Section 1: The Key Concepts and Principles of Solution Focused Therapy

Solution-focused therapy is a form of counselling that aims to build change within clients’ lives by focusing on solutions rather than problems. It is goal-oriented and future-focused (Corey, 2017). Steve de Shazer from the Brief Family Therapy Centre in Milwaukee is credited for developing the therapy along with colleagues and collaborators Insoo Kim Berg, Yvonne Dolan, and Bill O’Hanlan (McLeod, 2019). The two central tasks that clients are asked to do in solution-focused therapy to facilitate change are:

• Describe their preferred future.
• Describe instances of success and the skills and resources they used to achieve those moments.

The counsellor then works with the client to utilise and build upon these instances of success and resources to achieve their desired future.

In contrast to most other forms of therapy, solution-focused therapy does not linger on the past or how a problem emerged but rather looks to the future and at what is possible for the client (Corey, 2017). While most other theoretical approaches believe that problems have specific causes that can be identified and that there is a connection between this process and finding a solution, solution-focused therapists do not focus on exploring this link. They believe that it is not necessary to assess problems or understand their cause – what matters most is initiating behaviour change within the client’s life:

As a postmodern approach, solution-focused therapy emphasises the role of language. It uses various techniques to promote change in the client’s language, facilitating change in behaviours (McLeod, 2019).

According to deShazer et al. (2007, p. 2, as cited by Gehart, 2018, p. 392), the main tenets of solution-focused therapy include:

Solution-focused therapists use these principles to inform their approach. The ultimate goal of solution-focused therapy is to assist the client in making changes that direct them to their ‘preferred future’ (i.e., their goal). Solution-focused therapists use a range of techniques that explore the client’s preferred future, identify situations when aspects of the client’s preferred future are already occurring, and facilitate the identification of strengths that the client can draw on to help achieve their desired future.

Five Essential Principles of the Solution-Focused Approach

This video discusses the five organising principles, including the importance of constructive language and working from a systemic perspective.

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Problem-Focused vs. Solution-Focused Language

Solution-focused therapy avoids “problem-focused dialogue” and instead seeks to identify client goals and strengths (Warner, 2013). Client goals and strengths are the only agents of change used within the approach.

In solution-focused therapy, it is assumed that clients are competent and have the ability to find solutions for their problems – they have simply lost direction or awareness (Corey, 2017). Solution-focused therapy does not pathologise clients – that is, it does not see clients as being flawed – but rather, it helps the client to remember their strengths and find what works for them. Clients who come to therapy in a “problem-oriented state” are encouraged to talk about goals and possibilities to move into a “solution-focused” frame of mind (Corey, 2017). Note that this does not mean clients are never allowed to talk about their distress or ‘problem-focused’ stories; counsellors remain respectful and accepting towards clients if they wish to talk about ‘problems’. However, this is not generally encouraged with this approach.

Problem-focused vs Solution-focused Therapy Questions

This video provides examples of problem-focused vs solution-focused therapy questions.

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Check your understanding of the content so far!

There is no one way in which to perform solution-focused therapy. Instead, it is up to the counsellor to be flexible and tailor an approach that suits each individual client. While the exact techniques used can vary, the core distinguishing feature of solution-focused therapy is that the session focuses on solutions and the future rather than on problems or the past. Let’s explore some of the key techniques used within solution-focused therapy.

Problem-Free Talk and Solution-Focused Language

The first ‘technique’ we will discuss isn’t so much a technique as it is more an approach to the counselling conversation. In many cases, clients will come to counselling with a “problem focus” in which they are focused solely on their problem. Solution-focused therapists are interested in moving the client away from problem-talk and towards solution-talk.

Most solution-focused therapists like to “set the scene” for clients by engaging in problem-free talk at the beginning of a counselling session. The counsellor is interested in getting to know a little bit about the client as a person rather than immediately discussing “the problem”. Such talk can help the counsellor better understand the client’s range of strengths as well as how to best engage with the client. The following extract provides an example of how useful this initial “problem-free” talk can be:

Initiating problem-free talk helps counsellors identify and show appreciation for a client’s competencies, values and positive qualities (McLeod, 2019). While it is usually used at the beginning of the first session, it can also be used at the beginning of any session for the following purposes:

Because this process allows the counsellor to see the client for who they really are, rather than just a collection of problems, the counsellor is able to “choose” to work with the person rather than the problems (Ratner, George & Iveson, 2012).

