Solution-focused therapy / SFB-A12-3
Specific Compliments by Consent — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about specific compliments by consent while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Devin kept a boundary during a busy week but does not want to be called strong.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. Acknowledgment is most useful when accurate and acceptable to the recipient.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore specific compliments by consent 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: Acknowledgment is most useful when accurate and acceptable to the recipient. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Identify an observable effort and ask whether acknowledging it fits the person's experience. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Devin kept a boundary during a busy week but does not want to be called strong.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: What kind of acknowledgment feels respectful? 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 kind of acknowledgment feels respectful?
- 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.