Affordable Therapy

Does one need to be in long-term therapy before one sees the results?

Absolutely not. People often look for long-term therapy to work on deep-seated issues such as childhood abuse, trauma, and family-of-origin issues. But these are by no means the only way you can alleviate your present psychological problems. There are alternatives to dwelling on the past and exploring how historical factors led a person to his/her present predicament. After all, history is static: you cannot do anything to change it. Instead, you want to ask yourself, "Given what has happened, how do I move on?" This is like being dealt with a hand at poker that is far from perfect--the challenge is to play as good a game as you can with what options are available to you.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) helps you maintain a forward-looking perspective by focusing on how you want things to be different and how to get there. It helps you take stock of your strengths (including a desire to change) and explores ways to develop these strengths so you reach your goals. Often, even without your awareness, elements of your desired outcomes are already present in your life. They become the ongoing basis for change and, with the help of a therapist, become amplified so that bigger changes can take place.

Establishing clear and specific goals is vital to the success of SFBT. Compared with therapists who adopt a psychodynamic tradition (think Freud), SFBT therapists are also more directive in keeping the focus on goals and how to reach them. Though SFBT tends not to set a limit on the number of sessions, the course of treatment is usually six sessions or less, simply because the approach is dynamic, focused, and goal-driven.

Though some poo-poo SFBT as a Band-Aid solution to psychological distress because it doesn't "get to the root" of the problem, research has shown impressive support for its efficacy. Maybe SFBT won't help you work through your feelings of abandonment and other childhood wounds, but it helps you to begin creating changes in the present so your unfinished business from your past no longer gets in the way of living a fulfilling life.

What does SFBT treat? The sky's the limit, though it's best suited for adjustment problems, stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, relationship problems (couples and family), and trauma.

If you're looking for a therapist but are skeptical about throwing in thousands of dollars for long-term treatment, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy may be the perfect answer for you.

SFBT Summer Special: 6 sessions for $400! Call (206)280-3591 or email me to schedule a free 30-minute consultation to find out if SFBT is right for you.