Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a form of psychotherapy created by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg in the 1980s.  The approach concentrates on finding solutions to a person's immediate concerns rather than focus on fixing someone's problems.  The approach is collaborative and goal-directed.  The therapist often askes specific questions designed to help a person identify future hopes and dreams. This approach uses a strength-based approach, rather than a traditional "problem-solving" approach.  

Because SFBT takes a very different approach than other types of psychotherapy, it is often used as a stand-alone therapy, however, many of the techniques and questions used in SFBT can be included in other types of therapies.  SFBT is used to treat people of all ages and all types of conditions, including individual, couple and family counselling. SFBT is not considered a "cure" for mental health issues, but rather a way of coping with them and improving the quality of life.  People who use SFBT often combine it with medication.