A common misconception of beginner counsellors is that solution-focused therapists should not allow the client to discuss the problem. This is not the case. Solution-focused therapists do allow their clients to discuss their problems; however, they then gradually shift the counselling conversation to focus on solutions and ensure that their own questioning focuses on solutions rather than problems. Throughout the counselling process, solution-focused counsellors take care to ask solution-focused questions rather than problem-focused ones. To help illustrate the differences between problem-focused and solution-focused approaches to counselling, the following table compares the kind of language a problem-focused and a solution-focused counsellor would use (O’Connell, 2005, p. 21, as cited by McLeod, 2019, p. 224):

Solution-focused therapists also use questions that explore the client’s goals, strengths, successes, resources, and preferred future rather than questions that focus on the history, cause, or effects of the problem. While the client is discussing their “problem”, the counsellor might use neutral probes such as “Tell me more about that” or “I can see that this is causing you concern and that it is important for you to address it.” From there, the counsellor will aim to shift the focus of the counselling conversation to setting specific goals with the client. For example, they may ask:

You may have noticed that these questions focus on the present and the future rather than the past. These sorts of questions refocus the counselling conversation on solutions and invite the client to feel hope for the possibility of change.

Pre-Session Change

Most solution-focused counsellors believe that the counselling process does not begin with, but prior to, the first session. Clients have usually tried many things themselves before deciding to see a counsellor. Often this decision in itself or the action of booking the first appointment is enough to begin the change process (Corey, 2017).

In the first session, a solution-focused counsellor will ask the client what they have done to help themselves since making the appointment to see them (McLeod, 2019). In most cases, the client will be able to identify some positive changes, which the counsellor will then be able to highlight and explore through questions such as “How did that happen? What did you do?” Such questioning helps credit the client with making positive changes and can help reveal information useful for strategy development later in the counselling session. It also encourages the client to see that they can make changes themselves without relying on a counsellor since they happen before the first counselling session (Corey, 2017). In subsequent counselling sessions, this type of questioning is changed to questions that presuppose change, such as “What is better since the last time we spoke?”

Even if the client cannot identify any positive change, the counsellor can ask solution-focused questions related to the client’s ability to cope, such as “How come things aren’t worse? What did you do to stop it from becoming a total disaster?” or “Considering how overwhelmed you feel, how is it that you were able to get out of bed this morning and make it to our appointment?”. Coping questions encourage the client to note how they are managing their life despite the presence of a ‘problem’ (McLeod, 2019).

How to Talk About the Problem in Solution-Focused Therapy 

This video addresses how problems are managed in SFT.

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Miracle Question

The miracle question is a solution-focused technique used to help both the client and counsellor understand what the client actually wants (i.e., the client’s goal or preferred future). While the wording can vary slightly, the miracle question is essentially asking the client to imagine a future where their problem or the barrier to their goals has been removed and to explore how such change had been brought about:

How to use The Miracle Question

The presenter has prepared a very useful, short, but revealing explanation based on his 30 years of experience using the Miracle Question in SFT.

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While the miracle question is a very common and useful technique, the wording of the standard miracle question might not be suitable for every client based on their religious or cultural beliefs. The miracle question can be reworded to be more relevant to the client’s cultural beliefs and situation. For example, the ‘miracle’ could be replaced with a ‘magic wand’, a ‘superpower’, a ‘dream’, or a ‘future meeting’ – several variations of miracle questions are provided in the following abstract. If you reword the question, it is important to retain its fundamental structure and essence, which includes asking the client to envision a situation where the problem/barrier is removed and for them to really get in touch with the experience of this situation.

When successfully used, miracle questions can be powerful in helping clients to envision a problem-free future; however, it can be rather awkward when poorly delivered, and the client may become disengaged. One way of increasing successful delivery is by preparing the client’s state of mind or obtaining their agreement:

The miracle question: demo

This video demonstrates how the therapist uses the miracle question to invite a client involved with drugs and sex work to generate a description of her desired future. Answer the questions that follow. 

