Solution Focused Therapy is associated with which origin/perspective?

• A. Brief therapy
• B. Crisis theory
• C. Systems theory
• D. Rise in strengths-based perspective

Answer: (D)

Solution Focused Therapy centers on leveraging clients’ strengths, resources, and possible solutions rather than dwelling on problems. It was developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg in Milwaukee in the late 1970s and 1980s, grounded in a collaborative, future-oriented, goal-driven stance that highlights what works and how clients can move forward.

This orientation fits with the rise in strengths-based perspectives in social work, which prioritize capabilities, resilience, and practical steps toward desired outcomes. While the approach is often brief in duration and can be used within various systems, its defining frame is the focus on strengths and solutions rather than deficits, crises, or purely systemic analysis.