What’s new?

This site will introduce you to a different, effective and positive way of solving problems.

It’s called the solution-focused approach.

If you work in education you’ve probably never heard of it until now. It’s used widely in all kinds of helping work in other fields and it is coming into education too.

What’s different?

If you don’t know about solution-focused problem solving already, it means you are a problem-focused problem solver. You see the person you’re working with as being in deficit in some way, you are the expert and you try to solve their problem through the application of your expertise.

By going straight for the solution neither person gets caught out by the scale and complexity of the problem. People are experts in their own lives and solution-focused working promotes their resourcefulness and experience.

Focusing on the solution cuts out the sometimes grim slog through what’s gone wrong and carves the new path ahead through engaged and constructive conversation. If the time has come to talk, try this way – pay attention to what’s already going well and work towards doing more of it.

Why solution-focused?

This site introduces you to this cooperative and often brief way of working with people who bring problems to you, looking for help. For myself I’m particularly interested in the sorts of problems that catch children out in school, what we loosely call behaviour problems. I tried the problem-focused approach and got as stuck as the students who’d brought their problems along. Shifting my perspective to look for focus on solutions made for success, freedom and change in the right direction.

You may work with a different client group but this idea will be useful for you. This way of working doesn’t discriminate. It’s good for everyone at anytime in life.

What else?

You will find a solution-support starter kit listed on the menu bar on the top of this page. Use it for free and let me know what made you smile!