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Pichot and Dolan (2013) also suggest that the miracle question must be asked very “gently and thoughtfully, and follow a comfortable pause” to allow the client to think about what may be a very different and seemingly unattainable future (p. 14). Sometimes clients may respond immediately with “I have no idea” or “I don’t know”. In such cases, the counsellor should remain in encouraging silence to allow the client to really consider this question. The counsellor might also ask the client to use visualisation techniques to experience the preferred future. If the client is still unable to respond, the counsellor may encourage the client to think about specifics. For example, they might prompt the client with questions such as:

• “What would be the first thing you would notice?”
• “What would you feel that was different?”
• “What would you see that was different?”
• “What would you do that was different?”

Once the client begins to describe what’s different, it is important that the counsellor follow up with questions designed to elicit more meaning from the client about their preferred future and help the client to make this imagined future more concrete (Passmore, 2021; The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center, n.d.):

• “What else will be different?”
• “What might others (e.g., spouse, family members, children, friends, colleagues) notice about you that would tell them that the miracle has happened, that things are different?”
• “Have there been times when you have seen pieces of this miracle happen?”
• “What’s the first step that you can take to begin to make this miracle happen?”
• “Now choose the smallest, least significant thing that you would be doing if your problem had gone, that you don’t already do; I am going to invite you to act “as-if” your problem was gone for the rest of today and to experiment with this one small change.”

It is important to note that some clients may choose an unlikely future, such as winning the lottery. These sorts of answers can still begin a useful conversation that reveals the serious hopes and dreams of the client (O’Connell, 2012). The counsellor may respond with something such as, “Let’s say the miracle isn’t that big, and all it does is set your life moving in the direction of….” (Ratner, George & Iveson, 2012). Questioning around this response can still elicit hope and motivation within the client.

Ultimately, the miracle question shifts the emphasis of the client’s problem from the past to a possible future that does not contain the problem (Corey, 2017). It is generally used to allow the client to determine what they would like to achieve in counselling and to begin setting goals to reach that future. Goal setting is an important part of solution-focused therapy.

Miracle Question with Social Anxiety

This video features a counselling role-play in which the miracle question technique is used to help a client recognise social anxiety. Answer the questions that follow. 

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Exception Questions

Exception questions can be used to begin the process of looking for solutions to problems. One of the principles of solution-focused therapy is that problems do not always occur; there must be some instances – i.e., exceptions – when the problem is not occurring, is less severe, or is less intrusive when they are expected to (McLeod, 2019).

There may even be times when the client’s life is similar to the preferred or ideal future they thought about during the miracle question. The following extract contains some examples of exception questions/statements that a counsellor could ask a client:

Exception questions provide clients with an opportunity to identify times when things have been different for them – e.g., “Can you think of a time when the problem has not been present?” Exception questions are designed to help clients “deconstruct” their problem-saturated view that the problems are happening and/or severely impactful all the time. In particular, they can help the counsellor and client recognise that there are already examples of times when they have overcome or avoided the problem in question to highlight the client’s strengths and success in managing their lives in the past. This can help clients better understand some appropriate changes to make to their lives to help achieve their preferred future.

Once an exception has been identified, the counsellor uses different questions to help the client learn more about the context of the exception and their behaviours in response to this context. Examples of appropriate questions in this phase of exception questioning include:

3 Ways to Ask Exception Questions In Therapy

Mark Tyrell describes three ways you can ask exception questions to help your clients learn not to have their problem and uses an example of how a client - 'Jerry' - used swimming to wash smoking out of his life forever. Answer the questions that follow. 

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These investigative questions help clients to better understand exceptions and the strengths and resources that they can draw upon. Clients can then use this information to move towards their preferred future. In practice, the techniques of the miracle question and exception questions often flow together.

In the following case scenario, you can see how a counsellor might use these two techniques.

Case Study - BETHANY

Bethany is a mother with three young children and a husband who has recently started a fly-in-fly-out job in which he is away from home three weeks at a time and then home for two weeks. Bethany is finding it difficult to organise her life and care for the children while adjusting to her husband’s repeated presence and absence.

After discussing Bethany’s situation, the counsellor notes that Bethany cannot identify exceptions or strategies for change. The counsellor believes that the use of miracle and exception questioning will help.

