This article describes the process of having solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) be evaluated by various federal registries as an evidence-based practice (EBP) intervention. The authors submitted SFBT for evaluation for inclusion on three national EBP registry lists in the United States: the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Results of our submission found SFBT was not reviewed by SAMHSA and WWC because it was not prioritized highly enough for review, but it was rated as “promising” by OJJDP. Implications for practitioners and recommendations regarding the status of SFBT as an EBP model are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Psychological Association. (2002). Criteria for evaluating treatment guidelines.American Psychologist, 57, 1052–1059.
2.
BergI. K. (1994). Family-based services: A solution-focused approach. New York: W.W. Norton.
3.
BergI. K., & De JongP. (1996). Solution-building conversation: Co-constructing a sense of competence with clients.Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services, 77, 376–391.
4.
BergI. K., & MillerS. D. (1992). Working with the problem drinker: A solution-focused approach. New York: W.W. Norton.
5.
BilsonA. (Ed.). (2005). Evidence-based practice in social work. London: Whiting & Birch.
6.
CadeB., & O'HanlonW. H. (1993). A brief guide to brief therapy. New York: W.W. Norton.
7.
CarrollK. M., & NuroK. F. (1997). The use and development of treatment manuals. In CarrollK. M. (Ed.), Improving compliance with alcoholism treatment (pp. 53–72). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
8.
CaufmanL. (2001). Challenging the family business: The relational dimension.Scandinavia Journal of Organizational Psychology, 2, 1–12.
9.
ChamblessD. L., & HollonS. D. (1998). Defining empirically supported therapies.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 7–18.
10.
CorcoranJ., & PillaiV (2007). A review of the research on solution-focused therapy.British Journal of Social Work, 10, 1–9.
11.
De JongP., & BergI. K. (2008). Interviewing for solutions (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
12.
De JongP., & MillerS. D. (1995). How to interview for client strengths.Social Work, 40, 729–736.
13.
Department of Education What Works Clearinghouse. (n.d.). List of all current topic areas. Retrieved April 19, 2010 from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports.
14.
de ShazerS. (1985). Keys to solution in brief therapy. New York: W.W. Norton.
15.
de ShazerS. (1988). Clues: Investigating solutions in brief therapy. New York: W.W. Norton.
16.
de ShazerS., & BergI. K. (1997). What works? Remarks on research aspects of solution-focused brief therapy.Journal of Family Therapy, 19, 121–124.
17.
de ShazerS., DolanY. M., KormanH., TrepperT. S., McCollumE. E., & BergI. K. (2007). More than miracles: The state of the art of solution-focused brief therapy. New York: Haworth Press.
18.
de ShazerS., & IsebaertL. (2003). The Bruges model: A solution-focused approach to problem drinking.Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 14, 43–52.
19.
DolanY. (1991). Resolving sexual abuse: Solution-focused therapy and Ericksonian hypnosis for survivors. New York: Norton Professional Books.
20.
DolanY. (1998). One small step: Moving beyond trauma and therapy to a life of joy. Wastonville, CA: Papier-Machier Press.
21.
EakesG., WalshS., MarkowskiM., CainH., & SwansonM. (1997). Familycentered brief solution-focused therapy with chronic schizophrenia: A pilot study.Journal of Family Therapy, 19, 145–158.
FranklinC. (1998). Distinction between social constructionism and cognitive constructivism: Practice applications. In FranklinC. & NuriusP. (Eds.), Constructivism in practice: Methods and challenges (pp. 57–94). Milwaukee, WI: Families International.
24.
FranklinC., MooreK., & HopsonL. (2008). Effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy in a school setting.Children & Schools, 30, 15–26.
25.
FroeschleJ. G., SmithR. L., & RicardR. (2007). The efficacy of a systematic substance abuse program for adolescent females.Professional School Counseling, 10, 498–505.
26.
GambrillE. (1999). Evidence-based practice: An alternative to authority-based practice.Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services, 80, 341.
27.
GibbsL., & GambrillE (2002). Evidence-based practice: Counterarguments to objections.Research on Social Work Practice, 12, 452–476.
28.
GingerichW. J., & EisengartS. (2000). Solution-focused brief therapy: A review of the outcome research.Family Process, 39, 477–498.
29.
GoreyK. M. (1996). Effectiveness of social work intervention research: Internal versus external evaluations.Social Work, 7, 63–80.
HawleyK. M., & WeiszJ. R. (2002). Increasing the relevance of evidence-based treatment review to practitioners and consumers.Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9, 225–230.
32.
HerieM. & MartinG. W. (2002). Knowledge diffusion in social work: A new approach to bridging the gap.Social Work, 47, 85–95.
33.
KazdinA. E. (2008). Evidence-based treatment and practice: New opportunities to bridge clinical research and practice, enhance the knowledge base, and improve patient care.American Psychologist, 63, 146–159.
34.
