Core Skills in Solution-Focused Practice

This live, interactive training is designed to help participants develop confidence and competence in applying Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) principles and skills in everyday professional practice. Participants learn through instructor-led teaching, live demonstrations, guided practice, case discussions, role-plays, and individualized feedback, with opportunities to apply solution-focused skills to their own professional settings.

Participants develop core solution-focused competencies, including solution-focused questioning, building a “yes-set,” negotiating meaningful goals, identifying strengths and resources, and using scaling questions to promote hope, engagement, and meaningful change.

The 12 training hours are scheduled to meet each organization’s needs and may be delivered as a single training or divided into multiple live sessions.

To promote meaningful interaction, skills practice, and individualized feedback, training cohorts are generally limited to 25 participants.

Organizations may also elect to have their live training sessions recorded to create a customized self-paced training resource. These recordings support onboarding of new staff, ongoing workforce development, implementation, sustainability, staff turnover, scheduling conflicts, and other situations that may prevent participants from attending all live sessions.

A separate self-paced course, Self-Paced Core Skills in Solution-Focused Practice, is also available. This course is created from your organization’s recorded live training and is offered as a separate continuing education activity with its own registration, course requirements, posttest, evaluation, and certificate of completion. Participants who successfully complete all self-paced course requirements may earn continuing education credit for the self-paced course. Learn more about the Self-Paced Core Skills in Solution-Focused Practice course.

Last Updated: July 2026

Target Audience: This course is designed for social workers, psychologists, counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, peer support professionals, educators, school personnel, child welfare professionals, case managers, behavioral health professionals, and other helping professionals interested in learning Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT).

Content Level: Beginner

Prerequisites: No prior training in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is required.

Delivery Method

Live In-Person: Instructor-led instruction includes live lectures, clinical demonstrations, guided practice, role-plays, case application, small-group discussion, and interactive feedback.

Live Online: Synchronous distance learning delivered through a web-based videoconferencing platform. Instruction includes live lectures, clinical demonstrations, guided practice, role-plays, case application, small-group breakout discussions, and interactive feedback.

System Requirements

Live Online Course: Participants need a reliable high-speed internet connection, a computer, laptop, or tablet capable of accessing the required web-based videoconferencing platform, a current web browser, speakers or headphones, and a microphone. A webcam is recommended to support interaction and attendance verification.

Live In-Person Course: Participants should attend the designated training location identified by the organization and bring any course materials provided before the training.

Participation Requirements

This course is designed as a live, interactive educational experience. Participants are expected to remain present and actively engage throughout the training by participating in instructor-led discussions, guided practice, case applications, role-plays, and other interactive learning activities that support achievement of the course learning objectives.

For live online courses, participants are encouraged to keep their cameras on whenever feasible to support interaction and attendance verification. Reasonable accommodations and alternative methods of verifying attendance are available upon request.

Participant support and instructor communication: Participants may contact info@solutionfocused.net with questions regarding course content, registration, technical support, or certificates of completion. Questions are reviewed by the instructor or knowledgeable course staff, and responses are typically provided within 24 hours.

Scheduling and Registration: This course is offered on a customized basis. Before registration, participants receive all required course information, including the course schedule, delivery format, registration instructions, course completion requirements, continuing education information, and instructions for accessing the online learning platform.

Financial Disclosure and Commercial Support
The Institute for Solution-Focused Therapy and all instructional personnel involved in this continuing education program have no relevant financial relationships or conflicts of interest to disclose. This continuing education activity is presented solely for educational purposes and has received no commercial support. No product endorsements are expressed or implied.

1. List and describe at least three solution-focused skills that enhance engagement and strengthen the therapeutic alliance with clients, colleagues, and stakeholders in agency settings.
2. Demonstrate the use of at least two core solution-focused questions in role-plays designed for various agency-based interactions.
3. Apply evidence-based complimenting techniques by selecting and justifying appropriate compliments in diverse client and professional contexts.
4. Analyze and articulate at least two strategies for discovering and amplifying positive differences or exceptions in clients, teams, or agency personnel using solution-focused questions.
5. Demonstrate the process of building an emotional “yes-set” in simulated client or agency-based conversations to strengthen rapport and cooperation.
6. Construct a shared language that integrates both client communication and solution-focused terminology to foster clarity and collaboration in agency settings.
7. Apply a systems perspective in agencies by using the VIPS framework to analyze case studies and enhance service delivery.
8. Demonstrate skills that facilitate goal negotiation and sustain a solution-focused conversation in agency settings through role-plays or interactive exercises.
9. Identify and evaluate the qualities of well-formed goals using case examples relevant to agency-based practice.
10. Utilize scaling questions to enhance goal negotiation, including the integration of VIPS, in simulated agency-based interactions.
11. Exhibit techniques for amplifying scaling questions within client and agency-based interactions to refine goal-setting and progress evaluation.
12. Integrate solution-focused safety questions into case examples to promote well-being and resilience for clients, staff, and organizations in agency settings.

Course Agenda

This course consists of 12 hours of live, interactive instruction organized into six instructional topics (2 hours each). The training schedule is customized to meet each organization’s needs. Before registration, participants receive the organization-specific course schedule, including instructional times, scheduled breaks, delivery format, and course access information. Participants receive course materials for future reference. Live sessions may be recorded to create a customized self-paced training resource for the organization.

• Introduction to Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Practices in Agency Settings — 2 hours
• Amygdala Whispering and Agency Activation — 2 hours
• VIP Mapping and Cultivating Connections in Agency Settings — 2 hours
• Best Hope Mapping and Goal Negotiation — 2 hours
• Solution-Focused Scaling and Solution-Focused Safety Assessment — 2 hours
• Solution-Focused Follow-Up Conversations and Graduation — 2 hours

Participants must attend the entire live program, actively participate in course activities, and complete the course evaluation to receive continuing education credit and a Certificate of Completion.

Certificate of Completion

To earn continuing education credit, participants must attend the full live interactive course and complete the required course evaluation. Upon successful completion of these requirements, participants may immediately download and print their Certificate of Completion from the online course platform.

Cancellation Policy

If a live course must be canceled, postponed, or modified because of unforeseen circumstances, participants will be notified promptly. Refunds, credits, rescheduling, or other appropriate accommodations will be provided in accordance with the Institute’s Refund Policy.

Participants who choose to withdraw from a course should refer to the Institute’s Refund Policy for applicable refund terms.

For complete information regarding enrollment, cancellations, refunds, and other policies, please review our Policies, Terms, and Statements, including:

• Terms of Use
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• Diversity Statement

View our complete Policies, Terms, and Statements here.