Why solution-focused practice is worth knowing about
It isn't about ignoring the problem
Solution-focused practice doesn't mean pretending difficulties aren't there.
It means recognising that the problem is only one part of the person's story.
Someone can be struggling and still have strengths.
They can be experiencing significant difficulties and still be making progress.
They can not know exactly how to solve something and still know something about what they want instead.
That gives us another place to start.
What does the person want?
Rather than spending the whole conversation describing the problem, solution-focused practice becomes curious about the preferred future.
If things were going in the direction you wanted, what would be different?
And perhaps even more importantly:
How would you know?
What would the person notice?
What would they be doing differently?
What might someone else notice?
These questions turn an abstract hope into something that can actually be seen.
Look for what's already there
Progress rarely starts from nothing.
There may already be moments when things go slightly better.
A parent manages a difficult morning.
Someone pauses before reacting.
A difficult conversation goes a little differently.
A person asks for help.
They do something they didn't think they could do.
These moments matter.
Rather than dismissing them as exceptions, we can become curious about them.
What was different?
What did you do?
What helped?
What else?
Don't stop at “What worked?”
One of the simplest questions in solution-focused practice is:
“What else?”
Someone might identify one thing that helped.
Instead of immediately moving on, we can stay curious.
What else helped?
What else did they do?
What else did they notice?
What else tells them they are capable of making a difference?
Sometimes the person discovers resources they hadn't previously recognised.
Small progress is still progress
Change doesn't always arrive as a dramatic breakthrough.
Sometimes it's one small difference.
One better conversation.
One different response.
One decision.
One moment of connection.
One step in the direction someone wants their life to go.
When we learn to notice these small signs, we have more information about what progress looks like for this particular person.
And that information can help us work out what to build on next.
So why is it worth knowing about?
For me, one of the most valuable things about solution-focused practice is the shift in perspective.
From:
“What's wrong?”
towards:
“What do you want instead?”
From:
“Why can't you?”
towards:
“How have you managed, even a little?”
From:
“What needs fixing?”
towards:
“What's already helping?”
And from:
“When will everything be better?”
towards:
“What would be the smallest sign that things are moving in the right direction?”
It doesn't give us all the answers.
Instead, it encourages us to become more curious about the answers that the person may already have.
This is the thinking behind Visible Progress
Visible Progress grew from this way of thinking.
It's about helping people:
define the future they want → notice what's already working → recognise their strengths and resources → identify small steps → notice the evidence that they're moving forward.
Because sometimes progress doesn't begin when we find the perfect solution.
Sometimes it begins when we notice that progress is already happening.