KimJ. S., & FranklinC. (2009). Solution-focused brief therapy in schools: A review of the outcome literature.Children and Youth Services Review, 31, 464–470.
35.
KimJ. S. (2008). Examining the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy: A meta-analysis.Research on Social Work Practice, 18, 107–116.
36.
LipchikE. (2002). Beyond technique in solution focused therapy. New York: Guilford Press.
37.
McCollumE. E., & TrepperT. S. (2001). Creating family solutions for substance abuse. New York: Haworth Press.
38.
McNeeceC. A., & ThyerB. A. (2004). Evidence-based practice and social work.Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 1, 7–25.
39.
MullenE. J., BledsoeS. E., & BellamyJ. L. (2008). Implementing evidence-based social work practice.Research on Social Work Practice, 18, 325–338.
40.
MurphyJ. J. (1996). Solution-focused brief therapy in the school. In MillerS. D., HubbleM. A., & DuncanB. S. (Eds.), Handbook of solution-focused brief therapy (pp. 184–204). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
41.
NewsomeS. (2004). Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) groupwork with at-risk junior high school students: Enhancing the bottom-line.Research on Social Work Practice, 14, 336–343.
42.
NewsomeW. S. (2005). The impact of solution-focused brief therapy with at-risk junior high school students.Children & Schools, 27, 83–90.
43.
NorcrossJ. C. (2002). Psychotherapy relationships that work: Therapist contributions and responsiveness to patient needs. New York: Oxford University Press.
44.
NorcrossJ. C., BeutlerL. E., & LevantR. F. (2005). Evidence-based practice in mental health. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
45.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (2010). OJJDP model programs guide: Ratings. Retrieved April 19, 2010, from http://www2.dsgonline.com/mpg/ratings.aspx.
PichotT., & DolanY (2003). Solution-focused brief therapy: Its effective use in agency settings. New York: Haworth Press.
48.
ProctorE. K., & RosenA. (2008). From knowledge production to implementation: Research challenges and imperatives.Research on Social Work Practice, 18, 285–291.
RubinA. (2007). Improving the teaching of evidence-based practice: Introduction to the special issue.Research on Social Work Practice, 17, 541–547.
51.
RubinA., & ParrishD (2007). Challenges to the future of evidence-based practice in social work education.Journal of Social Work Education, 43, 405–428.
52.
SaleebeyD. (1992). The strengths perspective in social work practice. New York: Longman.
53.
SheldonB. (1998). Social work practice in the 21st century.Research on Social Work Practice, 8, 577–588.
54.
SoydanH. (2008). Applying randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in social work research.Research on Social Work Practice, 18, 311–318.
55.
SmockS. A., TrepperT. S., WetchlerJ. L., RayR., PierceK., & McCollumE. E. (2008). Solution-focused group therapy for level 1 substance abusers.Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 34, 107–120.
56.
SpringerD. W., LynchC., & RubinA. (2000). Effects of a solution-focused mutual aid group for Hispanic children of incarcerated parents.Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 17, 431–432.
57.
StamsG. J., DekovicM., BuistK., & de VriesL. (2006). Effectiviteit van oplossingsgerichte korte therapie: Een meta-analyse [Efficacy of solutionfocused brief therapy: A meta-analysis].Gedragstherapie [Behavior Therapy], 39, 81–94.
58.
Task Force for the Development of Guidelines for the Provision of Humanistic Psychosocial Services. (1997). Guidelines for the provision of humanistic psychosocial services.Humanistic Psychologist, 25, 65–107.
59.
Task Force on Psychological Intervention Guidelines. (1995). Template for developing guidelines: Interventions for mental disorder and psychosocial aspects of physical disorders. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
60.
ThyerB. A. (2004). What is evidence-based practice?Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 4, 167–176.
61.
TomoriC., & BavelasJ. B. (2007). Using microanalysis of communication to compare solution-focused and client-centered therapies.Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 18, 25–43.
62.
TrepperT. S., & McCollumE. E. (2003). Solution-focused group therapy for substance abuse: Preliminary treatment manual. Unpublished manuscript.
63.
TrepperT. S., McCollumE. E., De JongP., KormanH., GingerichW., & FranklinC. (2008). Solution focused therapy treatment manual for working with individuals. Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association Research Committee. Retrieved May 20, 2008, from http://www.sfbta.org/Research.pdf.
64.
WampoldB. E., LichtenbergJ. W., & WaehlerC. A. (2002). Principles of empirically supported interventions in counseling psychology.Counseling Psychologist, 30, 197–217.
65.
WeiszJ. R., ChuB. C., & PoloA. J. (2004). Treatment dissemination and evidencebased practice: Strengthening intervention through clinician-researcher collaboration.Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 300–307.
66.
WeiszJ. R., McCartyC. A., & ValeriS. M. (2006). Effects of psychotherapy for depression in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis.Psychological Bulletin, 132, 132–149.
