About Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) 

  The Solution Focused Brief  Therapy  approach is a  goal-

  directed,  future-oriented  competency-based  approach  that

  draws   its   origin   from  the   brilliant   psychiatrist,   Milton  

  Erickson as  well  as  the  team  from  the  Mental Research

  Institute  in Palo  Alto, California.  Erickson  was  known  for

  his  innovative  and  unconventional   approaches  to  helping  

  people. He  had no  theory of pathology  and was  interested

  in  what helped people to  change.  He believed in  the innate

  abilities  of  each person to draw  from their vast experiences

  of their own  life  to  bring  about  the  desired changes   they

  envisioned.  He  was known for  his hypnotic  techniques that

  helped people to access t heir resources and  competencies.

  It  was  further  developed  by Steve  de  Shazer,  Insoo  Kim  

  Berg and their colleagues at the Brief Family Therapy Center 

  in Milwaukee,   Wisconsin.  They   were  fascinated   by  what

  worked  in   the  therapy room  and   spent  more  than    25

  years   working   inductively   with   clients.   They  observed

  hundreds  of  hours of   therapy  sessions and  carefully paid

  attention to  the  questions,  behaviors  and   emotions   that

  helped clients form realistic,  achievable,  real life solutions. 

                     Steve de Shazer     Insoo Kim Berg

                       (1940 - 2005)          (1934 - 2007)

  The solution focused approach highlights the  client's skills, 

  strengths and  positive  qualities  and  helps them adopt an

  alternative perspective on their future. Using this approach to

  engage clients in a more realistic and optimistic perspective,

  one can help  them be  aware of their successes,  both past

  and present. Clients are  thus  better  able to  invisage  and

  enact their aspirations for the future.

   The basic tenets that guide and inform the practice of SFBT

   are: If it isn't broken, don't fix it; If it works, do more of it; and

   If it's not working, do something different.  The emphasis is

   on finding what works in a given  area  and  crafting   small,

   workable steps that the client is willing to do. 

   This  model  of  counseling  and  consultation began  in  the

   therapy  room  and  has  been  expanded to various settings,

   including   schools,   private  practices,   corporate  settings,  

   coaching,   rehabilitation   centres,   psychiatric    hospitals,

   residential  treatment centres,  and child protective agencies.

   It   has   also  been  used  successfully   with  a  variety   of  

   presenting  problems, including  clients  with alcohol  and/or

   substance  abuse,  survivors  of  sexual abuse  and  trauma,

   family conflict,interpersonal problems and psychiatric issues.

  This  model  of  therapy  has  been  expanded and used with

  success in education, coaching, the corporate setting and in

  consultancy. 

 The only way you can predict the future is if you invent it.

                                                               Steve de Shazer

  The Solution Focused Model is easy to learn but hard

   to do, not because it is complicated or difficult to learn,

   but because it requires a disciplined mind-set and skill

   to remain simple.                               Insoo Kim Berg