Solution-focused Therapy Research Articles

Ericksonian Hypnotherapy Resemblances in Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) facilitates movement of problems toward solutions, requiring a delicate process of attentive observational skills and use of language; qualities that may be similar to Ericksonian hypnotherapy. In this deep examination, we utilized discourse analysis (Gee in How to do discourse analysis toolkit, Routledge, New York, 2011) to explore the influences of Ericksonian hypnotherapy in two commercially available videos of SFBT sessions facilitated by Insoo Kim Berg. We noted both SFBT features and Ericksonian features in these sessions, commonalities between the approaches were identified, and Ericksonian resemblances in SFBT were distinguished. Our deep examination suggests that Berg worked in recursive clusters with a figured world that attends to strength and resilience; Berg was fully attentive and observational throughout, intentional in her use of language, utilized bridging and building, and attended to exceptions. These features are common in Ericksonian hypnotherapy and appear significant in a relational style of training beginning therapists to effectively utilize the SFBT approach.

Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Therapy in Mental Health and Hopefulness Among Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

Background and Objective: Psychological factors possibly play a role in the process of cardiovascular disease and interact with biological agents to affect cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of solution-focused therapy in mental health and hopefulness among patients with cardiovascular diseases. Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design, follow-up, and control group. The statistical population of this study included all cardiovascular patients referring to Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Isfahan, Iran, within January to March 2018 with a history of heart attack or open-heart surgery in the last month. In this study, 30 patients with cardiovascular diseases willing to participate in the study were selected through convenience sampling. The patients met the study inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The data were collected by Snyderchr('39')s Hopefulness Scale and public health questionnaire and analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance in SPSS software (version 22). Results: The results of the present study indicated that the results of ANOVA was significant for within-group factor (i.e., time) and only for physical symptom variables among between-group factors. These results indicated that without considering the group influence, only the time effect was significant. However, the interaction between group and time was also significant (F=12.84; P<0.0001). Conclusion: Overall, the findings of this study showed that solution-focused therapy was effective in the mental health and hopefulness of patients with cardiovascular diseases and can be used in treatment centers to improve the status of patients with cardiovascular diseases

Interventions for fatigue in inflammatory bowel disease.

Interventions for fatigue in inflammatory bowel disease.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) with individuals with brain injury and their families.

Brain injury is considered a chronic condition and the medical model has long been the traditional paradigm underlying rehabilitation programs for people after acquired brain injury (ABI). In recent years, strengths-based approaches have been increasingly proposed, but little has been written about specific psychotherapeutic application in ABI rehabilitation. To describe a strengths-based model, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and its clinical application to individuals with ABI and their families. The author describes the assumptions, tenets, and principles of SFBT, a competency-based and resource-based model that orients to the future and focuses on strengths and successes. A direct comparison is made between the traditional medical paradigm and the solution-focused paradigm. Key ingredients of SFBT are described, including specific strategies, techniques, and its clinical application with individuals with ABI and their families. Limitations around using SFBT and the need for further research with ABI populations are reported. SFBT is a welcome shift away from the problem-saturated stories that underlie traditional rehabilitation approaches. The strengths-based underpinning of SFBT is a promising psychotherapeutic intervention that merits further investigation with ABI populations.

ÇÖZÜM ODAKLI SOSYAL HİZMET MÜDAHALESİNİN ÜNİVERSİTE ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN UMUTSUZLUK VE STRES DÜZEYLERİNE ETKİSİ - THE EFFECT OF SOLUTION FOCUSED SOCIAL WORK INTERVENTION ON COLLEGE STUDENTS’ HOPELESSNESS AND STRESS LEVELS

Objective: This research aims to investigate the effects of “Social Work Intervention Based on Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) on college students’ hopelessness and stress levels. Method: A total of 24 college students who applied Hacettepe University Beytepe Psychological Counseling Unit in the fall of 2015-2016 academic year were assigned to intervention and control groups. SFBT between 4-8 sessions were conducted with each student from intervention group during the intervention. A quasi-experimental research model based on pretest-posttest with comparison group has been chosen for the study. Mann Whitney U test was utilized to analyze results. Results: For the Hopelessness Scale the difference among scores for the Motivation Loss Subscale was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Similarly, the difference among the total Hopelessness Scale score and the two other Hopelessness Subscale scores (Expectations and Feelings About Future and Hope Subscales) and for Perceived Stress Scale scores were statistically significant in favor of the intervention group (p < 0.001). Effect size of the intervention was found to be large for all the scales and for most of subscales. Conclusion: Results indicate that the social work intervention based on SFBT was statistically significant and effective on the college students.

Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Counseling to Reduce Online Aggression of Student

The problem of violence committed by adolescents is increasingly complex, one of which is the aggressive behavior of students. In fact, as the 4.0 industrial revolution emerged, the aggressive behavior of students grew, one of which was online aggression. One way counselors can do is to apply solution-focused brief counseling (SFBC) to reduce student online aggression behavior. This study aims to identify the effectiveness of SFBC to reduce student online aggression behavior. This study aims to identify the effectiveness of SFBC to reduce student aggression online behavior. The study design uses quasi-experimental with type nonequivalent control group design. The subjects of this study were students of vocational high school Muhammadiyah 1 Yogyakarta, which had very high online aggression behavior. The data collection tool used to measure online aggression behavior is the scale of online aggression behavior. The data analysis technique used in this study was the independent t-test. The results of this study indicate that online aggression behavior can decrease significantly after being given an SFBC intervention. Students are able to develop a solution that can minimize the desire of students to behave in online aggression.

‘Kids’ Skills’ and ‘Mission Possible’ Innovations: Solution‐Focused Brief Therapy Models for Working with Children and Adolescents Revised and Expanded

This article explores the ‘Kids’ Skills’ and ‘Mission Possible’ models of solution‐focused brief therapy (SFBT) with children and adolescents. Both models are presented, compared, revised, and expanded with further ideas and therapeutic tools in three crucial areas: 1. Future direction, 2. Resources, and 3. Initiation of change (action). Future direction is expanded by preferred future, skill(s), and goal(s). Resources is expanded by ‘small talk,’ progress and confidence scales, exceptions, metaphors, and engagement of supporters. Initiation of change (action) goes beyond practicing the skill to experiments or steps towards the goal. This gives more flexibility to therapists using SFBT with their clients. All this is illustrated with case examples.

Solution Focused Brief Therapy Training

Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a therapy model that has been practiced since the 1980s. Unlike traditional therapy models, it focuses on solutions instead of problems. The basis of the application of SFBT is the solution-focused questions that have been developed for many years by the method of tacit presence. With the growing interest in SFBT in recent years, specific trainings in this area have begun to be provided. Though there are SFBT Association standards regarding the content of SFBT training, it usually takes two days training in Turkey. In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the SFBT training by investing view of counselors and counselor candidates, who participated in a SFBT training. To do this, 76 participants were asked about the educational evaluation of the Northwest Brief Therapy Training Center via the Google form, and 50 people completed to answer these questions. This study is researched by the qualitative research design, and it is preferred to collect data by open-ended questionnaire using case study method. Results are displayed on Google form and coded in response to given responses. In conclusion, for most participants, practicing in counseling under supervision is the reason to attend the training, counseling practice activities that they are most satisfied with, and they thought more counseling practice activities could be in training. It has been observed that the SFBT training has had a positive impact on some of the participants' professional and personal opinions about themselves and encourages participants to improve themselves in their fields. Lastly, participants stated that they would like to have a longer duration of SFBT training.

Depression Outcome Expectancy in Primary Care in Singapore: Symptom Severity as a Mediating Determinant.

Background:Depression has been identified as the most common mental illness in Singapore. To address this growing concern, the current study focused on the population within the primary care setting since depression has been demonstrated to be highly prevalent in these patients. This study examined the possible predictors of outcome expectancy based on illness perception and depression severity.Methods:One hundred and one adult patients with depressive symptoms in primary care were recruited for a cross-sectional study. Positive outcome expectancy was measured using the Depression Change Expectancy Scale, and illness perception was measured using the Illness Perception Questionnaire Mental Health. Depression severity was derived from the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores extracted from the participants’ medical records. Regression and mediation analyses were applied to explore possible predictors of positive outcome expectancy.Results:Regression analysis demonstrated that symptom severity, and specific dimensions under illness perception (i.e., perception of chronicity, perception of personal control, and perception of treatment control) were the most significant predictors of positive outcome expectancy. Mediation analysis found that symptom severity partially mediated the relationship between perception of chronicity and positive outcome expectancy.Conclusions:Pharmacotherapy, interventions from allied health professionals, and psychotherapeutic interventions (e.g., strategies from positive psychology, solution-focused therapy, and strengths-based cognitive behavioral therapy) that aim to directly alleviate depressive symptoms as well as improve the perceptions of chronicity, personal control, and treatment control could potentially enhance treatment benefits in primary care patients with depression.

