Solution focused brief therapy: principles, systems theory, and client change

Solution focused therapists operate on the logic that all problems have exceptions and by studying those exceptions and maintaining a definite vision of the ideal future, the therapist and patient can collaboratively come up with ideas to resolve problems. Their focus is the future, and competency. These therapists underscore and harness client strengths for facilitating a better future. The assumption underlying solution focused counseling is that solutions might be found within clients and their social networks. With postmodernism raising questions regarding the "universal truth" concept and the preeminence of the counselor's role, the counselor-client relationship started transforming, with the clients coming to be recognized as experts when it comes to their own lives. This gave rise to a more cooperative counseling approach, setting up a context wherein solution focused therapy could succeed (AIPC).

How It Is Based On Systems Theory Principles

The area of systems psychology applies complicated systems for investigating human experience and behavioral patterns. This combined therapeutic approach is founded on the methods put forward by Gregory Bateson, Margaret Mead, Roger Barker, Anatol Rapoport, Ludwig Bertalanffy, Kenneth Boulding, and William Ashby. According to solution focused brief therapy (SFBT), groups and individuals pursue homeostasis. It may be regarded as a systems-based therapeutic approach as it aims at proper overall functioning by concentrating on the elements that make it possible. Systems therapy may be employed in case of couples, families, organizations, or entire communities. The method is dependent on identification of particular behavioral patterns and the way individual members react to anxiety in the dynamic. This way, individual participants start comprehending and changing their respective patterns into more fruitful and adaptive behaviors (Goodtherapy, 2015).

How Change Occurs in The Model

Concentrating on solutions and fortes can lead to an increase in positive emotions, thus impacting clients' capacity of discovering novel ways to solve emerging issues. Positive emotions prove central to change under SFBT, and constitute a key client change resource. The theory of positive emotions asserts that this state does not merely mean that negative emotions such as anger, misery, despair or frustration are absent, or that clients experience a good feeling; rather, the point is that they can have clinical therapeutic value (Fitzpatrick & Stalikas, 2008).

Awareness of the fact that one can effectively change one's current mental health circumstance forms a crucial aspect of SFBT processes facilitating client change. According to the broaden-and-build model, positive emotions prompt further collections of thought action, which are adaptable, wide-ranging, and open to novel actions and thoughts, while negative emotions produce inflexible, limited and less open thought-action collections. This model's broadening facet suggests that, following the experience of positive emotions by an individual, he/she will be more amenable and responsive. The positive emotions aid in developing durable resources which may be utilized in the future. While positive emotions might be short-lived, their positive impacts on a person's functioning ability are lasting (Garland, et al., 2010). The experiencing and accumulation of positive emotions lead to increased personal resources in clients, assisting them in growing into more innovative, well-informed, and stronger persons (Kim & Franklin, 2015).

The Role of the Therapist

The role of the psychotherapist deals with: giving precedence to the client over their problem, seeking resources and not deficits, helping determine preferred futures or future goals, identifying and taking advantage of current resources and fortes, and identifying and applying any exceptions to norms. While a therapist might examine client issues in detail for identifying repetitive cycles and patterns, their chief emphasis is ascertaining exceptions, solutions, and any 'difference' capable of making a difference. Therapeutic processes involve developing rapport with clients, studying and understanding problem patterns, setting up goals, seeking solutions and examining strengths, stressing positive problem-handling and prediction, and readying the patient to tackle relapse of problematic conditions (Cook, 2015).

Legal and Ethical Considerations Unique to The Model

An important challenge of SFBT is maintaining client confidentiality. The ACA (American Counseling Association) claims that at therapy initiation and during the course of the therapy, until completion, therapists inform their clients of confidentiality limitations and endeavor to recognize foreseeable scenarios wherein they have to sacrifice client confidentiality. Psychotherapists who take care of spousal issues should be frank in delineating their expectations with regard to how confidentiality will be maintained between them in the upcoming meetings, in case the couple is also required to visit the therapist for individual therapeutic sessions. Couples must have complete knowledge of disclosure limitations right from the start of therapy, by means of written and verbal communication.

