Solution-Focused Therapy for Children and Teens: Building on Strengths

What Is Solution-Focused Therapy?

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a short-term, evidence-based form of therapy that focuses on a child or teen’s strengths, resources, and future goals rather than their past problems.

Instead of spending long periods analyzing difficulties, SFBT helps young people imagine a preferred future, identify what is already working, and build small, realistic steps toward change. This makes therapy hopeful, practical, and motivating for children and families.

SFBT is especially well-suited for children and teens because it emphasizes positivity, collaboration, and achievable goals — often using creative activities, metaphors, or simple questions.

What Does Research Say?

• Children and Adolescents with Behavioral and Emotional Difficulties: Multiple reviews have found SFBT effective in reducing conduct problems, improving classroom behavior, and supporting emotional well-being.

• School Settings: Studies show SFBT improves student motivation, attendance, and self-confidence, making it a strong option in educational contexts.

• Mental Health Outcomes: A meta-analysis of controlled trials reports that SFBT has a positive impact on depression, anxiety, and family communication in young people.

• Cross-Cultural Effectiveness: Because it builds on individual and family strengths, SFBT has been shown to adapt well across cultures and countries.

How Solution-Focused Therapy Works for Kids & Teens

1. Setting Goals: The therapist asks what the child or teen wants to achieve (e.g., “What will be different when things are better?”).

2. Future-Focused Questions: Tools like the “Miracle Question” help children imagine how life would look if their problem was suddenly solved. This opens up hopeful and creative thinking.

3. Scaling Questions: Children rate their progress on a scale (for example, 1 to 10). This makes improvement visible and helps them recognize small successes.

4. Highlighting Strengths: The therapist explores times when the child already coped well or when the problem was less intense. These examples are used as building blocks for future progress.

5. Small Steps Forward: The focus is on achievable next steps rather than solving everything at once. This empowers children and reduces feelings of being overwhelmed.

6. Family and School Involvement: Parents, caregivers, and teachers are often included to support and reinforce progress outside of therapy.

Why Solution-Focused Therapy Matters for Families Worldwide

• Short-Term and Efficient: Often effective in 4–8 sessions, making it accessible and affordable.

• Strength-Based: Builds on what children already do well, which boosts confidence and motivation.

• Positive and Hopeful: Helps families focus on solutions instead of being stuck in problems.

• Culturally Flexible: Can be adapted to many cultural values since it respects individual strengths and perspectives.

• Practical Results: Encourages small, concrete changes that improve daily life at home, in school, and with peers.

Solution-Focused Therapy is a powerful, research-supported approach for helping children and teens move past challenges by focusing on their strengths, resources, and goals. It empowers families to see progress quickly and build lasting change in practical, hopeful ways. For many parents, this approach feels natural because it emphasizes the positive qualities already present in their child.