독거노인의 해결중심접근의 상담 경험에 대한 질적 연구

독거노인의 해결중심접근의 상담 경험에 대한 질적 연구

Service provision for depressed children and youth: a survey of the scope and nature of services in Ontario

BackgroundThe worldwide prevalence of depressive disorders among children and youth has been reported in ranges from just under 3% to over 10%. In Canada, 7% of youth report past year depression, which is higher than any other age demographic. Yet, many of these youth do not receive evidence based interventions, increasing their risk for serious lifetime consequences. To better understand low service use, it is crucial to map and evaluate current services. This study aimed to determine the scope and nature of services available to depressed children and youth, and compare services to best evidence treatment guidelines.MethodsSeveral government and non-government resources were utilized to develop a new multi-sectoral database of depression services for children and youth across Ontario. An online survey was sent to program managers serving children/youth with depression, examining agency characteristics, populations served, services provided, patterns of service use, evaluation activities, and research priorities.Results413 agencies with 869 program managers participated, representing mental health, addictions and other sectors. Age groups served included children up to 12 years of age (31%), adolescents aged 13–17 (70%) and transition aged youth (18–25 years) (81%). Over half of respondents worked in the mental health (43.4%) or mental health and addiction (24.4%) sectors. The most frequently provided services were assessment, psychotherapy, case management, and psychoeducation; the most common types of psychotherapy provided included cognitive behavioral therapy, social skills training, and solution-focused therapy. Psychotherapies are offered in widely varying formats, frequencies and durations. Discontinuation rates varied, with higher discontinuation among transition aged youth as compared to children. Respondents identified effective treatment, improving access, and reducing service gaps as top future research priorities.ConclusionsThis study provides important new data on service provision and uptake for depressed children and youth. Comparing these results with best-evidence practice guidelines raises significant concerns about the services most commonly offered and their delivery formats. In addition, high early discontinuation rates raise questions about the service experiences of children, youth and their families. Other factors which may contribute to ongoing treatment engagement challenges include access barriers, service or client characteristics, and unintentional treatment impacts.

The Effectiveness of Solution Focused Brief Counseling (SFBC) Based on Creative Art to Reduce Students Social Aggressive Behaviour

Penelitian ini bertujuan menyelidiki efektivitas SFBC untuk mengurangi perilaku sosial agresif pada siswa kelas XII di SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Prambanan. Penelitian ini adalah penelitian eksperimental dan menggunakan desain pra-eksperimental model pretest one group pretest. Subjek yang terlibat dalampenelitian ini adalah siswa kelas XII SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Prambanan. Dalam menentukan subjek, peneliti menggunakan desain nonprobability sampling dengan purposive sampling. Temuan ini menunjukan perbedaan yang signifikan antara tingkat agresif sosial siswa sebelum dan sesudah mereka diperlakukan dengan SFBC Berbasis Seni Kreatif.

A Case Study of Solution-Focused Brief Family Therapy

Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) was developed as a form of family therapy. Recently, these features have blurred. This case study explores how Insoo Kim Berg interacts with multiple family members in SFBT. The results indicate that she used a circular procedure to ensure that all the family members were involved in the process. The analysis demonstrates the importance of purposeful use of language and the influence of systems theory in SFBT. SFBT provides a useful framework that enables a family therapist to work together with families to help them make the changes they want with their own strengths and resources.

Exploring Exceptions and Discovering Solutions: A Case Presentation of Autism and the Family.

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to rise, there is a rapidly increasing need for treatment services among individuals diagnosed with ASD and families. Currently, the majority of the evidence-based treatments, such as Applied Behavior Analysis, overlook the notable systemic effects of ASD and maintain a problem-focused lens. There is a growing body of research calling for strength-based, relational interventions that build on existing resources to enhance coping, efficacy, and well-being among families affected by ASD. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a widely practiced clinical approach that is increasingly being used among clinicians to address the systemic effects of developmental disabilities in the family. However, particular modifications to specific interventions may better accommodate autism-associated deficits in executive functioning (e.g., goal development and impulsivity), perspective taking, or restricted interests when using an SFBT approach. This article offers recommendations for adapting a solution-focused approach by modifying commonly used SFBT interventions to address family-driven treatment goals using a collaborative stance with families of children with ASD. A case presentation is included to demonstrate SFBT as informed by the unique challenges and inherent resources of families affected by ASD that have been identified in the extant literature.

