Solution-Focused Violence Prevention: Skills and Practice for Agencies

This introductory live course explores how violence can be effectively prevented using a solution-focused approach. Grounded in the Three P’s: Prevention, Partnerships, and Perspective, participants will learn how to build strengths-based, collaborative conversations that contribute to safer communities.
The course emphasizes the development of core solution-focused communication and engagement skills through intensive, interactive learning. Participants will receive guidance from an experienced trainer and engage in practical exercises, role-play scenarios, and group discussions designed to build fluency in the approach.

Special attention is given to integrating solution-focused methods into participants’ own professional settings, including healthcare, education, social services, and community work.

Last Updated: August 2025

Social workers, psychologists, mental health counselors, educators, medical professionals, and front-line staff;  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 diverse contexts and clinical populations. 

This course is offered as a live, interactive, practice-based course, available either in person or via Zoom.

• In-person: The training runs over two full days, with 6 hours of structured group learning each day.
• Online (Zoom): The 12 hours can be delivered in flexible segments tailored to your organization’s schedule.

We also provide a free consultation to learn about your organization’s needs and to customize the training for maximum impact.

The course includes:

• Brief lectures introducing foundational concepts
• Demonstrations of solution-focused strategies
• Role-play practice with real-time coaching
• Case applications relevant to various work settings
• Live feedback and peer reflection
• Small group discussions on successes, adaptations, and challenges

This format promotes immediate skill development, enabling participants to confidently apply solution-focused practices within their professional contexts.

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the Three P’s of Violence Prevention: prevention, partnerships, and perspective.
2. Identify core solution-focused skills that support client engagement and therapeutic collaboration.
3. Demonstrate the use of solution-focused questions to explore client strengths, resources, and preferred outcomes.
4. Demonstrate the use of strengths-based compliments to reinforce progress and resilience.
5. Apply solution-focused techniques to identify and amplify exceptions and positive differences.
6. Demonstrate conversational strategies for amygdala whispering and creating an emotional “yes-set” in client dialogue.
7. Apply shared language techniques that integrate the client’s voice with solution-focused terminology.
8. Explain how the VIPs (Very Important Presences) framework contributes to a systems-oriented understanding of client context.
9. Demonstrate goal-setting conversations that maintain a solution-focused stance while gathering required clinical information.
10. Summarize the features of well-formed solution-focused goals.
11. Explain how scaling questions can enhance goal negotiation and include client-identified VIPs.
12. Apply techniques to deepen and expand responses to scaling questions.
13. Integrate solution-focused safety questions into case discussions to promote protection and hope.
14. Apply core solution-focused practices within participants’ specific professional or community settings.

Participants will be assessed in the following manner. 

Discussions, practice exercises, and active engagement are essential components of this training. Participants are encouraged to share knowledge, perspectives, and experiences, and to respectfully challenge one another to deepen understanding of the course material. Asking clarifying questions, offering ideas, and broadening perspectives are welcomed and expected.

To support meaningful interaction and to verify attendance for continuing education credit, participants are expected to remain present and engaged throughout the live session. This includes keeping cameras on during sessions, except where accommodations are needed and arranged in advance. This practice allows instructors to verify participation and ensures the interactive standards set forth by accrediting organizations.

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

Participants should check with their professional licensing boards to ensure that a specific course will be accepted toward their continuing education requirements.

The Institute for Solution-Focused Therapy, provider number 1831, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/22/2023 – 9/22/2026. Social workers completing this course receive 12 Clinical continuing education credits.

To receive continuing education hours, the participant must attend the entire online presentation, engage in all activities, and complete the course evaluation.

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

After you have completed the course and completed the course evaluation, you will receive your certificate of completion. You will be able to save the certificate as a PDF file, from which you can also print it.

Instructional/CE Hours

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

Certificate of Completion

After you have completed all of the sections and completed the course evaluation, you will receive your certificate of completion. You will be able to save and print the certificate. Continuing Education 12 CE Credit/Clock Hours are available for this course. Upon successful completion of the course, the participant may download and print their Certificate of Completion.

Continuing Education Credit Information

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

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

Psychologists

The Institute for Solution-Focused Therapy, LLC, is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Institute for Solution-Focused Therapy, LLC, maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Psychologists completing this course receive 2 continuing education hours.

The Institute is also recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0127).

Social Workers

The Institute for Solution-Focused Therapy, provider number 1831, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/22/2023 – 9/22/2026. Social workers completing this course receive 2 Clinical continuing education credits.

The Institute is also approved by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work (#SW-0656), and by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling.

Counselors

The Institute for Solution-Focused Therapy, LLC has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7049. The Institute for Solution-Focused Therapy, LLC, is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. Counselors completing this course receive 2 clock hours.

The Institute is also approved by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0233), and by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board.

Participants should check with their professional licensing boards to ensure that a specific course will be accepted for 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, and complete the course evaluation.

Our complete list of policies can be viewed here.

Pricing varies according to agency needs. Please contact us and consider scheduling a pre-training agency consultation.