Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT)
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFT) is an evidence-based therapeutic approach that concentrates on the present rather than the past. It works by helping people to find solutions, reinforcing their personal strengths, and building their hope for the future. SFT focuses on what has worked, what is already working and how to do more of it.
I utilise SFT in conjunction with CBT or ACT to help you find quick, practical, and sustainable change.
Telehealth: Available for clients Australia-wide.
In-Person: Available at my practice at 16 Vision Way, Griffin, Moreton Bay.
How does SFT work?
SFT operates on the premise that you are the expert on your own life. We focus on identifying your strengths, resources, and previous successes to construct a clear path forward. We use specific questioning techniques to help you understand exactly what your preferred future looks like and how you could build it.
The goal is to move from a “problem-focused” mindset to a “solution-focused” mindset. This approach typically provides life improvement rapidly, and it equips you with the tools to continue making changes independently outside of the therapy room.
How can SFT help?
Trauma & PTSD
While EMDR or CPT may be used to process the memory of trauma itself, SFT can be a powerful support system. It helps to ensure that healing is always moving forward by focusing on future-oriented goals and functional daily living. It helps clients avoid becoming defined by their trauma history, instead placing emphasis on their resilience, their desired post-recovery life, and the strengths they possess to build that future.
Life Transitions
Whether you are facing a career change, navigating loss, or simply feel a general lack of direction, SFT excels at clarifying the desired future state. It helps by breaking down the transition into small, achievable steps, we make the daunting process of change feel manageable and purposeful.
Depression
Depression can create a sense of profound powerlessness and limit the ability to see a way forward. SFT works to gently counteract this by seeking out "exceptions," which are moments, however brief, where the problem was less severe or absent. By exploring what was different in those moments, we can define and build very small, achievable goals, which serve to restore a vital sense of movement and agency, providing a clear, hope-filled direction away from the cycle of hopelessness.
Relationship Issues
Instead of spending time analyzing cycles of conflict or blame, SFT quickly pivots the focus to defining successful interactions. This resource-focused perspective helps shift the relationship dynamic from one of problem-talk and criticism to one of collaboration and solution-building.
Anxiety
Anxiety often traps individuals in "what if" scenarios about the worst possible outcomes. SFT helps shift this focus by guiding you to identify times when you successfully handled stress or felt more grounded. By isolating and amplifying these moments, we build your confidence in your existing coping mechanisms and establish small, actionable steps in the present to reduce the intensity of worry, thereby increasing your sense of control over anxious feelings.
Stress and Burnout
When experiencing chronic stress or burnout, clients often feel overwhelmed and depleted. SFT immediately cuts through the overwhelm by focusing on small, meaningful shifts rather than large, impossible changes. The focus is on defining a sustainable future state and empowering you to take immediate, resource-focused actions to regain balance and energy.
Get in touch
Reach out today to schedule your first appointment. Email directly or fill out the form below.
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