Solution-Focused Therapy: Is It Useful for Nurses in the Workplace?

Solution‐focused therapy is a fairly new idea in nursing. It began in the mid‐70s with a group of family therapists working in Milwaukee, S WI. The therapists adapted this brief therapy model, which originated at the Mental Research Institute in Palto Alto, CA. The solution‐focused therapy centers more on solutions rather than on problems and on the "then and there." It is goal‐driven, individual based, and focuses on strengths (what is good that is happening) rather than on weaknesses, such as problems. This premise and philosophy are now being applied in employee assistance programs, parenting techniques, pediatric applications, and schools.