The Institute for Solution-Focused Therapy wishes you all a peaceful and healthy new year for 2023. A special thank you to the healthcare workers, educators, and all those working tirelessly on the frontlines of this mental health pandemic, holding hope for so many people in need. We invite you to ponder the following solution-focused reflections to give you space to appreciate and celebrate your many strengths with gratitude.
Reflections on Joy
Think about this past year. What did you most enjoy doing?
- Was it different how you were able to enjoy those experiences?
- How was it different for you?
- Was it helpful for you?
- How was it helpful for you?
- How did you foster those moments of joy?
- Who would notice when you are enjoying your life?
- What would they notice you doing?
- On a scale from 1-10, where ten is you are confident that you can continue to create moments of joy and one is the opposite, where are you now?
- What would be a good enough number?
- What keeps the number from being lower? What else?
- What would you be doing when the number goes up by one point if the number is not good enough?
- What do you want to keep doing to keep the number from going lower?
- Supposing you asked your VIPs (those relationships that are most important to you) how confident they are that you can create moments of joy in your life from 1-10, what number would they give you?
- What keeps their number from being lower?
Reflections on your Best Hopes for the Coming Year
What are your best hopes so at the end of the year, you can say it was a satisfying, meaningful, and joyful year?
- What would you be doing?
- What else would you be doing?
- What would others notice you doing?
- Suppose ten is you are very confident in your skills to achieve your best hopes, and one is the opposite; where are you now?
- What keeps the number from being lower? What else?
- What would be a good enough number?
- What would you be doing when that number goes up by one point?
- How confident are your VIPS that you can achieve your best hopes?
- What do they know about you that you can achieve your best hopes?
Reflections on a Challenging Event
Think about a challenging event you experienced. Practice asking the following questions with a colleague and also with clients. There is no need to get details of the event. Instead, begin with the following questions.
- How did you cope/endure/manage?
- How else?
- What was most helpful for you in moving forward?
- Who helped you?
- Who else?
- What did you learn from this?
- What else?
- On a scale from 1-10, where ten is you are satisfied with how you coped, and one is the opposite, where would you rate yourself?
- What would be a good enough number?
- What is the highest it has been? Has the number gone up, down, or stayed the same?
- What keeps it from being lower? What else?
- How would you discover when it goes up by one point? How else?
- How would your VIPs rate how well you coped from 1-10?
- Could any of this challenge be viewed as a gift? If so, what aspect of my current situation might I view as a gift to be treasured?
- How does it benefit me or others?
