A Different Kind of Question
What Is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy?
Not every problem needs months of delving into the past to solve. Sometimes what you need is a clear, practical space to figure out what's not working, and to start moving, quickly toward what does.
That's the idea behind Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, or SFBT: a therapeutic approach that focuses less on why a problem exists, and more on what life looks like once it's resolved.
A different starting point
Much of my work as a psychotherapist involves looking backward, understanding the early experiences and relational patterns that quietly shape how someone feels and behaves today. That kind of depth work matters, particularly for trauma, entrenched self-criticism, or relationship patterns that keep repeating.
But not everyone who comes to therapy needs, or wants, that kind of unpacking.. Sometimes you're facing something specific, a decision you can't make, a difficult work situation, a period of change you need to navigate and what would actually help is a structured space to think clearly and move forward, without spending weeks unpacking where the difficulty came from.
That's where solution-focused work comes in.
How it works
SFBT was developed in the 1980s on the principle that even when we feel stuck, there are already moments when a problem is less severe, or when we're coping better than we give ourselves credit for. Rather than analysing the problem itself, we look for those moments and build on them.
A few of the questions that might be used in this kind of work:
"Suppose you went to sleep tonight, and while you were asleep, the problem was solved. How would you know? What would be different when you woke up?"
This is often called the "miracle question," and it's less whimsical than it sounds, it's a way of getting very concrete, very quickly, about what change would actually look like for you, rather than staying stuck describing the problem.
"On a scale of one to ten, where are you today and what would it take to move up just one point?"
Small, specific, achievable steps tend to build momentum faster than big, vague intentions.
"Tell me about a recent time when this was a little easier. What was different about that day?"
Often, we're already doing more right than we realise. This kind of question brings that into focus.
Is it right for you?
Solution-focused work tends to suit people who:
Have a specific issue or decision they want to work through, rather than a broad sense of "things feeling off"
Want a time-limited, practical process often just a handful of sessions,
Are you looking for traction and forward movement more than deep exploration.
Are you already fairly resourced and simply need space, structure, and an outside perspective.
It's generally a less natural fit for complex or long-standing difficulties, early trauma, deeply rooted relational patterns, or a sense of disconnection from yourself that's been building for years. Those experiences usually benefit from a slower, more exploratory kind of therapy, where there's room to understand not just what is happening now, but why, which is where longer-term, psychodynamic and body-based work tends to be more effective.
The two aren't in competition
I offer both approaches, and part of an initial consultation is simply working out, together, which one fits what you're bringing. Sometimes that's obvious from the start. Sometimes solution-focused work is the right place to begin, and something deeper reveals itself a few sessions in and that's fine too. The point isn't to fit you into a method; it's to find the space that actually helps.
"We are what we repeatedly do." — Aristotle
If you're curious whether solution-focused therapy might suit what you're facing right now, get in touch to arrange a free initial consultation.