Solution-focused therapy / SFB-A13-3
Doing More of What Helps — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about doing more of what helps while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: A quiet walk helped Devin once but is inaccessible during a pain flare.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. Repeating a helpful action involves checking context and cost.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore doing more of what helps 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: Repeating a helpful action involves checking context and cost. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Choose a previously useful action, identify when it fits, and note when it should not be repeated. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: A quiet walk helped Devin once but is inaccessible during a pain flare.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: What condition makes this option useful rather than obligatory? 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 condition makes this option useful rather than obligatory?
- 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.