Solution-focused therapy / SFB-A14-3
Try Something Different — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about try something different while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Devin repeatedly rewrites a plan and considers asking one clarifying question instead.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. A small variation can be explored when a repeated strategy is not helping.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore try something different 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 small variation can be explored when a repeated strategy is not helping. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Identify a stuck response and design one safe, reversible alternative without predicting success. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Devin repeatedly rewrites a plan and considers asking one clarifying question instead.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: What would you learn from a modest variation? 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 would you learn from a modest variation?
- 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.