Solution focused coaching / Solution focused brief therapy
Find what works and do more of it!
This page is about Solution Focused coaching/therapy with individuals. Read about my Solution Focused work with teams and organisations here.
Do you want to accomplish some kind of change in your life or with yourself? Maybe you want to feel more confident, become more aware of and make better use of your strengths and abilities? Perhaps you need help to deal with a difficult life situation or to feel better? Or maybe you are you facing a challenge where you want to be your very best self? No matter what kind of problems, difficulties or challenges you are struggling with, or which dreams and goals you have, Solution Focused coaching/therapy could help you identify and create your desired future. As a Solution Focused coach/therapist, I focus more on what you WANT than on what you DON’T want. My goal is to help you see yourself, your life and your abilities in a new light, and create the outcome you dream of.
What is Solution Focus?
Solution Focus is a therapeutic model, developed during the 1980’s by Steve de Shazer och Insoo Kim Berg at The Brief Family Therapy Center, Milwaukee. Today, it is also successfully used in coaching, teambuilding and organisational development.
Solution Focus differs from most other therapeutic and counselling models in that it doesn’t explore the problems, but instead focuses on solutions and your desired outcome. This doesn’t mean that I ignore your problems and difficulties, just that I give more attention to what you want instead of the problem, and what already moves you in the right direction.
In brief, Solution Focus can be described as a revolutionary approach to helping people identify, create and live the kind of life they hope for. Instead of identifying why you have problems or what you do wrong, I focus on what you do “right”, ie what’s already working well, and how you can do more of it. Solution Focus evokes your innate wisdom, strengths and resources, it creates hope for a better future, and inspires you to discover and build on what already helps move you forward.
Seeing a Solution Focused practitioner can be compared to seeing a personal trainer (PT) when you want to loose 20 kilos of weight and get in shape. The PT would probably not ask what you have done to become so fat, or shame you for your lack of discipline – that wouldn’t help to create a solution. The history behind the problem is not of much interest. The PT simply acknowledges that the problem exists, and then focuses on what you want instead and how you can accomplish that. She is also convinced that you can do it. A Solution Focused practitioner has the same approach.
My path to Solution Focus
I have a degree in Behavioural Sciences and quite early in my career I was attracted to the Solution Focused approach. I have used Solution Focus for about 15 years, with individuals as well as teams. I have extensive experience in counselling and coaching, both within an occupational health service and with private coaching clients. I became a Professional Certified Coach (ICF) in 2010, and have conducted more than 2000 coaching and counselling conversations. I have also trained other coaches for many years, both in Sweden and internationally.
Coaching as a method is strongly influenced by Solution Focused therapy, and I have integrated even more of the Solution Focused approach in my own coaching practise. In 2020 I decided to further deepen my knowledge in Solution Focused therapy and participated in several international training programmes and conferences. One of them was a 16 week intensive online certificate course in Solution Focused Brief Therapy with BRIEF in London, one of the most highly regarded SFBT training organisations in the world. This convinced me even more of the excellence of this approach, and I decided to refine my own counselling methodology to become purely Solution Focused.
Coaching or therapy?
To me, it doesn’t really matter if we call it coaching, therapy, counselling or something else. The Solution focused model, the mindset and the questions are the same.
What happens in the session?
As a Solution Focused practitioner, I don’t diagnose disease or see it as my task to cure mental illness. What I do is to help you as a client to create change and reach your desired outcome, no matter which struggles you have today. My tools are solution focused questions – questions specifically crafted to give you inspiration, strength, hope and a belief in your own ability to create the future you want.
Unlike in traditional coaching or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), you will not receive any tasks or homework from me, and we will not agree on any action plans or next steps. Rather, it’s the conversation in itself that creates results. I don’t give you any advise or suggestions. Instead, I help you to create a clear, detailed image of your desired future, and explore the strategies, strengths and resources you already have that are helpful and could be used even more. You choose which changes you might want to make after our conversations. You’re the expert on your own life, I’m an expert on the process and on asking questions that help you move forward. I don’t solve your problems – I help you grow stronger so that you can solve your own problems.
What’s the setup?
You will not have to commit to a long-term collaboration, rather, you decide after each session if you wish to talk to me again. Solution Focus is a brief therapy, and often 1-3 sessions is enough to create results. The sessions are carried out over the phone or on Zoom, and each session lasts for about 1 hour.
Confidentiality
I treat everything you say in our conversations as strictly confidential, and will never pass any information on to third party. This applies regardless of who pays for the counselling, whether it’s you, your employer or someone else.
How much does it cost?
Employers paying for an employee: 2000 SEK/session (+VAT)
Private clients: 1000 SEK/session including VAT
Private clients who are students/unemployed/on long-term sick leave: 500 SEK/session including VAT
Read about my Solution Focus work with teams and organisations – Strenghts-based workshops