When enquiring about solution-focused therapy some prospective clients worry that this approach will exclude them from understanding why their problems have arisen. Answers to the question why are better left to emerge indirectly, during the quest for solutions, as they then feel less overwhelming and uncontrollable.
During solution focused counselling, a skilled SFBT practitioner will ask questions which enable clients to think about their situation in a different way and they can come, indirectly, to an understanding of why they are behaving as they are or what they believe may lie at the root of their problems. With this approach people not only gain insight, but, by not focusing directly and constantly on the whys and wherefores aren’t led down paths which make them feel overwhelmed by their difficulties – therapy should not be about creating or maintaining a feeling of hopelessness and victimisation.
Searching for the reasons or ‘analysing’ meanings which lie behind behaviours are essentially a question of interpretation – by both clients and therapists. They can often be a red herring since we can only really speculate as to why we do certain things – more often than not there isn’t a direct correlation between cause and effect. When your therapist analyses and interprets your behaviours, patterns or problems you cannot be sure they’re right, no matter what their training, since in the end it’s an unproven opinion often posing as professional analysis.
No matter what the reasons are which lie behind your problems, at the end of the day, if you truly want your situation to improve, you still have to actually take control and do something about them – this is a key point where solution-focused counselling and other talking therapies diverge – best of all searching for solutions and taking control of changes puts you in the driving seat.