Developed in the late 1970s, Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) involves focusing on solution-building rather than problem-solving. It is future-focused, goal-directed and has been shown to be effective in a variety of settings.
Central to the SFT therapy session is helping the client to develop and achieve their own vision of solutions to their problems. A number of techniques are used to do this:
Instead of focusing on the past, SFT proposes that the best approach to solving problems is by exploring how a client would like their life to be in the future. This can also be achieved by focusing on what is already working for them.
Where a client sets goals for themselves, the therapist will try to break them down into smaller goals. SFT also encourages framing goals by a solution rather than the absence of a problem. For example, a goal such as “I want to be less stressed” might be framed in a solution-focused way as “I want to have more relaxation time”.
The use of the miracle question allows the therapist to encourage the client to envision a future which will be different because their problem will no longer be present. The client is asked to imagine that later that night, while they are sleeping, a miracle occurs in their life. This miracle magically and completely solves a problem that is happening in their life. The client is then asked to think for a moment and then describe for the therapist how their life is different when they wake up. What is the first thing they will notice when they wake up after the miracle has happened? This technique helps to switch the client’s focus from how difficult their life is because of the problem to what will happen after the problem is dealt with. By doing this, the client is focusing on the desired future instead of the undesired present.
