Solution-focused therapy / SFB-A15-3
Noticing Change between Sessions — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about noticing change between sessions while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Devin looks for one occasion of beginning a task with less preparation.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. Change can be observed without assigning constant homework.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore noticing change between sessions 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: Change can be observed without assigning constant homework. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Choose one sign of a preferred difference and a low-burden way to notice whether it appears. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Devin looks for one occasion of beginning a task with less preparation.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: What is enough observation for this week? 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 is enough observation for this week?
- 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.