Ideal Patient Population and Ways the Selected Model Is a Good Fit

An SFB therapist will be more interested in finding solutions to an issue than in ascertaining the source of the issue. Thus, SFBT has wide application. This therapeutic approach may be brief, on account of its attention to what solution works and to action as one among the key change factors. Hence, therapists can conveniently integrate the approach into 21st-century clients' normally fast-paced lives. SFB therapists have succeeded in addressing a broad range of client issues, which include substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, relationship collapse, relationship problems, anger management, crisis intervention, and communication problems, among others. Additionally, solution-focused therapeutic methods have worked well with diverse client populations, including kids, couples, mandated clients, and families.

A 9-step emotionally-focused therapeutic model was designed to work with abusive male spouses, requiring the aggressive client to be wholly accountable for the abuse, and put an end to it. It works for many diverse populations, and is deemed ideal in case of marginalized groups as it concentrates on the relationship between the client's issues and the wider sociopolitical context. Collaborative therapy's local discussion focus ensures the cultural beliefs and ideals of the client play a central role in therapy.

Application to a Movie

SFBT offers couples a chance to concentrate on the current problem in their relationship and start endeavoring immediately towards bettering their situation. The approach revolves around developing solutions, rather than problem-solving. Couples such as Betty and Paul will be provided assistance in the area of realizing personal strengths. Simultaneously, problem-specific, useful interventions will be formulated. Betty and Paul have a strained relationship owing to distance -- even after Paul comes back, the two find it hard to get along. Their socioeconomic circumstances form an additional key barrier to a close marital bond.

In Paul's new family, all members are only just getting accustomed to a new member and a certain amount of anxiety surfaces, particularly in Alberto.

Therapists need to examine both spouses' personalities and what led to disagreements in their earlier-complimentary attitudes. Numerous possibilities can be explored for aiding the couple in reconnecting to their former attractions and attempting to understand each other better. Change theory will focus on their acceptance of the success of their relationship, in the past.

Assessment Strategies Related to The Model

As opposed to a majority of medical assessment theories that deem professionals to be in possession of expert diagnostic know-how and patients to be the "objects" to be assessed, SFBT believes clients are ideal assessors who can continuously self-assess the issue, and determine viable resolutions to the issue, what desirable future they seek, treatment goals, personal resources and fortes, beneficial aspects to be considered in the change process, speed with which they wish to effect change, and personal motivation or commitment to accomplishing the change.

Treatment Plan Based On the Model

While action may be taken to shape one's current and future situation, the past cannot be changed. According to SFBT, issues are a matter of the past, whereas resolutions may be found for now, and the time to come. This will form the basis for the clients' treatment plan.

Clients Assume the Assessors' Role and Delineate Goals

Under SFBT, goals are perceived to be formulated by clients themselves, collaboratively with therapists during therapy sessions. According to SFBT, solutions aren't objective "realities." Nobody knows a client's life experiences better than him/her and, hence, he/she must play a central role in personal change. As clients will typically be ready to strive harder towards self-defined, personally-meaningful therapeutic goals, this must constitute a major treatment plan. Hence, a distinct SFBT characteristic is: the client in the assessor's role.

Collaborative Counselor-Client Relationship

Viewing clients as assessors and counselors as experts in guiding change-related discussions communication marks a fundamental shift in the client-counselor relationship. The relationship loses its hierarchal character and becomes collaborative, instead. Clients are no longer only offering "data" that professionals may utilize to diagnose and treat their problem. In this case, such a client-counselor relationship will be forged.

Utilization

Using client symptoms aids in resolving their issues. SFBT strongly believes that clients possess the resources and strengths for resolving their issues, and the chief goal of therapy is discovering and activating client resources.

Domino Effect: Beginning with a Little Change

SFBT fully accepts that change starts with a single tiny step. Concentrating on this initial step has numerous advantages: (1) A minor change will be more workable, achievable, and manageable as compared to large changes; (2) Tiny steps offer improvement indicators; (3) Individuals will be typically more committed and motivated upon experiencing success; and (4) Little successes offer feedback for further success in the change process. Change needs a look at the "big" picture as well as a realistic plan to take the initial step (Lee, 2013).