Solution-focused Applied Psychology a Design Science Research Based Protocol (SoFAP-P)

Abstract

The solution-focused approach has for some time had a reputation for being unscientific, a judgment based in most cases on bias and not taking into account the many outcome studies. This article attempts to provide the solution-oriented method with an additional and innovative scientific justification using the methodology of Design Science Research, a widely applicable, qualitative methodology aimed at producing prescriptive knowledge for professionals. This has led to the construction of an arrangement of interventions, called SoFAP-P (a Solution-Focused Applied Psychology Protocol), which can serve as a guide for solution-focused practitioners who seek to structure or improve the interaction with their clients. Simultaneously, the construction of SoFAP-P allows it to be subjected to a process of validation through multiple rounds of evaluation by peers and case studies. The article explains in detail how this validation was set up and discusses how its positive results justify the practice of solution-focused psychology. Finally, it offers a number of recommendations to embed a solution-focused way of thinking and working even deeper into scientific discourse.