Brief Therapy is a therapy of options, alternatives, and emphasizes more than one way to look at problems, situations, and circumstances. It also...

• recognizes that "solution-talk" is much more effective than "problem-talk."



• facilitates realistic, achievable, specific, and behaviorally defined goals.



• utilizes the importance of homework assignments, reframing, humor, and paradoxical tasks as facilitators for client-generated solutions.



• utilizes the client’s language. In doing this, the therapist learns to use the client’s frame of reference without imposing his own.

"Solution-talk..."

Brief therapy:

focuses on solutions and not on problems or pathology or causes of problems
or even how problems are maintained.

is present and future oriented; minimizes importance of past unresolved
childhood issues.

assumes the client has had problem-free times and focuses on solutions the
client used during those times.

emphasizes that change can occur quickly.

focuses on the client’s competence, strengths, resources, abilities, and not on
his deficits.

recognizes that in various stages of individual/family development disruptions,
derailments and dislocations can occur that may require brief therapy.