Solution-Focused Therapy
Solution-focused therapy (SFT) is a therapy model that embraces a goal-directed approach toward emotional relief. Rather than targeting and analyzing problems, you'll be encouraged to consider the best solutions for moving forward in building a preferred future. SFT is collaborative, friendly, and always respectful of a client's specific needs. If you are seeking therapy to tackle a particular problem, SFT can provide a reasonable roadmap to help you resolve it.
For solution-focused therapy, book with:
Amy Parsons
D’Arcy Arseneau
Dayirai Kapfunde (virtual only)
Kenneth Guye (virtual only)
Kim Cardinal
Samantha LeBlanc
Sarah Callin
What Happens During Solution-Focused Therapy Sessions?
SFT is solution-oriented and future-focused. The model assumes that you are the expert on your own life. Therapists, therefore, don't act in an all-knowing stance. Instead, they collaborate with you to help you find solutions and build the confidence to achieve your desired goals.
In SFT, therapy techniques primarily focus on drawing upon your own inner strengths and resources. While exploring past life events may be important, the model emphasizes how to find solutions and relief in the present and future. Future-focused questions help you clarify what matters most in defining your own goals for therapy.
Miracle question: The miracle question is a specific question that encourages you to imagine a future where the problem was no longer a problem. For example, a therapist might ask, "If you woke up tomorrow and were not feeling depressed, what would you do differently?"
Scaling questions: Scaling questions help you evaluate a current situation and also recognize progress. Your therapist might ask you, "On a scale of 1-10, how intense was your anxiety the other day?" If you answer a 4, your therapist might then ask, "What would have escalated it to a 5 or turned it down to a 3?" These questions help you assess your emotional states, which can support building solutions.
Exception questions: Exception questions focus on when the problem isn't a problem. It also helps you tap into current solutions you might not be that aware of. For example, if you experience low self-esteem your therapist might ask, "When was a time you didn't have low self-esteem? What made that time different? What do you need to do to have more times like that?"
Coping questions: Coping questions encourage you to recognize your current strengths and coping strategies. If you struggle with self-harm, a therapist might ask, "How did you avoid engaging in self-harm the last time you feel depressed?" This can cultivate a sense of confidence, and it may remind you of your own resilience.
Who Can Benefit from a Solution-Focused Approach?
SFT is generally a brief therapy, and many clients experience significant change after just a few sessions. While a past-oriented focus is a major premise of most talk therapies, SFT is different in that it truly embraces what's already working while emphasizing your capacity for effective problem-solving. Research shows that SFT can be particularly helpful who need support with:
poor impulse control, including substance use, and disordered eating
child behavioural problems (school avoidance, emotional dysregulation, aggression at home)
anxiety and depression
moving through trauma symptoms
In SFT, every therapy session is intended to help you feel less "stuck" with your life or problems. Over time, you become more skilled in solution-building, which improves your overall well-being. This work also helps you come closer to living the desired future of your dreams.
Solution-Focused Therapy in Fort McMurray
How to Start Solution-Focused Therapy
Beginning solution-focused therapy with Boreal Therapy Collective is easy and requires no referral. You can book your initial assessment here.
Understanding Length of Therapy and Treatment
Your first appointment will be 90-minutes long. For all future appointments, you can choose to book for 1 hour or 90-minutes. During your first appointment, your therapist will ask you questions to better understand you and your areas of struggle. This is known as an assessment. Depending on how much you share, the assessment phase can last anywhere from one to three appointments. The assessment is critical. It helps you and your therapist understand your goals, and it helps your therapist develop a treatment plan to support you in achieving these goals.
After the assessment is complete, treatment begins! In the treatment phase, you will learn more about solution-focused therapy and will be introduced to a variety of strategies to improve your mental health. Most people will have a therapy session every two weeks, and we recommend this for optimal treatment. Solution-focused therapy, in particular, is designed to be quite brief (three to six appointments). However, many choose to continue therapy once formal treatment is complete. This is referred to as maintenance. People who do this typically have an appointment once every six to eight weeks. This is not a requirement and is a matter of personal choice.
Solution-Focused Therapy at Boreal Therapy Collective
Where We Are Located
We’re located at 8530 Manning Avenue, Unit 104. You’ll find us in the Service Canada building (on the side of the building that faces the Clearwater River). To check out our space, click here.
Parking is located at the front and back of the building. The front parking lot is closer to us but tends to fill up quickly. There is also an empty dirt lot adjacent to our office that many use for parking. If you park at the back (where Service Canada is located), you can walk around the building to reach our office. To learn more about parking, click here.
Importantly, you do not need to be in town for treatment. We offer in-person and virtual therapy and our therapists are happy to provide whatever option works best for you!
Rates & Benefit Coverage
Initial assessments are billed at a rate of $330.00 for a 90-minute appointment. Follow-up sessions are billed at a rate of $220.00/hour or $330.00/90-minutes (you can choose your preferred appointment length when booking).
Our social workers offer direct billing to 25+ benefit providers. Many benefit providers will cover a portion or the whole amount of your therapy session. With your consent, we will always direct bill your benefit provider first. Please note that our Registered Psychiatric Nurses are typically ineligible for direct billing.
If we are unable to direct bill, you can pay via email money transfer or credit card. You will be given a receipt once payment has been collected. For more information on benefit coverage, click here.
