Quick, Significant Change from
Solutions-Focused Brief
Therapy
Good, productive therapy does not have to be a
year long process. It CAN be long but it doesn’t have to be.
Solutions-focused brief therapy emphasizes making dynamic changes in a
brief amount of time, usually four to twelve sessions, sometimes less.
In my counseling practice my average number of sessions per client is
eight. Granted, I sometimes see people far longer than that and
sometimes even for only one or two sessions, but on the average people
experience the changes they desire within eight sessions.
There are many theoretical orientations to
counseling and solutions-focused brief therapy is just one. It
utilizes cognitive-behavioral techniques to help you become aware of how
your thoughts and self-talk affect your feelings and behaviors. That
awareness can lead to rapid, significant change in a short amount of time.
How can change happen so rapidly?
Sometimes people have waited so long to seek help they are desperately
ready for change and are highly motivated to work hard in session and
between sessions. Generally speaking, the more motivated someone is
to make changes, the more quickly change occurs. Sometimes a person
may begin to accept or come to terms with a life situation and find that
with that acceptance they are more able to cope, or even better, may find
themselves enjoying life more.
Often times couples who simply want a booster
shot of communication skills make rapid progress and find themselves
enjoying their relationship more in a short amount of time.
Sometimes one partner or the other may decide to explore personal issues
that may slow down or even postpone couples issues for a while. At
times, once an individual issue is worked through, the couple’s issues
go away. Imagine that!!
Most important in solutions-focused therapy is
the “focus”. My job as your therapist is to keep you focused on
the desired outcome and to not allow you to stay bogged down in the
problem. There will be times when you’d much rather complain and
whine and feel sorry for yourself and you can expect me to encourage and
prod you along on the road to discovering your own solutions and
implementing them. Solutions-focused therapy isn’t for
whiners and complainers. It is for people who want to reap the
rewards of change quickly. I encourage you to give it a try.
-
Patricia Lee
,
MA
, MEd, Licensed Professional Counselor