Counsellor:

You have quite a lot of changes regularly happening. Let me ask you another type of question. Suppose you go to bed, as usual, tonight, and while you are sleeping, a miracle happens. The miracle is that the problems you’ve been telling me about are solved! Because you are sleeping, you don’t realise immediately that your problems have gone away. What do you think you would notice tomorrow morning that would be different?

Bethany:

I would notice that things are running smoothly. The whole day would look different, and I would feel different.

The counsellor would follow this up with a series of questions to really explore Bethany’s preferred future. Then the counsellor will refocus the conversation on exceptions.

Counsellor:	Bethany, you have a pretty clear idea of what would be different and changed for you. Are there any times in the last two weeks that are like the miracle you have described, even a little bit?
Bethany:	Well, it was a little better the other day
Counsellor:	Tell me about that day. What was different that day?
Bethany:	Well, I woke up feeling good. My husband Dennis was coming home in two days, and I was looking forward to having him home. I got the kids up, and we had a good breakfast together, and the kids went to school, and we weren’t hurrying out the door. I had got their lunches ready the night before and planned breakfast. I had a good day at my job, and then I picked them up from school, and we had a good afternoon and dinner wasn’t too late.

The counsellor would then explore this exception using investigative questions to help Bethany identify the strengths she can draw from in the future and the specific strategies she could use to help achieve her preferred future. For example, the counsellor might ask, “What does it mean about you that you were able to have this good day?”, “What did you learn from it?” and “What could you do today to make tomorrow more like this day?”

Counsellor Tips on Solution Focused Exception Questions

A brief video providing examples of Exception Questions.

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Scaling Questions

Another type of question that a counsellor can ask a client in solution-focused therapy is the scaling question, a technique commonly applied in other approaches. A basic scaling question is often used to ask the client to rate themselves on a ten-point scale with ten (10) being their preferred or ideal future; and zero (0) being as low as it can go (or when they decided to seek help), as seen in this graphic:

In solution-focused therapy, scaling questions serve numerous functions. They can be used concurrently with other techniques during goal setting to identify movement away from or towards a goal and help clients see the small steps in the bigger picture. Three primary ways scaling questions are used:

1. The Progress Scale, like the example (e.g., “On a scale of zero to ten, where ten is your life the way you want it to be and zero is where things are as bad as they could possibly be, where are you right now?”). This question is used to ascertain how the client currently sees things and to provide a baseline measure from which future progress can be assessed.
   The counsellor may ask this question again in the next session to measure progress (e.g., “Last time you said you were at 3, where would you say you are this week, and why”). If the client indicates they have moved up the scale, it leads to an opportunity to explore what they have done to be where they are. On the contrary, the counsellor may explore with the client what has kept the rating the same or worse (Gehart, 2018).
2. The Next Step (e.g., “What would have to happen to notice a small improvement so that you could say things have moved up a little bit on the scale?”) This helps the counsellor to identify a small degree of change that would be significant to the client – this information can be used to help the client set small goals.
3. Willingness and confidence scale (e.g., “On a scale of zero to ten, how willing are you to do something to make things better?” or “On a scale of zero to ten, how confident are you that things are going to get better?”). These questions help the counsellor understand how confident and/or willing a client is to achieve a particular goal.

3 Scaling Questions From Solution Focused Therapy

Mark Tyrell describes three ways you can ask scaling questions in solution focused therapy sessions. Answer the questions that follow. 

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Scaling questions are also useful if a client is resistant to change. For example, they can be used to define small goals, provide motivation, and (potentially) demonstrate that the client has already made some movement towards their goals. Scaling can also be used to understand the commitment of the client. For example, if a counsellor notices that the client appears to have withdrawn from participating in counselling or if they are not making any progress between sessions, the counsellor might ask “On a scale of 0-10, how committed are you to achieving what you want?”

When using scaling questions, it is important that the counsellor and client explore how the rating translates into action. For example, if the client rates their situation at two, the counsellor may ask, “What is happening for you that makes it a two?” - asking the client how they reached the number they are currently at is important for helping the client to uncover their strengths and competencies. The counsellor may also ask the client, “If you are at 2, what needs to happen/what could you do to become a 3?” or “What things would be different in your life for you to come in next week and be at a 3?” This helps clients to envision what a small change would look like and focus on developing small, concrete steps to move towards their preferred future. This aligns with the solution-focused principle that small steps can lead to big changes.

