What is solution-focused therapy and how does it work? Learn about exception and scaling questions, the logic of brief therapy, who it suits and its limits.
When you start describing a problem, you are usually met with questions like these: When did it start, why does it happen, who is to blame? These questions have their place; but sometimes you notice that, even though you understand the origins of the problem very well, you cannot move an inch. At this point solution-focused therapy asks a different question: "When the problem is a little less present, what is different in your life?" In this article we explain where this brief therapy approach, which looks at solutions rather than problems, comes from, its core assumptions, its best-known questions, how the process unfolds, and in which situations it is suitable and in which it may fall short. If you are looking for brief, targeted support, we hope to help you see more clearly what this approach can offer you.
What Is Solution-Focused Therapy?
Solution-focused therapy is a brief therapy approach developed in the 1980s at the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee, in the United States, by Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg and their team. While watching recordings of sessions, the team noticed something interesting: however much detail clients went into about their problems, change often came not from analysing the problem but from noticing the strengths the person already had and the small steps that were already working.
Building on this observation, the approach shifts the weight of conversation in therapy from the problem to the solution. The therapist is less interested in the question "Why do you have this problem?" than in "What will happen when the problem is solved, and where can small signs of that already be seen?"
The approach grew out of the family therapy tradition; today it is also used in individual therapy, couple and family work, school counselling, workplace coaching and social work. The word "brief" in its name does not mean that the number of sessions is fixed in advance; the aim is for therapy not to last longer than necessary, and to end at the point where the person can carry on with their own resources.
The Core Assumptions of Solution-Focused Therapy
Before the techniques of this approach, it is important to know the assumptions it rests on, because the questions draw their power from this outlook:
- Change is constant. No problem is experienced at the same intensity all the time. Alongside bad days there are better days, and alongside difficult moments there are easier ones.
- The person is the expert on their own life. The therapist is not the one who knows what should be done, but the one who makes visible what the client already knows.
- If it works, do more of it. If there is a behaviour that has even a small positive effect, repeating it is easier than inventing a new method.
- If it doesn't work, do something different. Trying the same thing harder produces the same result.
- A small change can be the start of a big change. A small shift in one area of life can spread to other areas.
- A solution does not always require knowing the cause of the problem. To open a door you do not need to know how the lock broke; finding a key that opens it may be enough.
In the solution-focused view, the most important information is hidden in the moments when the problem is absent or less present.
The Power of Solution-Focused Questions
The most distinctive aspect of this approach is its skilful use of particular types of question.
The "one morning when you wake up" question
The approach's best-known question goes like this: "Suppose that tonight, while you are asleep, the problem that brought you here disappears, but you don't know it has happened... When you wake up tomorrow morning, what is the first thing that would tell you it had?" This question turns the goal, which a person usually describes as "the problem not being there", into concrete, observable behaviours. The answer "I'd be happier" is opened up with further questions from the therapist: "How would your partner know you were happy? What would be different at breakfast?"
Many people first answer this question with "I don't know." That is natural, because someone who has been living inside a problem for a long time has had little chance to think about what a problem-free day would look like. The therapist does not rush; they break the question into small pieces and make room for the person to gradually describe the future they want.
Exception questions
"Has there been a time when the problem didn't happen, or happened a little less?" Imagine a student preparing for the YKS (Turkey's national university entrance exam) who says they cannot study productively at all. After talking for a while, it emerges that on the two days a week they go to the library with a friend, they can study for four hours without a break. This exception holds a clue to the solution: they study better not alone at home but with someone beside them and out of the house. A study plan can be built on this information.
Scaling questions
"On a scale where zero is the worst and ten is where you have reached your goal, where are you right now?" This question makes vague distress measurable. But the really valuable part is what follows: "Why three and not two? What gives you that one point?" and "When you went up one point, what would you notice was different?" In this way a goal that seems big and out of reach turns into a small step that fits into this week.
Coping questions
When things are genuinely very hard, instead of looking for exceptions the therapist might ask: "In such a difficult period, what helps you still get up every day and do what needs to be done?" For example, a woman caring for her mother, who has a dementia diagnosis, and who always feels she is falling short, might in response to this question put into words for the first time her own resilience, the small help she gets from her sibling and how her morning walks let her breathe. Coping questions make visible the strength a person is already showing.
How Does the Process Unfold?
Solution-focused work usually follows these steps:
- Clarifying the goal: "What would need to change for you to say therapy was worth it?" The goal is framed in positive rather than negative language: "Being able to voice an idea in a meeting" rather than "not being anxious".
- Exploring existing resources: How the person has overcome similar difficulties before, and what strengths they have, are discussed.
- Finding exceptions: The moments when the problem is experienced more lightly are examined in detail.
- Planning small steps: A realistic, small step that can be tried before the next session is agreed.
- Tracking change: Each session starts with the question "What has been better since we last met?" This question directs the person's attention to small improvements they might have missed.
