We’ve talked about the rise of evidence-based therapy as a means of treating substance abuse and addiction. You may have heard of another type of therapy referred to as solution-focused therapy. What is it, and can it help addicts recover? The answers might surprise you.
Solution-focused therapy, also referred to as solution-focused brief therapy, is a solution-based approach to psychotherapy. Instead of concentrating on the problem and problem-solving, solution-focused therapy is based on solution building. According to Chris Iveson, “It explores current resources and further hopes rather than present problems and past causes and typically involves only three to five sessions.”
The “Positive” Psychotherapy Approach
You might say solution-focused therapy is a more positive or optimistic approach to therapy-based substance addiction treatment. While it has been proven to have preliminary benefits, it is not considered a replacement to evidence-based treatment techniques.
Solution-focused brief therapy is entirely dedicated to goals. The accepted model leverages a specialized interviewing procedure during which treatment goals are negotiated. In order for this model to work, the goals must be specific, concrete, and small. Goals must also be realistic and immediately achievable since solution-based therapy is short-term.
Solution-Focused vs. Evidence-Based Therapy
It’s important to understand that solution-focused therapy is not meant as a singular treatment plan. Instead, it compliments a more long-term strategy, such as evidence-based therapy. The principle that drives evidence-based treatment is the use of techniques that have proven successful and are backed by evidence. For some, the short-term burst of positive that comes with solution-focused therapy can pave the way for or refresh the long-term commitment needed to make evidence-based therapies work.
The model of solution-focused therapy was developed over a 20-year span at the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee, WI. The model is relatively young in comparison to other therapy techniques used to assist addicts during recovery, and it’s undergoing constant evolution as it’s applied in different treatment settings. Currently, the model focuses on:
- Competence versus pathology
- Finding a unique and personalized solution
- Leveraging optimism through specific expectations
- Fortifying and encouraging confidence through past successes
- Looking to the client as the expert
- Plotting and tracking the client’s path toward change with a goal-setting chart
- Sharing responsibility for change with the client
In some ways, solution-focused therapy is philosophical. It hinges on specific attitudes, such as:
- If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
- If it works, do more of it.
- If it’s not working, do something different.
- Small steps can lead to big changes.
- The solution is not necessarily directly related to the problem.
- The future is both created and negotiable.
At this time, you aren’t likely to find solution-focused techniques in great use in the substance abuse and addiction treatment field, but that’s not to say they aren’t viable. Evidence-based therapy techniques are largely in use and have overtaken the traditional 12-step program models thanks to years of research, testing, and results. It’s possible that, in time, solution-focused techniques will be added to the ranks of tested and true tools for assisting addicts as they recover.