Motivational Interviewing & Scaling Questions

This video provides an example of good coaching using the skill of scaling questions in motivational interviewing. Answer the questions that follow. 

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Reframing

As a solution-focused technique, reframing helps clients look at their situation from a different, positive, and often unrecognised perspective. In many cases, a client is “stuck” in a specific way of viewing a situation or behaviour disabling their ability to make positive changes. By reframing the situation/behaviour, the counsellor provides the client with a new, more positive perspective that often reveals new possibilities.

Reframing Your Thoughts

This video discusses how to manage thoughts and reframe them.

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Clients who are troubled by their own or someone else’s behaviour usually describe it negatively and can become fixated on this interpretation. A solution-focused counsellor will consider the circumstances that the client is relating to and look for alternative, plausible interpretations of the behaviour. They will then “reframe” the “problem” behaviour in a new light, watching for the client’s reaction. In many cases, the reframing will bring about a physical reaction in the client (e.g., they might look stunned, thoughtful, or even amused) as they begin to consider this alternative interpretation. Of course, reframing is not just limited to problematic behaviours; counsellors often seek to reflect and reframe their client’s statements to open up new perceptions and possibilities. Some examples of reframing are included in the following table:

Corcoran (2005) offers examples of ways to reframe common behavioural “problems”.

Therapist Feedback to Clients

At the end of a session, most solution-focused therapists take some time to provide feedback to the client. This feedback is designed to empower the client, but can also be used to summarise the client’s achievements, re-highlight the client’s goals, and outline specific tasks or steps that the client should take after the counselling session. To formulate this feedback, solution-focused therapists will often take a few minutes break, often referred to as a “think” break. During this time, the counsellor formulates a summary message for the client that contains three key parts:

• Compliments – genuine affirmations and statements of praise and support for how the client has participated in the session and what the client is already doing that is progressing them toward their preferred future.
• Bridge – a statement linking the client’s actions with their stated goal(s) and providing a rationale for the task(s) that will be suggested in the next part of the feedback.
• Task suggestions – the suggestion of tasks for “homework” that the client can complete between sessions. Some of the most common task suggestions include asking the client to observe some aspect of their lives to find out why exceptions occur, doing more of what has been working for them, or stopping doing something that isn’t working to try something different. It is important to note that the counsellor’s task suggestions are treated as suggestions, not orders – the client should be included in this aspect of the discussion and agree to the tasks that are ultimately selected.

One specific task type usually suggested at the end of the first session of solution-focused therapy is the formula first session task.

Formula First Session Task

A formula first session task is homework the client completes between their first and second session (Corey, 2017). It is generally used regardless of the client’s issue and is designed to help the client increase their optimism and better understand their strengths. This task aims to have the client focus on what is going well for them rather than on their “problem”. An example of how a counsellor could suggest this task to a client is:

In the second session, the counsellor follows this task up by asking the client what they observed in their life and which things they would like to continue to happen. Doing this helps clients realise that they are already doing several positive things in their life and have a number of strengths and resources that can assist them in tackling their “problem” situation. While this task is generally used with all clients, it is particularly useful for clients who report feelings of hopelessness in tackling their “problem” and clients who cannot fully ‘pin-down’ what their preferred future looks like. This kind of task projects the optimism and hope that “change is inevitable – it is not a matter of if change will occur, but when it will happen” (Corey, 2017, pp. 378-379).

A Note on the Use of Techniques

It is important to note that, while we have discussed the various ‘techniques’ of solution-focused therapy separately, this separation is an artificial one. In practice, the counselling conversation should be a free-flowing discussion in which the various techniques are applied holistically. Readings D and E provide more information and examples on how solution-focused techniques can be applied in counselling practice to effectively help facilitate client change.

The Solution Focused Approach with Couples

This video provides an example of solution focused techniques with a couple in counselling. After watching the video, answer the questions that follow. 

