Solution Focused Approach

Info Box

Most professionals have a specific mode of therapy or set of guiding principles from which they operate. In the facets of my work (as well as life in general), I operate from a Solution Focused point of reference. This therapeutic approach and set of principles can be applied to many facets, not only through therapy but in working to build healthy teams and mediating disputes. As a Solution Focused Conflict Resolution Specialist, I utilize this approach and these guiding principles throughout any process in which I work.

“Knowing when to push, when to let go, what to listen to, and what to ignore…

“All these skills are based on the profound respect for human dignity and working to restore a sense of who they are and what they want to be.” – Insoo Kim Berg

What does it mean to have a Solution Focused Approach? Here are some highlights:

The choice or opportunity to focus on potential solutions
Spending time exploring a preferred future, a solution, or how it is different when the problem is no longer occurring (what is it that you want)
Solution building allows you to focus on how you want or need your life and relationships to be different going forward
YOU have the answers to resolve your own conflict; you just need a little guidance
My role is to create an environment for this process of change to occur and by asking the “right” questions

I was introduced to Solution Focused Brief Therapy or “SFBT” in graduate school. “Brief” in the sense that no more sessions are recommended than what is actually necessary. Meaning…You won’t be in therapy forever. I am going to get you going on your way as soon as it makes sense. One aspect I value most about Solution Focused work is meeting people where they are in their process and leading from behind.

I utilize Solution Focused questions to provide clients tools to explore what is important to them, what is it that they want, and what is it that they need to do in order to get them what they want. It is fascinating to see how clients discover their own solutions and… from within themselves.

“I have never been comfortable with the idea of fitting people into a prescribed way of therapy that has the potential to leave them relying on everything else except their most powerful resource, themselves. I am passionate about helping people discover what is important to them and provide them the skills needed to make decisions from this place.”

The very nature of a Solution Focused process is essentially one of its best qualities… Pragmatic (Guiding) Principles:

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
If something is working, do more of it.
If it is not working, do something different.
Small steps can lead to larger changes.
The Solution is not necessarily related to the problem.
Language for solution development is very different from problem talk.
No problem happens all of the time. There are exceptions to be explored.
The future is both created and negotiable.

Side note… I am passionate about my Solution Focused work. I authored a chapter in the Oxford University Press. It is available on Amazon. If you are curious about learning more, please send me a message, and I can give you more information and additional resources.

(C. Crow. (2018). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Military. A. Froerer, J. von Cziffra-Bergs, J. Kim & E. Connie. Solution Focused Brief Therapy: Helping Clients Managing Trauma. New York, NY: Oxford University Press USA)

For more information on Solution Focused Brief Therapy, please visit the following website: