Solution-Focused Therapy
Less time on how the problem began, more on what you want instead.
Most therapy spends real time on how a difficulty came about. Solution-focused work takes a different bet: that understanding the origin of a problem and knowing how to move past it are separate tasks, and the second one can sometimes be done directly.
The questions it asks
Rather than mapping the problem in detail, a solution-focused session is likely to ask what things would look like if it were resolved — concretely enough that you would notice. What would be different on the first morning? What would someone close to you see?
Then it looks for the exceptions. Almost no problem is constant. There are days, hours or situations when it has less grip, and those moments tend to contain information about what already helps.
Scaling questions do a lot of the work: if ten is where you want to be, where are you today, and what would a half-step up look like? The half-step is usually the point.
What to expect
Sessions are purposeful and tend to end with something specific to notice or try. The approach assumes you already have strengths and resources that the problem has been obscuring, and treats your own account of what helps as the most useful evidence available.
Where it is useful
Solution-focused work suits a defined goal, a stuck decision, or a period of transition. It is often a good fit for people who want to feel momentum quickly, and for anyone wary of a long open-ended process.
Laura integrates it with EFT, MBCT and DBT, moving between them to suit your goals rather than committing to one from the outset.
Who you would work with
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MSW, RSW
Common questions
Does this mean we skip the hard things?
No. Difficult material comes up and is taken seriously. The difference is that the session does not stay there by default — the question becomes what you want to be different, and what is already pointing that way.
How brief is brief?
Often a handful of sessions, sometimes fewer, sometimes more. It suits a clear goal more than an open-ended exploration, and your therapist will be straightforward if a different approach would serve you better.
What if nothing is working?
That is a common and understandable starting point. The questions then get smaller and more specific — a day that was slightly less bad, an hour you got through. There is almost always something, and it is usually more informative than it looks.
Ready when you are.
Send us a message and we will get back to you. If you would rather talk first, a free 15-minute consultation is always an option.
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