Background
De Shazer and Berg founded the Brief Family Therapy Center (BFTC) in Milwaukee in 1978 and built the model by observing sessions and collecting the conversational moves that worked. It drew on brief strategic therapy and Milton Erickson, but differs in focusing on solution building rather than problem analysis.
Basic assumptions
- Change is constant, and small changes lead to bigger ones.
- There are 'exceptions' when the problem does not happen or is milder, and they hold clues to solutions.
- Clients are experts on their own lives and already have resources and strengths.
- If something works, do more of it; if it does not, do something different.
Key questions
- Miracle question: "Suppose that tonight, while you sleep, a miracle happens and the problem is solved. What will you notice tomorrow morning?" It makes the client describe the preferred future concretely.
- Exception question: asks what was different when the problem was less severe.
- Scaling question: the client rates the situation from 0 to 10 and is asked what would be different one point higher.
- Coping question: asks how the client has managed to keep going in a hard situation, bringing strengths to light.
- Pre-session change, compliments and tasks: sessions often end, after a break, with feedback and a task to notice or do something.
How sessions run
A typical sequence is goal setting, describing the preferred future with the miracle question, exploring exceptions and resources, checking progress with scales, then feedback and a task. Practitioners also distinguish visitor, complainant and customer relationships and adjust their approach. It is widely used for alcohol problems (Berg & Miller, 1992), school counselling and family work.
Evaluation and limits
Its strength is practical change in a short time, but it may not be enough on its own for severe psychopathology or crises, and critics say it gives too little attention to causes and feelings. For comparison with other models see counselling theories, and for a family-level approach see Minuchin's structural family therapy.
References
- de Shazer, S. (1985). Keys to Solution in Brief Therapy. W. W. Norton.
- de Shazer, S., Berg, I. K., Lipchik, E., Nunnally, E., Molnar, A., Gingerich, W., & Weiner-Davis, M. (1986). Brief therapy: Focused solution development. Family Process, 25(2), 207–221.
- Berg, I. K., & Miller, S. D. (1992). Working with the Problem Drinker: A Solution-Focused Approach. W. W. Norton.
- De Jong, P., & Berg, I. K. (2013). Interviewing for Solutions (4th ed.). Brooks/Cole.