What is the role of solution-focused therapy in solving your mental health problems?

Solution-focused therapy is short-term psychotherapy. As the name suggests, it's a modality focused on helping you find solutions.

Generally, clients can be divided into two categories. Some are unaware of what's contributing to their problems and reach out to therapy to seek awareness. Meanwhile, others are well aware of their problems and need solutions.

In this case, solution-focused therapy comes into play and can be extremely useful. Sometimes, we reach a point where we feel that we have come to a standstill.

We may seek help from friends, family or colleagues, but at times that does not suffice. That's when we turn to therapy.

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What is solution focused therapy?

Therapy can be your safe space to explore potential solutions. (Image via Vecteezy/DC studio)

Solution-focused therapy is one of the most popular types of therapy. However, unlike other modalities, this therapy focuses your attention on the present and the future.

It helps to see how you can envision your life without these problems. If you have come across the term psychodynamic or psychoanalytical therapy, you would know that the primary focus is on resolving things from the past.

This therapy emphasizes collaboration. The therapist will not provide you with direct solutions. Rather, both of you will have to work together towards achieving your goals. That would also mean that you have to actively work on activities outside the session to reach solutions.

Additional emphasis will be placed on how you cope with personal and professional situations. The therapist will help you recognize your strengths and work around the problems.

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What are some common solution-focused therapy techniques?

What are some common tools that can be used with you? (Image via Vecteezy/Ime Kristalydia)

Even a single session can impact your mental health, as mental health professional uses various tools and techniques in the session.

The tools designed in therapy are used to elicit information and solutions from you. You might feel that you need to seek out a therapist if they don't tell you what to do directly.

The goal of therapy, though, is to empower you to reach your own solutions and make your decisions. Here are the most common techniques used in SFT:

#1 Miracle question

How will your life be when you wake up tomorrow and your problems disappear? This question is often posed to clients during the session. Of course, therapy is not going to magically remove your problems.

However, with this question, you are able to potentially think less about the problem and more about the things you can do to reach a solution.

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#2 Finding exceptions

Solution-focused therapy is for anyone oriented towards goals. (Image via Unsplash/Dylan Ferreira)

When we are stuck with a problem, we feel that our life is miserable, and there's nothing good about it.

These problems slow down our thinking process, and we are not able to look at situations different from these. That'ss where your therapist will ask you to find exceptions.

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#3 Scaling questions

On a scale of one to ten, where do you think you are stuck? If it's two, why do you think it's not a zero, and what do you need to go beyond two. Scaling questions help us assess the situation more objectively and not be stuck in the extremes.

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Solution-focused therapy is for those who want to opt for short-term psychotherapy.

It may not be applicable for those with traumatic experiences or other serious mental health issues, though. The only reason is that for these cases, you need more care and time to get to the roots.

Perhaps, understanding your past becomes important. If you are someone who doesn't meet this, feel free to opt for solution-focused therapy.

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Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.

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