Solution-focused therapy / SFB-A05-3
Deliberate and Accidental Exceptions — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about deliberate and accidental exceptions while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Devin worked well in a quiet waiting room without planning to.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. A helpful difference can be noticed even when it was unplanned.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore deliberate and accidental exceptions using an ordinary or fictional example? We can adapt it, observe, or stop." Ask what the person wants from the conversation.
Elicit before teaching
Ask: "How does this show up, if at all, in your own words?" Offer this idea tentatively: A helpful difference can be noticed even when it was unplanned. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Compare one intentional change with one helpful accident and identify what can be repeated. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Devin worked well in a quiet waiting room without planning to.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: What part of the accident can become a chosen support? Avoid assigning motives or interpreting silence as agreement.
Respond to a mismatch
If the person rejects the frame, say: "Thank you for correcting it. What would be more useful?" Return to their language or choose a different approach.
Close with agency
Ask which observation, question, or support request the person wants to keep. Confirm a manageable ending and appropriate follow-up; do not turn a tentative possibility into a homework obligation.
Prompts for this resource
- Readiness, permission, cultural context, and access needs to check:
- What part of the accident can become a chosen support?
- What would tell me to adapt, stop, or seek supervision?
Conceptual background
What is Solution-Focused Therapy? — Solution-Focused Therapy Institute
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.