Solution-Focused Brief Family Therapy

Solution-focused Brief Family Therapy also abbreviated as SFBT is an approach which is oriented towards resolving family problems. SBFT maintains that an individual has a separate, unique and yet legitimate reality. As such, SBFT focuses on the individual strengths and resources that the clients have which can be used to solve their problems rather than the emphasizing on the problems. In this regards, this paper seeks to explore different literature on solution-focus brief family therapy on couples.

Common Factors

Basically, in SBFT there are two primary factors which act as the foundational elements for the practice. To begin with, ethics is a major contributor to a competent therapy practice. Secondly, evidence base is also a key driver for any family therapy practice (Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009). The therapists are required to be properly acquitted in evidence base in relation to the type of treatment they give as well the problems they solve. Hence the therapist is required to commit towards conducting regular research so as to have adequate knowledge and thus be responsive to the individual needs of the clients.

Client Factors. Client’s Characteristics 

Often, clients originate from different social backgrounds and have different ethnicity hence some of the factors can act as strengths or weakness which bring about limitations for the clients (Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009). As such, their behaviors and attitudes during the therapy session may differ. As a result, the therapist is tasked with ensuring that they motivate the clients towards changing their attitude in relation to therapy. Secondly, the therapist activates personal strengths as well as other individual resources that the clients hold which enable them to attain positive feedbacks. The resources entail family support as well as the positive relationships the clients have with people. Subsequently, they can work with the clients in order to reduce the duration of patient’s complaints, by working to find the solution for the problems rather than concentrating on the problem itself. 

Extra-therapeutic Factors 

One factor which acts as a major limitation to the client in getting effective results during the therapy sessions is their language according to Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, (2009). Language barriers have acted as major limitations in effective communication as the therapist or client may interpret the information wrongly. Additionally, it may result in clients being unable to express their emotions efficiently in the language that the therapist understands. Secondly, in reference to (Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009), the culture of the individual may work in favor of the client or limit their ability to be open-minded. The culture is responsible in shaping individual’s beliefs and attitudes during the socialization process. 

In this line, therefore, the therapists are geared towards ensuring their clients are able to get adequate social support (Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009). They can also encourage them towards participating more in community affairs. Consequently, this gives them a sense of belonging whereby they feel that they part of a larger force. It also exposes them towards gaining new perspectives which enable them to overcome their individual biases. As a result, they are motivated towards being persistent in completing the therapy sessions and recovering. 

Therapeutic Relationships

Client’s evaluation of therapeutic relationship 

One primary role of the therapist is to establish an efficient client relationship in order to attain positive results and enable them to deal with their family problems (Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009). However, how the client perceives the therapeutic relationship with the therapist is significant in attaining positive results. Thus, the therapists are tasked with integrating empathy, respect and being warm in order to establish an effective therapeutic relationship with them. Evidently, efficient and effective therapeutic relationship translates to positive outcomes. 

Effective Therapeutic Relationships 

Notably, the cognitive-behavioral family therapy uses empathy for a specific reason which differs significantly from other approaches (Goldenberg, & Goldenberg, 2000). They use empathy for the purpose of establishing rapports which set a platform for them to develop real interventions which then help to change client’s behaviors, thoughts as well as emotions. Nonetheless, the use of empathy in cognitive-behavioural family therapy may be viewed as a plan to manipulate the clients. However, these virtues have been established as key elements in therapy relationships. They are intended for the client to feel more at ease with the entire process instead of feeling like they are tricked into during the entire process.

Accommodation of patient’s level of motivation is considered to be effective in attaining an efficient therapeutic relationship. To attain this, therapists integrate the contemporary cognitive-behavioral alliances for better results. Consequently, this entails having the decisions on whether to commence with counseling process to be made jointly with the patient (Goldenberg, & Goldenberg, 2000). Thus, therapists are supposed to collaborate with their patients more actively. 

Subsequently, this is in line with working with the client’s set goals (Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009). Therapists focus for the solutions to emanate from the client while they play the role of facilitators. Therefore, they ask questions which are directed more towards solving the problems. They should also seek for feedback from the clients at the end of the therapy sessions every time so as to identify any rapture before they happen. Lastly, the therapist work towards alleviating distress to their patients which improve the client's moods thus creates an efficient counseling relationship. They employ a non-judgmental attitude and have a genuine interest in helping the clients. 

Hope and Expectancy

The Placebo Effect

Consequently, hope and expectancy create a placebo effect on the clients as it makes them believe that the therapy session will be effective. As a result, this increases the chances of the client to attain positive results during the therapy session. Evidently, Ward, (2000), establishes that 73% of the total variance of patient’s perceptions of the therapy sessions being helpful is motivated by the hope and expectancy the clients have in the therapist. Moreover, (Coppock, 2016), establishes that clients often create high expectancies and hope during the first therapy sessions. 

