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Sep 02

Be Brief but Beneficial

By Jay Slupesky
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Psychology 101


East Brother Light Station

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is a mode of psychotherapy that was developed in the 1980s. In a way, it turns traditional therapy upside down, because the therapist prefers to talk about solutions instead of talking about problems. In fact, in a strict solution-focused model, the problem is discussed in the first therapy session, but is never again brought up. From the second session onward, all conversations are about possible solutions. The therapist’s job is to help the client come up with possible solutions and then try them out.

Three maxims that guide the solution-focused process are:

  1. if it isn’t broken, don’t try to fix it.
  2. If it’s not working, try something (anything!) else.
  3. If it is working, do more of it!

I think maxim #2 can be applied to many troubled relationships. Many couples continue to repeat patterns of interaction that cause the same undesirable outcomes every time. In cases like this, it’s time to start trying out some new possible solutions.

By the way, insurance companies love Solution-Focused Brief Therapy because it is brief, and as a result, doesn’t cost them as much money as other types of therapy do.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 8:58 am and is filed under Psychology 101.

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