Basic – Solution-Focused Skills and Practice for Schools

The most effective way for educational organizations, and school staff to learn solution-focused brief therapy skills is to have intensive guided practice. This course is designed to provide opportunities to practice the core solution-focused skills under the guidance of a master solution-focused practitioner and trainer in the context of schools and educational organizations. Participants will learn to apply solution-focused questions, construct questions to enhance hope, describe how to build a “yes-set, illustrate goal negotiation, and give examples of solution-focused scaling questions. The course provides an additive live-interactive learning dimension to our self-paced behavioral health offerings. The course provides 12 hours total of live interactive teaching, personal and professional training practice exercises, case presentations, role-plays, and video observations demonstrating how participants have applied solution-focused skills in their unique area of practice. The 12-hours of training can be customized in a way that works best for your organization. This course is limited to 25 participants per cohort to maximize interactive learning.

We also offer this as a self-paced customized course developed from your organization’s live course: BASIC Self-Paced Solution-Focused Skills and Practice For Schools. By recording your organization’s live sessions, we can provide organizations with a customized course that offers a sustainable, flexible, and customizable solution to provide organizations with training and continuing education even if participants cannot be present for the entire 12 hours of live-interactive BASIC – Solution-focused skills and practice for schools course. The self-paced customized course also provides solutions to meet the challenges of schools and educational organizations with complex staffing needs, onboarding new staff, staff turnover, unanticipated crises that require immediate staff attention, or any of a variety of unpredictable events that make it difficult for staff to participate in all 12 hours of the live sessions. Continuing education mandates require participants to be present for the entire live synchronous courses. This self-paced course offers a creative solution. This course has a required exam to earn continuing education credits.

Last Updated: February 2025

Target Audience: Educators, school social workers, psychologists, mental health counselors, advisors, administrators, and medical practitioners in school settings; appropriate for all levels of knowledge. This course provides participants with the fundamentals of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, an evidence-based trauma-informed treatment approach that can be implemented within schools and educational organizations.

1. Demonstrate the use of at least two core solution-focused questions by applying them in role-plays and interactive breakout sessions set in educational environments.
2. Apply evidence-based complimenting techniques by selecting, using, and justifying appropriate direct and indirect compliments in school-related case discussions.
3. Analyze and apply at least two strategies for discovering and amplifying positive differences/exceptions in students or school personnel by responding to case-based discussions and role-play exercises.
4. Demonstrate the process of building an emotional “yes-set” by practicing structured interactions in simulated school scenarios and breakout groups.
5. Develop and apply a shared language that integrates both client language and solution-focused terminology in collaborative exercises during practice sessions.
6. Describe and apply a systems perspective in schools by using the VIPS framework in an applied case study discussion.
7. Practice and evaluate skills that facilitate goal negotiation and sustain a solution-focused conversation in school settings through role-plays, breakout sessions, and structured feedback discussions.
8. Assess and differentiate the qualities of well-formed goals using case examples, applying solution-focused principles in real-world educational scenarios.
9. Utilize and refine solution-focused scaling questions to enhance goal negotiation—including incorporating VIPS—by applying them in breakout session role-plays and interactive exercises.
10. Demonstrate techniques for amplifying scaling questions in school-based contexts by engaging in interactive exercises and video case debriefings.
11. Apply solution-focused safety questions in case-based scenarios to promote student and staff well-being, discussing implementation strategies in interactive group discussions.

Course Agenda

The course is divided into six sections, each lasting 2 hours. The 12 hours are scheduled to accommodate your organization’s needs. Each participant will receive an online course with materials for their reference. The live sessions are recorded and also put into your customized course. The six sections cover the following topics:

1. Introduction to Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Practices in Schools
2. Amygdala Whispering and Agency Activation
3. VIP Mapping and Cultivating Connections in Schools
4. Best Hope Mapping and Goal Negotiation
5. Solution-Focused Scaling and Solution-Focused Safety Assessment
6. Solution-focused Follow-up Conversations and Graduation

Participants will be assessed in the following manner:

• Class Participation: Students are invited to clarify things they do not understand, pose questions, offer ideas, and broaden perspectives. Participants are encouraged to participate in exercises and discussions.

12 CE Credit/Clock Hours are available for this live course.

Please see our Continuing Education Information page for information about CE credits and clock hours and our accreditations and approvals for psychologists, social workers, counselors, and marriage & family therapists.

Participants should check with their professional licensing boards to ensure that a specific course will be accepted toward their continuing education requirements.
To receive continuing education hours, the participant must attend the entire online presentation with their camera on, engage in all activities with their camera on, and complete the course evaluation.

Upon successfully completing the course, participants will be given instructions on downloading and printing their Certificates of Completion.

No conflicts of interest or commercial support are present for the CE program, instructor, or presentation.

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