Goldstein (1959), established two different types of expectation. First, he expounds on the prognostic expectation, whereby he stated that these are beliefs in relation to the probability of having success during a therapy session in counseling. Secondly, he defined the participant role expectation, which related with the interaction between the client and the counselor. Primarily, this expectation involved beliefs regarding how the client and counselor will behave in the therapy session. Every client has a set expectation of the type of counselor they will find, while the therapist also has a set expectation of how the client will be. 

Increases Hope 

Basically, with the above information, a therapist can develop strategies during the first sessions which enable them to instill hope and raise the expectations of the clients (Snippe, 2016). Subsequently, this impacts on the mental states of the client which causes symptoms relief to occur rapidly. Therefore, this acts as a crucial step in the initial therapy sessions to help clients to attain positive results fast. 

Additionally, hope and expectations in some cases affect the treatment efficacy indirectly due to the extent of the impact that it has on client’s behavior during treatment. Consequently, expectations influence how much a patient engages in the therapy session. Hence it is assumed that in an instance where a client has hope and expectations, they are more likely to be persistent in achieving the desired goal (Goldenberg, & Goldenberg, 2000).

Evidently, one’s belief may have adverse effect not only treatment completion but also ensure that an individual complies with the entire treatment program (Snippe, 2016). Thus, clients who have established expectations and hopes are more likely to be committed to following through with the entire treatment program without deviating. As a result, they are more likely to achieve admirable results.

Techniques

Miracle Questions

Miracle questions are asked for the purpose of having the client imagine a future where there are no such problems (Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009). It is essential in generating hope and motivation for the client as it makes them look forward towards the future. Miracle questions entail asking the clients to imagine o events, and they can be asked alongside magic wand questions. They help in conceptualizing what the therapist is hoping to attain after the end of the session. 

Scaling Questions 

Additionally, scaling questions are used as an effective way of attaining positive outcome in the therapy sessions. In this case, the client is obligated with defining their goals then rating the progress they have made by using scales. Subsequently, this can be applied in measuring the client’s long term goals. Additionally, the scaling questions can be applied in instances whereby there is need to establish what works for the client and what does not work. The therapist may also use in measuring the progress of the client on a weekly basis (Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009). 

Goal Setting

In addition goal setting is fundamental as in propelling the therapy sessions towards the right way (Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009). It can be subdivided by two, with the first part being positive goal setting. It emphasizes on what the client will be doing during the entire therapy session. However, it does not focus on reducing the symptoms. The second part entails observable descriptions whereby the client adopts clear and precise observable behaviors which act as indicators of positive change. 

The whole process entails the therapist helping clients in setting goals which are realistic and attainable regardless of the duration they will take. It may entail small steps progress with the client recognizing clearly what their role is in the whole exercise. Moreover, the goals set should be ethical as well as legal to avoid the client getting into trouble with the law (Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009). 

Client- Generated Change

It is also vital for the client to generate the change as the sustainability of the change is assured (Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009). The therapist is required to assist the client in making these changes, but the clients should be the ones who are responsible for making the changes. It may involve making minute changes initially, but as the time goes on, the client is able to make more significant changes. 

Use of Relationship Question

Relationship questions are asked by the therapist for understanding how the clients feel in relation to how people perceive their change (Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2009). The clients are asked to imagine how relevant people in their lives may react in the realization of the changes they have made. Hence, it basically relates to how third-party payers feel in relation to the changes the individual make. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, different literature has developed on Solution-focus Brief family therapy for couples in family. Generally, the entire therapy sessions is driven by two common factors. They include formulation of treatments using evidence bases as well as maintain ethics. In evidence bases, the therapists are encouraged to conduct various researches to be able to gather massive information. Hence it is crucial for them to focus on elements such as the client factors, therapeutic relationships, hope and expectancy as well as techniques to be used. With this information they can concentrate more on solving the problem rather than spending much time on the problems. 

References

Goldstein, A. (1959). Therapist and client expectation of personality change and its relation to perceived change in psychotherapy University Park: Pennsylvania State University.

Coppock, T. (2016). The relationship between therapist and client hope with therapy outcomes - PubMed - NCBINcbi.nlm.nih.gov . Retrieved 29 October 2016, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20714970?report=abstract

Dattilio, F. (2010). Cognitive-behavioral therapy with couples and families New York: Guilford Press.

Gonzalez, J. M., Tinsley, H. E. A., Krueder, K. R. (2002). Effects of psychosocial Interventions on opinions of mental illness, attitudes toward help seeking, and expectations about psychotherapy in college students: Journal of College Student Development, 43, 51-63

Goldenberg, I. Goldenberg, H. (2000). Family Therapy: An Overview . Ohio: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Snippe, E. (2016). Patients’ Outcome Expectations Matter in Psychological Interventions for Patients with Diabetes and Comorbid Depressive Symptoms Retrieved 29 October 2016, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4424270/

Sprenkle, D., Davis, S., & Lebow, J. (2009). Common factors in couple and family therapy New York: Guilford Press.

Ward, M. (2000). Clients’ Perceptions of the Therapeutic Process: A Common Factors Approach (1st ed., p. 97). Blacksburg: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.