Understanding solution-focused conversations
Learn how solution-focused conversations explore what you want to be different and what already helps, without asking you to be positive or to change quickly.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
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Understanding solution-focused conversations
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What these conversations focus on
Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) grew from the work of Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg and their colleagues. Instead of starting with what caused a problem, it asks what you want to be different. It also looks for what already helps, even a little, and builds on it. You are treated as the expert on your own life. This handout supports trained practice and does not replace it.
Questions you might be asked
Your therapist might ask what you hope your conversations will help with. They might invite you to describe what a better day could look like, in ordinary detail. Imagining is optional; you can talk about real days instead. They might ask about times when a problem was smaller or easier to manage, and what helped, including other people and luck. When nothing seems better, they might ask how you have kept going. Some therapists use a 0 to 10 scale to describe where things are now and what one step up might look like. The number is not a test or a score.
What you do not need to do
You do not need to be positive, grateful or hopeful. 'I don't know' is a useful answer. Hard things such as grief, illness, poverty, discrimination or abuse stay real, and you can talk about them. 'Brief' means using only as many sessions as you need, with a clear focus on what you want. It does not mean change has to be fast, and there is no promise of quick recovery. Ask your therapist how many sessions are offered.
How sessions build
Later sessions often begin by asking what has been different since you last met. Things staying the same or getting harder are just as important to talk about. Between sessions, you might be invited to notice what goes a little better, or what you do to get through. Fictional illustration: someone who wants to feel less on edge at work remembers a morning when they felt steadier. They notice that arriving early and a short walk helped. They choose to try the walk twice next week and to ask their manager about a quieter desk.
Staying safe
Talking about what you want never replaces getting help with safety or unmet needs. If you are being harmed or are in danger, tell your therapist or GP as soon as it is safe to do so. If anyone is in danger, call 999.
Questions and support
This worksheet is for feelings you can manage. If you have urges to hurt yourself, or you feel unsafe, use your safety plan if you have one and tell your therapist. If you might act on the urges, call 999 or go to A&E. To talk to someone now, call Samaritans free on 116 123.
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When to use ‘Understanding solution-focused conversations’
‘Understanding solution-focused conversations’ is a psychoeducation handout based on solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). Consider this resource when a client wants to describe a preferred future, notice exceptions to a difficulty and identify strengths or small next steps they could try.
It is designed to be read within therapy rather than as a standalone self-help tool: a therapist introduces it and discusses it with the client. You can preview the full handout above, then assign it for clients to read between sessions on any device or download it as a print-ready PDF. Where a short reflection is included, it offers space to respond to the reading.
How it works
Most people work through it in around 8 minutes. It moves through six short sections to read:
- What these conversations focus on: Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) grew from the work of Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg and their colleagues. Instead of starting with…
- Questions you might be asked: Your therapist might ask what you hope your conversations will help with. They might invite you to describe what a better day could look…
- What you do not need to do: You do not need to be positive, grateful or hopeful. 'I don't know' is a useful answer. Hard things such as grief, illness, poverty,…
- How sessions build: Later sessions often begin by asking what has been different since you last met. Things staying the same or getting harder are just as…
- Staying safe: Talking about what you want never replaces getting help with safety or unmet needs. If you are being harmed or are in danger, tell your…
- Questions and support: This worksheet is for feelings you can manage. If you have urges to hurt yourself, or you feel unsafe, use your safety plan if you have one…
The handout can be read on a phone, tablet or computer, or downloaded as a print-ready PDF. If it includes a reflection, answers entered on the Formulate platform are saved automatically and shared back with the therapist for review before the next session.
The SFBT approach behind it
‘Understanding solution-focused conversations’ draws on solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). SFBT explores what the client would like to be different and what signs would show that difference in everyday life. Attention turns to exceptions, when the difficulty is less present, and to strengths or resources already available. These details provide a starting point for discussing small next steps that the client considers realistic and worthwhile.
It is intended as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis. The therapist can help decide how it fits the work and discuss what emerges.
Evidence & sources
This handout draws on solution-focused brief therapy. Key sources include:
- de Shazer, S. (1985). Keys to Solution in Brief Therapy. W. W. Norton & Company.
- de Shazer, S., Dolan, Y., Korman, H., Trepper, T., McCollum, E., & Berg, I. K. (2007). More Than Miracles: The State of the Art of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. Haworth Press.
- De Jong, P., & Berg, I. K. (2013). Interviewing for Solutions (4th ed.). Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
For use alongside professional support
Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.
If you need urgent help now:
- Emergency services: 999 — if you or someone else is in immediate danger
- NHS 111 (NHS 24 in Scotland): 111 — choose the mental health option for urgent help, in England, Scotland and Wales (in Wales, press 2)
- Lifeline: 0808 808 8000 — for urgent help in Northern Ireland, free, day or night
- Samaritans: 116 123 — free, day or night, 365 days a year
- Shout: 85258 — text SHOUT, free, day or night
- SANEline: 0300 304 7000 — 4pm–10pm, every day
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