Solution Based Therapy: How I work myself out of a job
Therapy shouldn’t go on forever. That’s why I focus on setting and achieving goals as part of solution based therapy. Basically, I want to work myself out of a job.
Solution based therapy is therapy that focuses on fixing problems, not just talking about them. It involves defining a problem, getting to the root of it, setting goals to overcome it, and tracking progress.
How solution based therapy works
When a patient comes to me for solution based therapy, first we talk and get to know each other. We’ll talk about the person’s life and history, and any problems they want to tackle.
We talk about the past, but more about the future. Of course we want to get to the root of what’s causing the patient’s issue, and sometimes we’ve got to go all the way back to childhood to figure that out. But mostly, we talk about the future. We visualize how life would be different with certain changes. I like to think the solution based therapy I provide for my patients is about building a joyful future, not dwelling on problems.
Once we nail down the changes they want to make, whether that’s solving an issue in their marriage, controlling anger, building confidence, or something else, we go about finding ways to “fix” that problem.
I don’t solve problems, patients do
I know my patients have already solved a million other problems in their lives. So one question I always ask is, “How do you think we can solve this?” Not because I want them to do my job, but because their input is important. They have to be a very active participant in their own healing process. I can give guidance, but ultimately, it’s up to them to do the work.
We’ll often talk about ways they have solved other problems in that past to see if any of those tactics could be used today.
Most of the time, problems have their good days and bad days. What I do is try to focus on what happens on the good days, so we can figure out the difference and find a way to work long-term solutions out of those short-term strategies.
Solution based marriage counseling
Are you and your spouse at each other’s throats more than you’re at each other’s sides? If you’re ready to quit fighting and start healing, solution based marriage counseling could be just what you need.
Couples therapy is one place where people come to me wanting results, not just talk. I oblige them with solution based marriage counseling. We work hard to get to the root of problems, then figure out behaviors that can heal old wounds and build the beautiful future you always imagined.
People are more resilient than they think
With solution based therapy, we focus on resiliency and determination, which most therapy-goers have plenty of. Making the decision to come to therapy to improve their lives shows that. But sometimes I have to remind people just how strong they really are.
Some people think therapy is going to somehow change the person they are. It doesn’t. And it shouldn’t have to. What I try to accomplish with my patients is more like uncovering what’s already there, and finding solutions for whatever issue is holding them back from being the person they want to be.
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