Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Solution focused brief therapy, sometimes shortened to SFBT, is a brief form of psychotherapy developed in the late 1970s and 1980s by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg that focuses on helping clients identify goals and practical solutions rather than analyzing problems. It focuses on addressing what clients want to achieve without exploring the history and origin of their problems, with sessions typically centered on the present and future, and the past addressed only to the degree necessary to communicate empathy and an accurate understanding of the client's concerns. As a future oriented and goal oriented interviewing technique, solution focused brief therapy helps clients build solutions through a collaborative process between client and therapist that develops a detailed description of the client's preferred future and identifies exceptions and past successes, focusing on the client's own strengths and resilience.