About The Institute

The Institute for Solution-Focused Therapy is committed to providing outstanding training in the growing field of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. Over the years we have offered training to thousands of therapists, educators, and business people all over the world, and have provided counseling and therapy for a wide array of presenting problems.

We also have been involved in state of the art research, and our staff are known internationally as leaders in the field.

Meet The Institute Associates

What is Solution-Focused Therapy?

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), also called simply Solution-Focused Therapy, is an evidenced-based psychotherapy approach that was developed by Steve de Shazer (1940-2005), and Insoo Kim Berg (1934-2007) and their colleagues beginning in the late 1970’s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As the name suggests, SFBT is future-focused, goal-directed, and focuses on solutions, rather than on the problems that brought clients to seek therapy.

What Does the Research Say About Solution-Focused Brief Therapy?

The conclusion of the two meta-analyses and the systematic reviews, and the over-all conclusion of the most recent scholarly work on SFBT, is that Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is an effective approach to the treatment of psychological problems, with effect sizes similar to other evidenced-based approaches, such as CBT and IPT, but that these effects are found in fewer average sessions, and using an approach style that is more benign (Gingerich et al, 2012; Trepper & Franklin, 2012).

Summer Intensive Certificate Program – Registration Now Open!

Solution-Focused Fundamentals and Practice
Sponsored by The Institute for Solution-Focused Therapy
Save the Date: 7/30/18-8/3/18
Tower Hill Botanic Gardens, Boylston, MA,
Register before May 1 and save $100!

The Solution-Focused Summer Intensive provides a rigorous 5- day certificate program in Solution-Focused Fundamentals and Practice. Anne Lutz and Yvonne Dolan invite you to join us for a summer intensive in Solution-Focused Fundamentals and Practice in the beautiful setting of Tower Hill Botanic Gardens in Boylston, MA, less than an hour away from both Boston and Providence Rhode Island. Tower Hill features 17 distinct gardens, preserved woodlands, and miles of walking trails.

This intensive will provide the fundamentals of the solution-focused approach, applications of this method with substance use, trauma, children and families, anxiety, schools, the medical setting, supervision, and solution-focused strategies in wellness. The workshop will be taught using a combination of didactics, role-plays, ample video examples, exercises and case discussions.

There will be plenty of opportunities to network, build relationships and have a forum to exchange and collaborate on ideas.

This program has been approved for 33.75 Category I MaMHCA hours for relicensure, in accordance with 262 CMR.

Customized Agency Training and Consultation

We are pleased to offer customized training and consultation to agencies. We work hard to meet your individualized needs and goals. We would love to talk with you and discuss your best hopes so you can be confident that our training will make a positive difference for your unique work environment. We have provided training to many agencies applying solution-focused practices to diverse settings such as in the medical field, schools, community mental health clinics, college advising, and many others. (See the list of types of training we have provided). We continually are inspired by the amazing work people are doing and hope through our collaboration with your agency, the skills you learn, and practice will be immediately applied in your unique setting ultimately resulting in improved client outcomes.

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“Solution-Focused Inspirations”

The "Solution-Focused Inspirations” newsletter is dedicated to the late Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer. Our “Best Hope” for the newsletter is to continue to learn and inspire one another in the practice of Solution-Focused Therapy.
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View over 30 sample session videos in Anne’s book, Learning Solution-Focused Therapy along with books by Institute associates

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