ABSTRACT
The solution-focused approach recognises the self-evident truth that behavioural problems persist when attempted solutions have not worked. The solution-focused approach sprang from systems theory, which upholds that any individuals who are in ongoing contact unavoidably influence each other. Solution-focused theory represents at least three fundamental shifts in focus from individualist theories. First, instead of examining individuals, it addresses how they are interacting. Second, rather than examining the past for causes of a problem, it seeks to intervene in the present. Third, the intervention is driven by the perceptions of those experiencing the problem, rather than by a counsellor’s theoretical understandings. According to the solution-focused approach, problematic behaviour persists when everyday developmental challenges or crises are accidentally mishandled. However, young people rarely volunteer that they need help with their behaviour at school and thus are usually unmotivated to enact others’ recommended solutions.
