US schools use solution-focused therapy. What is solution-focused therapy? What’s the benefit of this kind of treatment?
Solution-Focused Therapy
But what are the issues of school kids that may require treatment or therapy?
Well, for one, it centers on finding an immediate solution to a problem, according to the therapy treatment manual. With that, issues of kids at school such as relationship problems are dealt with quickly using a focused approach, often referred to as SFBT (Solution Focused Brief Therapy).
Some schools employ one social worker, usually a licensed therapist, to assist with students’ mental health problems such as clients managing trauma.
In some institutions, there is one social worker per grade level. But in most cases, one professional will have to handle hundreds or near to a thousand students who seek therapy process all year long, as well as answers to the miracle question.
What are these issues that need handling and possibly Solution-Focused Therapy?
(Read this article for more knowledge on SFT.)
Some Issues That Solution-Focused Therapy Address Are The Following:
1. Child Behavioral Problems (ASD, ADHD, and the like)
2. Learning disabilities
3. Emotional issues
4. Academic problems
5. Drug or alcohol use
6. Poverty
7. Bullying
8. Teenage sex and pregnancy
Why Is SFT Useful For These Concerns?
There are techniques that qualified SF therapists can utilize based on the program and find solutions to these problems mentioned.
Who will find the answers, you ask? It’s not the SFBT therapist. The students will be the ones presenting problems and issues, processing them, and finding solutions or viable ways to solve them.
The SFT practitioners will facilitate the therapy session and use techniques (coping questions or future-focused questions) so that the students will look into themselves and their strengths to end the problem with an affirmative answer. This is the SFBT approach.
There are at least seven important techniques that a qualified counselor can use every time a child is in need of a SFT approach.
A focused brief therapy SFBT counselor should assist children to discern their strengths in finding answers through problem-solving activities.
SFBT is a goal-directed therapeutic intervention process, therapy evidence-based approach.
It is future-oriented and incorporates positive psychology principles and practices.
For example: How can children make things better from their end?
How can they improve this situation that they have now?
If there is a way to solve this problem and come up with positive things, what do they think it will be?
A Counselor Should Use Miracle Questions
For example: Let’s say by miracle, all troubles and concerns are gone instantly.
But then they woke up, and it was all a dream.
Something is different in them.
What do they think will be that different thing?
A solution-focused therapist should use scaling questions.
If they are in a hospital bed and experiencing pain, the doctor will ask them, on a scale of 1 to 10, how painful is their body right now. This approach is similar to solution focused brief therapy in the mental health field, where professionals assess the client’s situation to find immediate solutions. And then, of course, they’ll answer it with how they feel so that the doctor can treat them (based on the client’s life experiences and client’s situation). The concept of solution focused strategies, much like focused brief therapy, aims to address the issue promptly and efficiently.
In previous SFBT associations, it is somewhat the same.
For example, 10 is the goal of children which they must attain and solve the child’s behavioral problems. But of course, they have to pass through 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on, until they reach ten.
If they are still somewhere below ten, the mental health professionals will have to ask – How can they go from five to six? What actions must they take to do that?
A Solution-Focused Therapist should help set their objective to resolve the issue with goal-oriented questions.
For example: After this session, what do children think will happen? What do they want to happen? What must be done differently?
A counselor will have to suggest to the children that behavioral changes must happen soon, a person must act on it, and create a systematic qualitative review solution. This will ensure improved good behavior.
A Counselor Must Ask Exceptional Questions
A miracle question can start with: Give me a reason as to when this type of problem doesn’t occur. How was it different from the situation now? What made it better? What changed?
A solution-focused therapist should provide breaks and gives indirect compliments during SFT sessions.
It doesn’t have to be a long break – just three to five minutes will do. A family process therapy center counselor must commend children on their coping skills and ability, and compliment them on their persistence and sociability. This method, inspired by Steve de Shazer, the co-founder of therapy SFBT, often incorporates tools like the miracle question to help clients envision the changes they’d like to see.
A solution-focused treatment should end the therapy with solution-focused homework.
There are more than seven techniques used in this specific brief family therapy center treatment, but the detailed description of these controlled outcome studies and research measures mentioned are most active on young students.
In as short as three to five sessions, children will find the means to solve problems and surprisingly, a way for them to not repeat past life events.
Indeed, learning the effectiveness of SFT with key concepts in a school setting is helpful, especially if in constructive collaboration with other psychiatric treatment programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Main Concept Of The SFT Approach?
The main concept of the SFT approach, also known as focused brief therapy SFBT, is to emphasize solutions rather than problems, helping clients visualize and work towards desired outcomes. This approach was co-developed by Insoo Kim Berg, along with Steve de Shazer, emphasizing the importance of clients’ strengths and resources.
What Is The Difference Between CBT And SFT?
What Is An Example Of An SFT Approach?
How Do You Explain SFT To A Client?
Which Techniques Are Commonly Used In SFT Approaches?
How Is SFT Helpful?
How Many Sessions Does SFBT Have?
What Are The Types Of Questions That Are Used In The SFT Approach?
What is a criticism of SFT?