Solution-Focused Therapy

"That's one way to see it. There is also another way to see it.”

Insoo Kim Berg

What is Solution-Focused Therapy?

Solution-Focused Therapy, often referred to as Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), is a goal-oriented and strengths-based approach that helps clients focus on building solutions rather than becoming stuck in problems. Developed by therapists Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer, this approach emphasizes hope, possibility, and practical change.

Rather than spending the majority of therapy analyzing what is “wrong,” Solution-Focused Therapy helps clients identify their existing strengths, resources, resilience, and past successes in order to create meaningful movement forward.

This approach is grounded in the belief that even small shifts can create significant change over time. Clients are encouraged to imagine what life would look like if their current struggles felt more manageable and to begin taking realistic, sustainable steps toward that vision.

What does Solution-Focused Therapy look like?

Solution-Focused Therapy is collaborative, encouraging, and future-oriented. Sessions often focus on identifying goals, recognizing patterns of strength, and exploring moments when the problem feels less intense or absent altogether.

Instead of asking, “Why is this happening?” Solution-Focused Therapy often asks:

“What would you like to be different?”
“What is already working?”
“What strengths have helped you cope so far?”
“What would progress look like?”
“What small next step feels possible?”

Therapy may include:

Goal-setting and vision-building
Identifying personal strengths and resources
Exploring “exceptions” to the problem
Positive reinforcement and encouragement
Practical coping strategies
Homework experiments or reflection exercises
Measuring progress and celebrating small wins

At Nashville Counseling Associates, we often integrate Solution-Focused Therapy with CBT, mindfulness, trauma-informed care, relational therapy, and other approaches depending on each client’s unique needs. We believe therapy should not only help clients process pain, but also empower them to recognize their capacity for growth and change.