feel like this anymore.”
Rather than analysing why they feel this way, we explore:
“What would feeling better look like?”
“When did you last feel more like yourself?”
“What helped then?”
This helps teens regain a sense of agency, which is often the very thing depression takes away.
2. Relationship and Couples Counselling
As a psychologist specialising in solution-focused relationship work, I frequently use this model in couples therapy to help partners stop circling the same conflicts and instead define shared goals for the future.
Instead of:
“Why are we like this?”
We ask:
“What do you both want this relationship to look like in 6 months?”
“What’s one thing your partner did recently that helped you feel connected?”
These shifts reduce blame and move couples toward constructive dialogue.
3. Parenting Support
Parents often arrive in therapy feeling exhausted and unsure how to help their children. Whether the child has anxiety, OCD, or behavioural challenges, I help parents articulate:
• What’s already working
• What kind of parent they want to be
• What the “best day” with their child looks like
This builds clarity and reduces guilt. Parenting becomes more about direction than diagnosis.
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Real-Life Examples (Composite Cases)
Case 1: Solution-Focused with Anxiety
Hannah, a 22-year-old university student, came to therapy with social anxiety and avoidance. Instead of spending months exploring her childhood origins, we began by asking:
“What will you be doing differently when this isn’t such a problem?”
She replied:
“I’d be going to seminars, not avoiding phone calls, and maybe even saying yes to drinks with my flatmates.”
We scaled those goals, found exceptions, and started small. Within six sessions, she was back in class, had made a new friend, and described herself as “surprisingly proud” of the progress.
Case 2: Couples Reconnection
Tom and Lila had been together for 15 years and were considering separation. Our work didn’t start with rehashing the past, but by asking:
“What’s the best this relationship has ever felt?”
“What would each of you like to see happen before you make any decisions?”
The answers led to a clearer understanding of each person’s needs. They began showing small acts of appreciation daily and reconnected through shared goals. While not every couple chooses to stay together, the solution-focused process gave them both clarity, compassion, and choice.
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Award-Winning Work in Solution-Focused Therapy
Over the years, my commitment to solution-focused work has been recognised nationally. I’ve had the privilege of being awarded for my innovative approaches in therapy and education, particularly for integrating solution-focused methods with CBT, NLP, and attachment work. My clients often describe our sessions as energising, clear, and practical—qualities that reflect the ethos of this approach.
At the London Psychologist Centre, every therapy journey begins with the question:
“What do you want to be different—and how will we know when we’ve got there?”
This question frames the entire process in a way that is both hopeful and action-oriented.
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Final Thoughts: Why It Matters
In a world that often feels saturated with problems, solution-focused therapy offers something revolutionary: a space where problems don’t dominate the story. Instead, we invite clients to focus on what works, what’s next, and what they can build—step by step.
Whether you are a young person struggling with anxiety, a couple facing disconnection, or a parent navigating behavioural challenges, solution-focused therapy provides a roadmap toward change that is respectful, brief, and effective.
As an award-winning psychologist with years of experience in solution-based therapy, I believe this approach represents not just a technique, but a philosophy of hope. It reminds us that even in the darkest times, the future is still writable.
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Dr. Lauretta Wilson is a Counselling Psychologist and Director of the London Psychologist Centre. She is an award-winning specialist in solution-focused therapy, OCD treatment, adolescent mental health, and relationship counselling. Visit www.londonpsychologistcentre.co.uk to learn more or book an assessment.