Solution-focused therapy / SFB-A10-3
Relationship Questions — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about relationship questions while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Devin thinks a friend would notice more relaxed conversation after work.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. Other perspectives can clarify change without assuming others know best.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore relationship questions 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: Other perspectives can clarify change without assuming others know best. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Imagine what a trusted person might notice about a small improvement, then compare that guess with your own priorities. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Devin thinks a friend would notice more relaxed conversation after work.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: Whose perspective is useful, and where might it differ from yours? 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:
- Whose perspective is useful, and where might it differ from yours?
- 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.