Solution-Focused Model: Asking Questions

Solution-Focused Model: Asking Questions

During my fieldwork experience working with IHSS (In-Home Supportive Services) in San Joaquin County, I worked with a 56-year-old Hispanic client in severe pain regarding grief and devastating loneliness due to the loss of a long-time husband. Even though she had a caregiver, she reported being disconnected, demotivated, and uncertain of what she could do to resume everyday life. She frequently complained of feeling numb and stuck, without the ability to imagine a different and better future.

To encourage a solution-oriented thinking, I would first ask the client an exception question: “Can you tell me about a time recently, maybe even just for a short while, when you felt a bit more hopeful or have been less overburdened? What was special about that time?” I would also apply a coping question in establishing how resilient she is: “What has enabled you to go up and carry on with your normal day after everything you had to go through? What strong points have enabled you to continue?”

The proposed questions aim to turn the attention of the client away from her grief, to her natural strengths, and the little positive that already exists in her life. Franklin and Jordan (2024) point out that exception and coping questions are used to make clients aware that the change is already happening and predispose them to develop on them. Instead of delving into exploring the problem in depth, solution-focused questions assist in creating a vision of how life can be without the problem by co-creating its possibilities (Zatloukal, 2024). By proposing such questions, the client is encouraged to accept the responsibility of building the solutions, which makes their goals more straightforward to achieve and more attainable. Such questions do not just affirm the power and effort of a client, but also establish a basis of hope, meaning that a client can create another, more satisfying reality.

References

Franklin, C., & Jordan, C. (Eds.). (2024). Turner’s social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches (7th ed.). Oxford University Press. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9780197678046

Zatloukal, L. (2024). Varieties of work with preferred futures in solution-focused brief therapy. Contemporary Family Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-024-09725-9

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Solution-Focused Model: Asking Questions

Social workers who utilize the solution-focused model are mindful of how their conversations with their clients, families, groups, or even community members facilitate their thinking about solutions. The client is always the “expert,” and therefore social workers ask questions to explore how the client perceives the problem and situation.

Solution-Focused Model – Asking Questions

Social workers may use solution-focused questions such as the miracle question. For example, “Suppose you woke up one morning and by some miracle everything you ever wanted, everything good you could ever imagine for yourself, had actually happened—your life had turned out exactly the way you wanted it. What would be different in your life?” When clients are asked this, it forces them to reflect on what they want or would like to achieve. By projecting themselves into the future, clients are more likely to imagine what is possible rather than focusing on the past and their failures. This allows for the possibility of developing solutions.

In this Discussion, you apply the solution-focused model and solution-focused questions. You provide other solution-focused questions, similar to the miracle question that was provided for you.

Although the textbook provides actual examples of solution-focused questions, always think about your client—you may have to modify the question a bit to take into account the client’s age, cognitive and developmental stage, culture, etc., so that the question makes sense to the client.

Textbook link: https://login.vitalsource.com/?redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fmbsdirect.vitalsource.com%2Freader%2Fbooks%2F9780197678046%2Fepubcfi%2F6%2F196%5B%253Bvnd.vst.idref%253Disbn-9780197677254-book-part-11-sec-23%5D%21%2F4%2F2%5Bisbn-9780197677254-book-part-11-sec-23%5D%2F4%2F2%2F4&brand=mbsdirect.vitalsource.com

*focus on pages 520–521 in your textbook.

* To Prepare
Recall a case from your fieldwork experience to use for this Discussion.
If you don’t have field experience that applies to this Discussion, you can apply other social work experience, including internships or professional experience, or apply a case study from this course. Contact your Instructor if you need clarification for what could apply for the Discussion.
Review and focus on pages 520–521 in your textbook.
This Discussion is meant to function as a roleplay. Be sure to review the solution-focused questions resources and reflect on how to ask a multilayered question.

QUESTION:

Post a response to the following:

*In 1–2 sentences, briefly identify and describe the problem as perceived by the client, family, or group that you dealt with in your past fieldwork or professional experience.
*From the list of solution-focused questions on page 520 (e.g., exception questions, coping questions, scaling questions, and relationship questions), identify two different types of questions. Ask each question as if you were actually asking the questions to the client. (Remember: Do not use the miracle question.)
-Remember that the goal of these questions is to assist clients in identifying a solution.
-Remember to treat this prompt as a roleplay—imagine you are with the client(s) in the case study.
*Explain how asking these two questions would help the client in coming up with the solution.