Diabetes Education and Counseling Using Solution-Oriented Questions

Abstract

Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) utilizes the client’s strengths and resources to the fullest to achieve what the client wants, rather than looking at the client’s problem pathologically and digging deeper into analysis. Therefore, in this article, we would like to introduce a SFBT that can be usefully applied to the education and counseling of diabetic patients in the clinical field. Pre-session change questions, rewarding questions, miracle questions, exception-finding questions, scaling questions, relationship questions, and coping questions used in SFBT consist of the questions that allow the client to answer positively. In this process, a medical social worker pays full attention to remarks that suggest clues to the client’s potential for change, the change the client wants, past experiences that have been successful, and what has already been attempted to make the situation better. Also, when setting goals, it’s important to target positive behaviors rather than eliminate the problem and what’s important to the patient and small, specific, clear, and actionable things. SFBT no longer focuses on or talks about the client’s problem. The client has the resources and strengths to solve the problem. Rather than exploring the cause of the problem, it is important to find a clue to the solution and connect it to actual action, so you can use the solution question techniques to get the client to practice using their strengths. In the treatment field, we recommend that the client remember and ask a few questions with the belief that they can solve them on their own.