ABSTRACT
When observing therapy sessions, experienced solution-focused practitioners believe they can pick out practitioners who are being solution-focused. Often they will speak about whether those being observed are “doing it” or not. In my opinion, the core, non-negotiable “it” of solution-focused therapy (SFT) is the ability of practitioners to listen for hints of possibility and then formulate responses–especially questions–that connect to these hints, regularly incorporating clients’ words into their responses. The hints that practitioners listen for and connect to are client meanings about what clients might want along with related exceptions, personal strengths, and outside resources. Formulating questions about these hints invites clients into conversations that co-construct new meanings about more satisfying futures and ways to make these happen that are grounded in clients’ capacities and resources.
