Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy was developed in Milwaukee in the late 1970s and 1980s by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg and their team at the Brief Family Therapy Center. They worked with people from many different cultures and backgrounds and became curious about one central question: when life is going a little better, what is different?

Rather than analysing problems for a long time, they watched carefully for "exceptions", the times when difficulties eased or didn't show up. De Shazer described how he had "always heard the holes" in people's stories: the parts that did not fit the problem, where strengths and possibilities were quietly present. Berg, who wrote about cultural difference in a "global village", emphasised that people already carry meaningful resources within their own lives and communities.

This spirit runs through SFBT today: it is brief, respectful, and focused on what's working, rather than what's wrong.

In SFBT, you are seen as the expert in your own life. Together, we explore how you would like things to be different, what is already helping (even in small ways), and the next practical steps that move you toward your preferred future.

SFBT can be particularly supportive for anxiety, low mood, burnout, confidence issues, relationship tensions, and times when you feel stuck or overwhelmed. It can be a good fit if you want a future-focused, time-efficient approach that does not require going into painful memories in detail unless you choose to.

Korman, H., et al. (2020). – Steve De Shazer Theory Development

Berg, I. K. – "Myth and reality of cultural differences in the global village."

"A Brief, Informal History of SFBT as told by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg."

Session Wants and Needs Outcome Measure (SWAN-OM): a single-session outcome measure developed with CORC, the Anna Freud Centre and UCL, with the 21 items and a paper copy to download.