Solution Focused Formulations

Veronica-Bliss

Abstract

Problem formulations are often said to be essential to ethical therapeutic interventions by professionals working therapeutically in mental health. These formulations provide an explanation of the problem along with a road map of what needs to change to ameliorate the problem. The lack of focus on problems puts solution focused work at odds with most other mainstream therapies, and a lack of problem formulation is but one of the differences thrown up by working in a solution focused way. The author describes very briefly the history of problem formulations then describes how SF work addresses some of the features said to be common to these formulations. A diagram of a possible SF formulation is given. It is the author’s conclusion that SF workers do a type of co-formulation with clients that meets many of the ‘requirements’ of a problem formulation process. There is much more work needed to determine whether or not SF therapists wish to engage in a type of formulating or whether we, as a group, adopt the stance that formulations are not established as necessary for ethical, effective therapeutic working.

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