An example: morning battles
Imagine a mother who describes how she and her thirteen-year-old son fight every morning in the rush to catch the school bus, and how they both leave the house close to tears. A problem-focused conversation might turn to why the boy gets up late, how much time he spends on his phone, or why the mother is so tense. The solution-focused therapist, however, asks: "In the last two weeks, was there a day when the morning went a bit more calmly?" After thinking about it, the mother remembers that last Tuesday her son caught the bus without any prompting. What was different that day? The bag had been packed together the evening before, and in the morning, instead of checking her phone in the kitchen, the mother had put the radio on while making him breakfast. This small piece of information suggests two steps for the following week: packing the bag in the evening, and in the mornings fewer warnings and more quiet company. At the next meeting they talk about how, on the scale, mornings have gone up from four to six. The problem has not disappeared entirely; but the family has now seen with their own eyes what works.
The interval between sessions is often flexible; as progress is made, the gaps can lengthen. For a general framework on the length of therapy, you can take a look at our article how long does therapy last.
Who Is It Suitable For, and What Are Its Limits?
Solution-focused therapy may be a meaningful option particularly in the following situations:
- People who want to reach a specific, definable goal: making a decision, solving a problem at work or reducing tension in the family
- People looking for brief, focused support
- People who are tired of talking about the problem for a long time and say, "Now I want to know what to do"
- Adolescents and young people, since the approach's non-judgemental stance and focus on the person's strengths often reduce resistance
- Families and couples who want to come together around a shared goal
However, it is also important to know the limits of this approach:
- Entrenched and complex problems: In situations such as long-standing trauma, personality patterns, severe depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder it may not be sufficient on its own; specific researched methods may be needed for these problems.
- Feeling unheard: Some people need to describe their pain in detail. If the conversation shifts to solutions too quickly, the person may feel misunderstood. A good practitioner also leaves enough room to listen to the problem.
- The risk of forced optimism: Focusing on strengths should not mean belittling real difficulties.
How does it differ from other approaches?
Psychodynamic therapies focus on understanding the origins of a problem and its links with the past; cognitive behavioural therapy focuses on changing the thought and behaviour cycles that maintain a problem. The solution-focused approach spends less time analysing in detail how the problem works and turns its attention directly to the desired future and the person's existing resources. These differences are not a competition but different responses to different needs. Many therapists incorporate scaling questions or the search for exceptions, for example, into their own work.
Trying Solution-Focused Thinking in Your Own Life
You can also ask yourself the questions of this approach. Take a notebook and try the following:
- Exception hunting: For a week, note every moment when the problem was a little less present. What was different that day? Where were you, who were you with, what were you doing?
- Your own scale: Every evening, give yourself a score from 0 to 10. On days when the score goes up, write down what was different.
- A one-point step: Answer the question "If I went up one point, what would be different?" and try the smallest part of that difference tomorrow.
- Past successes: Think about how you got through a difficult period before. Which of the things that worked then could be used today?
- Ask an observer: Think about how someone close to you would be the first to notice a small improvement in you. This is an effective way of making your goal concrete.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
The small steps you try on your own are sometimes enough. But in the following situations it may help to speak with a professional:
- You have tried solutions for the same problem but cannot find any exceptions
- Your distress has lasted for weeks and is noticeably affecting your work, studies or relationships
- You feel so exhausted or hopeless that you cannot even define your goal
- There are marked changes in your sleep, appetite or energy
- Anxiety, anger or sadness has reached an intensity you cannot control
How Is Brief, Goal-Focused Work Approached in Therapy?
Brief and goal-focused work is not unique to a single school. Cognitive behavioural therapy is also a structured approach in which goals are set clearly, progress is reviewed regularly and small steps are planned between sessions. Clinical Psychologist Eda Erkan Alapala has completed four years of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training to EABCT standards with the Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (KDTD). In her work, making visible the client's strengths, the ways of coping that have worked before and small signs of progress holds an important place. Our article how to tell if you are making progress in therapy may also give you an idea of how change can be tracked.
For people who cannot attend regular face-to-face sessions because of time or distance, online therapy can be a practical way of keeping up goal-focused work. In the first sessions, what needs to change for you and what kind of work could be planned to get there are assessed together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the past never discussed in solution-focused therapy?
It can be discussed, but it is not the focus. The past is mostly addressed in order to understand how the person has overcome difficulties before and to find the strengths in those experiences.
How many sessions does solution-focused therapy take?
There is no fixed number. Some people feel they are approaching their goals within a few meetings, while for others the process may be longer. Therapy ends when the person feels they can carry on with their own resources.
Does this approach mean taking serious problems lightly?
No. The solution-focused view does not deny the reality of a problem; it simply looks for the sources of change not inside the problem but in the person's strengths and in the moments of exception. In severe situations, a different approach may be needed alongside it or instead of it.
Can I use these questions with my child or teenager?
Yes, you can. Questions such as "What made you happiest at school today?" or "On the day last week when you finished your homework more easily, what was different?" draw children's attention to their own successes. But it is important to ask them with genuine curiosity, not in the tone of an interrogation.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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