Solution Focused Therapy for Trauma Survivors: A Review of the Outcome Literature

Directly confronting and processing past trauma can be distressing for clients and may contribute to the high dropout rates among leading trauma treatments. Solution-focused therapy (SFT) primarily focuses on the present and future and has been proposed as a strengths-based alternative for treating trauma survivors. This review systematically evaluated the existing outcome literature for the effectiveness of SFT for trauma survivors. Multiple databases were searched using search terms to identify results for solution-focused therapy as a treatment for trauma survivors. Eligible studies included experimental, quasi-experimental, or pre-post designs that reported outcome measures following SFT-based treatment. A total of five studies met inclusion criteria and were evaluated and summarized. Four out of the five studies included data on within-subjects changes in the SFT treatment group, reporting statistically significant improvements on trauma symptoms, recovery, self-esteem, and parenting, with moderate to large effect sizes. Three studies compared SFT with treatment-as- usual (TAU) or no treatment and found mixed results. Compared to control groups, SFT showed statistically significant improvements with large effect sizes on post-traumatic growth and sleep issues, but effect sizes for trauma symptoms were small and not statistically significant or varied greatly between different reporters. The existing literature provides initial evidence of overall improvement for trauma survivors who received SFT, but the effectiveness of SFT at addressing trauma symptoms requires further investigation. More high quality, controlled studies are needed to evaluate SFT as a trauma treatment.

It Will Never Be the Same Again

This paper describes the Conversations Led by Clients (CoLeC) model as practiced at several Bulgarian and Russian helping institutions as a development of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). The model emphasizes therapeutic conversations as something that has to follow step by step from the clients’ enquiries. The questions include the mind-activating Question (MAQ): What do you think is the most useful question you can hear from me now? (or at our next session?); the time-oriented question: What do you think is most useful to talk about now: past, present or future?; the multiple-choice question: Which of these questions do you think is best for you right now? (from a list provided by the therapist); and the delayed-answers question: If client has no current answer, ask them to think about the question until the next session and propose self-questioning activities. CoLeC, being a step beyond some therapeutic models, is an initial effort to assist helping professionals find answers to this quite different question, “How should this client’s conversation with me be?” This makes it the beginning of a qualitatively new attitude to what we, as professionals, do. We hope that many, young and new to the profession, will not only join in, but also help further this way of thinking and doing as we see these types of conversations with clients, useful.

A Way of Being: Integration of Possible Selves Into Solution-Focused Therapy

A Way of Being: Integration of Possible Selves Into Solution-Focused Therapy

Effects of solution-focused brief therapy in clinical nurses

Objective To explore the effect of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) method on the psychological resilience of clinical nurses. Methods By convenience sampling, 80 nurses from internal medicine department in a ClassⅢ hospital in Shanghai who volunteered to participate in the research were enrolled in the study and divided into control group (n=40) and intervention group (n=40) according to random number table. Routine professional training was adopted in the control group. The SFBT techniques was adopted in the intervention group, group psychological training was carried out once a week for four weeks. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) , Chinese Version of the Social Problem-Solving Inventory (C-SPSI) , Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ) were used before the first intervention, the last intervention, and one month after intervention in the assessment. Results After intervention, the total scores of CD-RISC and each dimensions, C-SPSI and each dimensions, and coping tendency in SCSQ in the intervention group were higher than those in the control group with statistical significance (P<0.05) . The total scores of CD-RISC of nurses in the two groups were influenced by time and grouping, the interactive effect was significant (P<0.05) . The total scores of CD-RISC and dimensions of nurses in intervention group were higher than those before intervention, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) . Conclusions SFBT group psychological training for clinical nurses can significantly improve the level of psychological resilience of nurses, and has the same effect on nurses' problem-solving ability and positive coping and is worth popularizing. Key words: Nurses; Psychological resilience; Coping style; Solution-focused brief therapy; Problem-solving

A Microanalytic Case Study of the Utilization of ‘Solution-Focused Problem Talk’ in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Solution-focused therapy (SFBT) is a popular therapeutic approach among family therapists. However, disputes about SFBT still arise, especially on problems. This study examines the function of problem talk in SFBT by using a microanalytic case study method. As a result, three categories were found: Eliciting, clarifying, and acknowledging problems. The problem talks initiated by the SF therapist showed a pattern associated with the solution talk and served as preliminary steps to be connected to the following solution talks. The results indicate that solution building is constructed not only through solution talk, but also through ‘solution-focused problem talk.’

A Case Study of Solution-Focused Art Therapy on the Improvement of Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy of Immigrant Adolescents

A Case Study of Solution-Focused Art Therapy on the Improvement of Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy of Immigrant Adolescents