Solution-Focused Family Therapy: An Explorative Study

Research and Current Practices
Practicing and researching solution-focused family therapy is growing and becoming more prevalent in the helping profession (Gingerich, Kim, Geert, Stams, & Macdonald, 2012; Kim & Franklin, 2015). As such, solution-focused family therapy is now considered an evidence-based therapeutic approach for all helping professionals. Additionally, solution-focused family therapy is proven to be flexible and portable to a range of therapeutic settings including behavioral health and community counseling clinics, school counseling, alcohol and drug treatment facilities, and coaching. While, solution-focused family therapy is greatly recognized as a useful evidence-based approach, there is a lack of research on the process

We see a diverse group of clients, whom we refer to as patients, however, a majority of our patients suffer from a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Commonly, our patients are treated with medical and psychotherapeutic modalities. Most of our on staff therapists and social workers use cognitive behavioral techniques during therapy, but I have been using an integrative approach with solution-focused brief therapy techniques in the mix. I like to use solution-focused brief therapy for various reasons. Essentially, our patients are with us for only a short period of time. For example, most of our patients are discharged within three days of their admission, with the exception of the court-committed patients who are waiting on a bed at the Mississippi State Hospital. It only makes sense to use an approach that focuses on making small changes in a short amount of time. In addition to this, we also deal with patient’s family members. Often times, family members are not educated on the illness and create more problems. I think it is important for patients along with their family members to create small changes and make