A Solution-Focused Approach to Group Dynamics in Counseling: Or, Sister Hazel Explains It All For You

In grad school, stars don't often align in such a way that you may research the same topic for separate papers due at roughly the same time. But, in Spring 2011, that happened. So, pragmatist that I am, I seized the opportunity to write two papers on SFBT. Here is the first. I have been trained to use SFBT techniques in every job I've held throughout my 7 year career in mental health, including my current job.

A Solution-Focused Approach to Group Dynamics in Counseling:

Or, Sister Hazel Explains It All For You

David Johnson

University of San Diego

School of Leadership and Education Sciences

COUN 525 Group Dynamics in Counseling

March 2, 2011

The Solution-Focused Approach: What Is It, Exactly?

             Everyone has problems. Some big; some small. If you are lucky, you know the source of your problem and can face it head-on with courage and resolve. Other times, a problem only manifests unexpectedly and may suddenly disappear, rocking your world until it shatters, leaving in its wake only broken dreams and shards of hope. The good news is that, in the history of the counseling profession, scholars and therapists have developed a variety of different ways of helping clients understand their problems. The logic is that once a client identifies the problem, the client and therapist can then begin to work on a corresponding solution together. The bad news is that the hunting down the source of a problem can be a cumbersome exhausting effort for both client and therapist. Perhaps what is needed is a “Change of Mind.”

             The Solution-Focused approach offers an alternative to the problem-sorting process in counseling. A leading European counselor who trains professionals in this particular approach offers one definition: “The Solution-Focused Approach builds upon clients’ resources. It aims to help clients achieve their preferred outcomes by evoking and co-constructing solutions to their problems” (O’Connell, 2001, as cited in O’Connell & Parker, 2003).  The Solution-Focused approach, also called Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), is distinguished by three main elements: a.) its social constructivist theoretical world view, b). orientation towards solutions in the future/present as opposed to problems in the past, and c.) its reliance upon client’s own internal resources or competencies (Cepeda & Davenport, 2006).

First, it is important to acknowledge that SFBT is not a theory, per se. In other words, the Solution-Focused approach does not provide an account for why people behave in a particular way (Sharf, 2008). Rather, the techniques involved in delivering SFBT as a therapeutic intervention are based on social constructivism (United States Department of Justice, 2011). Second, as the name implies, it focuses on solutions – what O’Connell (2001 as cited in 2003) calls “preferred outcomes” –  instead of problems. Third and finally, clients are regarded as “experts in their own lives” because they alone “have the strengths and resources to change” behavior and thought patterns that lead to problems (Cepeda & Davenport, 2006).

To illustrate the point, I offer the following mental image of the skeleton key, used by the original developers of SFBT in the 1980s, to explain the concept of de-emphasizing problems in favor of solutions. “Like a skeleton key, an intervention only needs to open the way to a solution which can be done without knowing all the details [of the specific problem]” (De Shazer, Berg, Lipchik, Nunnally, Molnar, Gingerich, & Weiner-Davis, 1986). Imagine trying to access a locked door (the client’s problem). What a tiresome complicated process  it would be sorting through an entire ring of door keys of different shapes colors and sizes (different theoretical approaches), using trial and error, until you find the one that fits just right (solution)! Why not simply use a skeleton key (SFBT), designed to open an infinite number of doors without particular regard for any particular lock?

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Applications to Group Dynamics in Counseling 

            The Solution-Focused approach offers some very interesting applications in group dynamics. In this section, I will refer to specific interventions of the Solution-Focused approach, give a brief description of the intervention, and discuss how the theory might apply in a therapeutic group context. Note there is a separate discussion of pros and cons of the approach elsewhere in this paper.

            Drawing further upon the skeleton key image, a Solution-Focused orientation allows group leaders increased flexibility in determining membership of the group. Just as the skeleton key is compatible with many locks, the Solution-Focused approach may prove beneficial to diverse members struggling with many diverse problems within the same group. For example, one study looked into the efficacy of a “Doing-What-Works Group” made of psychiatric outpatients with several different diagnoses (Quick & Gizzo, 2007).