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Developing a collaborative therapeutic relationship is vitally important in solution-focused therapy. Similar to person-centred therapy, solution-focused therapists must bring a particular attitude to counselling. This is based upon the assumptions they make about the client, including (adapted from Corey, 2017, p. 373):

• Clients have the capability to behave effectively, even though it is temporarily blocked by problem-focused thinking.
• Clients often present only one side of themselves; counsellors can help them to examine other sides of the ‘problem’ story they are presenting.
• Clients are doing their best to make change happen.
• Clients want to change, can change, and will change.

As such, the counsellors do not provide advice or solutions to the client but work towards helping clients to step out of a problem-focused mindset and become more solution-focused, drawing upon their strengths and capabilities.

Solution-focused therapists do not think of themselves as an expert or an educator but rather a guide. They usually adopt a ‘not-knowing’ stance, and their primary job is to help their client to recognise their own competencies and strengths rather than focusing on their weaknesses or problems. This means that the client is seen as the expert in their own life, particularly regarding what they want from life and counselling (Corey, 2017).

When working from a solution-focused approach, it is important to remember that:

• The client is the expert.
• Solution-focused therapy is future-oriented and focuses on the construction of solutions. Solution-focused therapists restrict any theorising about the ‘cause’ of issues.
• The client is considered to have the resources and competencies to enact change – some clients need extra assistance to recognise them. Solution-focused therapists demonstrate curiosity about the client’s abilities and supportively challenge any defeatist or self-destructive talk.
• The role of the counsellor is to strategically use solution-focused techniques to help the client identify and work towards their preferred future. Solution-focused therapists encourage the client to keep doing more of what is working and to change what isn’t.
• Goals should be attainable and time-specific. It is beneficial for goals to be balanced between stretching the client enough to encourage them but not too much that they are discouraged from trying.
• Change can occur in a brief period. Solution-focused therapists provide clients with positive feedback about their strengths and the changes they have made.

Of course, just like in most other counselling approaches, the client must participate actively in solution-focused therapy for it to be effective. Solution-focused conversations largely surround the client’s reflection on their preferred future and responses to questions – the client is, after all, the ‘expert’ throughout the counselling process.

Check your understanding of the content so far!

This section of the module explored the theoretical underpinnings and key techniques of solution-focused therapy. It is important for any counsellor who intends to use solution-focused techniques to understand these concepts because theoretical understanding is vital for the effective practice of solution-focused therapy. You will learn more about how counsellors implement solution-focused therapy in the next section of this module.

1. Corcoran, J. (2005). Building strengths and skills: A collaborative approach to working with clients. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
2. Corey, G. (2017). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.
3. Gehart, D. R. (2018). Mastering competencies in family therapy: A practical approach to theories and clinical case documentation (3rd ed.). Cengage.
4. Geldard, D., Geldard, K., & Yin Foo, R. (2022). Solution-focused counselling skills. In Basic personal counselling: A training manual for counsellors (9th ed.). Cengage.
5. Grant, A. M., O’Connor, S. A., & Studholme, I. (2021). Solution-focused coaching. In Passmore, J., Excellence in coaching: The industry guide (4th ed.) Kogan Page Limited.
6. McLeod, J. (2019). An introduction to counselling and psychotherapy: Theory, research and practice (6th ed.). McGraw Hill.
7. McLeod, J., & McLeod, J. (2022). Counselling skills: Theory, research and practice (3rd ed.). McGraw Hill.
8. O’Connell, B. (2012). Solution-focused therapy (3rd ed.). London, UK: Sage.
9. O’Connell, B., Palmer, S. & Williams, H. (2012). Solution-focused coaching in practice. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Group
10. Passmore, J. (2021). Solution-focused coaching. In The coaches’ handbook: The complete practitioner guide for professional coaches (pp. 197-207). Routledge.
11. Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center. (n.d.). Solution-focused interviewing skills & questions. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from http://www.pacwrc.pitt.edu/Curriculum/301EngggClntsFrmAnSBSFPrspctv/Hndts/HO_9_Solution_focused_skills_and_questions.pdf
12. Pichot, T., & Dolan, Y. M. (2013). Solution-focused brief therapy: Its effective use in agency settings. New York, NY: Routledge.
13. Ratner, H. George, E., & Iveson, C. (2012). Solution focused brief therapy: 100 key points & techniques. East Sussex, UK: Routledge.
14. Warner, R. E. (2013). Solution-focused interviewing: Applying positive psychology: A manual for practitioners. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press.