Basic – Solution-Focused Skills and Practice for Agencies

The most effective way for behavioral health organization 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. 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 includes six bi-monthly group sessions (two hours each, 12 hours total) with 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. There is a limit of 25 participants per cohort to enhance interactions and learning. 

We also offer this as a self-paced customized course: BASIC Self-Paced Solution-Focused Skills and Practice for Agencies. By recording your organization’s live sessions, we can provide organizations with a customized BASIC Self-Paced Solution-Focused Skills and Practice for Agencies 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 12 hours of live-interactive BASIC – Solution-focused skills and practice for agencies course. The self-paced customized course also provides solutions to meet the challenges of training mental health 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: Social workers, psychologists, mental health counselors, educators, and medical professionals;  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. 

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

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 Agency Settings
2. Amygdala Whispering and Agency Activation
3. VIP Mapping and Cultivating Connections in Agency Settings
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: Participants 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.

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.

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, 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.

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

Our complete list of policies can be viewed here.