A primary Solution-Focused intervention is problem-free talk, engaging clients in discussion about aspects of their lives that are going well in an effort to develop rapport and provide a more complete picture of the client’s overall functioning (Lethem, 2002). Members of a Solution-Focused group may instinctually practice problem-free talk in the early sessions, if for no other reason than they are unacquainted with each other’s particular problems. This can be especially comforting for individual clients who may be sensitive about disclosing too much about their particular issues; because problems are of secondary importance, group members who choose to keep their problem/issue private may do so while still fully participating in the group.

            Goal-setting is another core intervention of the Solution-Focused approach. To a large degree, therapeutic progress towards the client’s overall solution is measured by progress toward a series of specific, achievable, subordinate goals (Marek, Sandifer, Beach, & Coward, 1994). Solution-Focused group leaders are advised to strike a balance between supporting and challenging clients to achieve their goals both as individuals and as the group as a whole (Egan, 2009, p. 132). 

            One distinct advantage to therapeutic groups generally, but is particularly true of the Solution-Focused approach is the importance of the wisdom of the group. Groups are efficient, in part, because they utilize the internal resources of several people, not just the client and therapist (Jacobs, Masson, and Harvill, 2009, p 2-3). Quick and Gizzo (2007) found in their “Doing-What-Works” study that the group members cited “the value of feedback, support, ventilation, and hearing multiple perspectives… [and] the “same boat phenomenon” (e.g., ‘I realize I’m not the only one with problems’)”.

Pros and Cons

            The Solution-Focused approach to group dynamics in counseling shows promise in helping clients and groups to achieve their preferred outcomes. It is important to remember that there are limitations to using SFBT for groups.

            Clients may benefit from Solution-Focused group work by being able to fully participate in group processes without necessarily being required to disclose their particular problems with the group. Solution-Focused interventions are easy to learn can be applied to a diverse group of clients who may have very different problems to work on. By engaging with one another in problem-free talk in the group, clients develop rapport with one another and can even take the opportunity to affirm each other on aspects of their lives that are going well. Clients benefit from goal setting on both individual and group levels and are able to hold one another accountable in a supportive yet challenging therapeutic setting. Goal setting also helps clients see progress towards their individual preferred outcomes and help them improve their understanding of their own inner resources and competencies. Finally, the efficiency of working in groups with all their collective wisdom, can help clients to make measurable progress at a faster rate than would be possible in individual counseling.  

            Therapists using the Solution-Focused approach to group work may benefit by being able to assemble a diverse population of clients into one group. Therapists can also relying on group members to support and challenge individual clients in reaching their goals, when a more direct one-on-one approach isn’t optimal for the client. For example, an individual client can connect with other group members and may still benefit from group wisdom even though an interpersonal connection with the group leader may be lacking.

            Most of the criticism of SFBT points to its lack of engagement with client’s problems (McNeilly, 2000. Introduction). It is certainly logical that ignoring a serious problem will likely have negative repeated consequences for the client. Thus, it is important for the Solution-Focused therapists to be able to help client’s acknowledge and understand problems even while helping develop the competencies to deal with problems. SFBT is still a relatively new approach to counseling, and some debate remains about whether it fully deserves to be included with other evidence-based models (United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2011). Because group members may have diverse problems, it is easy to imagine some individuals who might reject the Solution-Focused approach precisely because they expect to work at understanding their particular problem, since many other groups using different theoretical models operate in this way.

            In conclusion, the Solution-Focused approach to group dynamics in counseling offers an innovative alternative for clients with problems who want to feel better. Particularly in circumstances where an exhaustive search for a problem may be unproductive, inefficient, or painful for the client, SFBT will focus on the client’s inner resources and competencies and help the client move towards his or her preferred outcomes. In group settings where a solution-focused approach is desires, members will benefit from the collective wisdom of group members without the requirement to share painful personal details of their problems. I leave you with a few lyrics from the feel-good alternative rock band Sister Hazel and their 2000 hit single “Change Your Mind” which I feel greatly captures the spirit of the Solution-Focused approach:

“If you've had enough/Of all your tryin'/Just give up /The state of mind you're in…

If you want to be somebody else, /If you're tired of fighting battles with yourself

If you want to be somebody else/Change your mind...”

References

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Sister Hazel. (2000). “Change Your Mind.” On the CD album Fortress. Los Angeles: Universal

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