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Solution Focused Brief Therapy

What is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)?

Therapy is often thought of as a long and difficult process, requiring deep introspection and an intense focus on past trauma or current struggles. Maybe you've had therapy before where you examined childhood relationships and how they shaped your present difficulties. Or perhaps you worked through negative thinking patterns and their impact on your emotions. Either way, you may have come to believe that you were the problem—that your thoughts, relationships, and emotions all needed fixing. Therapy, it seemed, had to be hard work that took years to yield results.

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But what if it didn’t have to be that way?​​

black and white photo of insoo kim berg and steve de shazer, originators of SFBT

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a powerful, goal-oriented approach that helps you tap into what already works—because you've overcome challenges before. Rather than dwelling on past pain, SFBT shifts the focus to your strengths, successes, and resilience so you can apply them to your current difficulties.

 

​The Origins of SFBT

SFBT was developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg, two therapists who met while training at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto. Their approach was built on a few core beliefs:

  • Therapy doesn’t have to take a long time to be effective.

  • Miracles can happen, but only if you believe in them and take steps toward them.

  • Adversity can create determination, leading you toward the outcomes you desire.

  • Therapists should help clients rediscover their resilience and strengths.

  • Focusing on strengths and past successes is more useful than dwelling on failures or shortcomings.

  • The goal is not to minimize struggles but to explore how you’ve overcome them before.

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Reframing Adversity

Everyone faces challenges—trauma, grief, discrimination, loss, relationship struggles, anxiety, depression—but you’ve made it through every single one so far. SFBT doesn’t ignore the pain you’ve experienced, but instead, it celebrates your ability to endure and overcome.

During tough times, it’s easy to forget how resourceful and powerful you really are. You may feel lost, overwhelmed, or stuck in self-doubt. You may tell yourself that things will never improve, or that you don’t have what it takes to change your circumstances.

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But what if you do?

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SFBT helps reconnect you with your inner strength by focusing on your past successes and victories—even the small ones—so you can use those same skills to create positive change now.

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Is SFBT Right for You?

Do you struggle with self-doubt or hopelessness? Do you feel stuck in patterns of negative thinking? Are you tired of rehashing everything that’s wrong in your life without finding solutions?

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If so, SFBT could be exactly what you need—a fresh, empowering perspective that focuses on possibility rather than problems.

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Instead of dissecting past failures or painful memories, SFBT shifts attention to your future and the goals you want to achieve. By identifying your strengths and past successes, you can regain confidence in your ability to handle life’s challenges.

What SFBT Looks Like in Practice

During sessions, I ask questions like:

  • What are your best hopes for our work together?

  • What have you already done that has helped, even in small ways?

  • When is the problem less overwhelming, and what’s different in those moments?

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These questions encourage solution-oriented thinking rather than reinforcing the idea that you’re stuck or broken. Clients often find this approach refreshing and uplifting, because instead of uncovering more problems, they’re discovering their own strength and resilience.

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Remembering Your Strength

One key aspect of SFBT is identifying when your problem isn’t as overwhelming. Even if it feels like an issue always dominates your life, there are moments when it's less intense—what’s different in those moments? What thoughts, actions, or circumstances help?

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This shift in focus can be especially powerful if you’re struggling with anxiety or depression. When your mood is low, it’s easy to forget how capable and resilient you truly are. SFBT brings that awareness back so you can use it to move forward.

two white women talking to each other in work setting

Replacing Negative Thinking with Strength-Based Awareness

You may already be aware of negative thought patterns that don’t serve you. But rather than simply catching yourself in these unhelpful habits, SFBT takes it a step further:

  • When have you resisted those thoughts before?

  • What was different in those moments?

  • How did you overcome them?

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By identifying times when you didn’t fall into old habits, we can uncover strategies that already work for you—allowing you to use them more intentionally.

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Healing Through Strength, Not Just Pain

If you’ve endured trauma, loss, or emotional hardship, it’s natural to feel broken or damaged. You may struggle with grief, anxiety, depression, or anger that seems impossible to shake.

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But you are stronger than you think.

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SFBT doesn’t ignore your pain—but it shines a light on your resilience. It reminds you that you have survived, adapted, and found ways to keep going—and that you can continue to do so.

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If you’re ready to feel empowered and resourceful, SFBT can help you move forward with confidence. You don’t have to stay stuck in painful patterns—you can tap into your strengths, solutions, and successes to create real, lasting change.

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Let’s work together to rediscover your resilience. Call me or click the button below to get started today!

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