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Moderately-Controlled Studies
The following studies were carried out in more naturalistic settings and
employed fewer experimental controls, and could be considered effectiveness
studies. Accordingly, we have more confidence that their
findings generalize to normal day-to-day practice, but somewhat less
confidence in their internal validity.
Academic and Social Concerns among High School Students
Littrell, J. M., Malia, J. A., & Vanderwood, M. (1995).
Single-session brief counseling in a high school. Journal of Counseling and
Development, 73(4), 451-458.
Examined the effects of three variants of single-session brief therapy
on alleviating academic and personal concerns and increasing goal achievement of
students at a large, urban high school. Sixty-one male and female students in
grades 9 - 12 were randomly assigned to one of three groups:
problem-focused with a task, problem-focused without a task, and
solution-focused with a task. All groups implemented two or more of the
following four steps common to brief treatment: (1) define a problem, (2)
identify previously attempted solutions, (3) set a specific goal, and (4) assign
an intervention task. The two problem-focused groups (with and without task)
implemented steps 1-4 or 1-3 respectively, whereas the solution-focused group
implemented only steps 3-4.
Students and counselors collaboratively rated
student progress in three areas using 7 point Likert-type scales: alleviating
concerns; moving toward goals; and decreasing of intensity of undesirable
feelings, thoughts, and actions. All three models of therapy showed
statistically significant improvement across all three areas of change between
the 2-week and 6-week follow-ups. No significant between-treatment effects were
found.
SFBT Supervision in Child Residential Treatment
Triantafillou, N. (1997). A solution-focused approach to mental
health supervision. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 16(4), 305-328.
Studied the impact of
solution-focused training for mental health supervisors on client outcomes. The
setting was a private children’s residential treatment agency. Typical client problems included depression, stress,
hyperactivity and frequent acute episodes of aggressive and antisocial
behaviors. The experimental client group was comprised of six boys
who were served by a staff team that had received four 3-hour weekly training sessions
in solution-focused. The control group was composed of 7 boys matched for age, length of residency, and presenting problems.
During the 16 weeks following SFBT training the number of serious
client incidents in the treatment group had decreased by 65.5% compared with a
10% decrease for the control group. During the same period, two of the clients
in the treatment group were able to discontinue their psychotropic drugs
completely whereas 66% of the control group clients increased their dosages.
Couples Group Therapy
Zimmerman, T. S., Prest, L. A., & Wetzel, B. E. (1997).
Solution-focused couples therapy groups: an empirical study. Journal of Family Therapy,
19(2), 125-144.
Investigated the effectiveness of a
solution-focused couples therapy group for improving marital satisfaction.
Twenty-three couples were recruited for the experimental condition, and 13
couples were were recruited for the comparison condition. Groups met weekly for six weeks.
Dyadic Adjustment Scale scores for the treatment group revealed statistically significant
improvement on the total score and all 4 sub-scale scores: dyadic consensus,
dyadic satisfaction, affectional expression, and dyadic cohesion. At the end of
treatment, post-test scores for the treatment group had improved to the point
where they approached the pretest scores of the non-distressed control group.
Efficiency of SFBT in Out-patient Mental Health
Lambert, M. J., Okiishi, J. C., Finch, A. E., & Johnson, L. D.
(1998). Outcome assessment: From conceptualization to implementation. Professional
Psychology: Research and Practice, 29(1), 63-70.
Investigated the efficiency of SFBT for treating typical out-patient
mental health problems such as mood disorders, anxiety, adjustment disorders,
and substance abuse in adults. The experimental group consisted of 27 adult
patients of an experienced psychologist who used solution-focused methods. The
comparison group was comprised of 45 patients who were treated with
time-unlimited eclectic psychotherapy by trainees at a university outpatient
clinic.
Thirty-six percent of the 22 SFBT patients whose initial Outcome
Questionnaire (OQ-45) scores were above 63 were recovered after 2 sessions of
SFBT, and 46% were recovered after 7 sessions. (Recovery was defined as
reliable change and were below the clinical cut-off score.) This compared with
2% of the comparison group recovered after 2 sessions of time-unlimited
eclectic treatment, and 18% recovered after 7 sessions.
Couple Therapy
Naude, J. H. (1999). Evaluating the efficacy of solution-focused
couple therapy using single case design. Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.
Studied the impact of SFBT couple therapy on marital discord of couples
referred to a clinic for therapy. The sample consisted of 8 couples. Each
couple was paired with another couple, resulting in four AB multiple-baseline
designs to strengthen the internal validity of the single-subject design. SFBT
treatment lasted 4-8 sessions.
Marital adjustment, as measured by the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, appeared
to improve from baseline to treatment in 5 couples. Seven couples reported
they met their therapy goals.
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Littrell et al.,
1995 |
Triantafillou,
1997 |
Zimmerman et al., 1997 |
Lambert
et al.,1998 |
Naude,
1999 |
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Subjects/
Problem |
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Setting
|
high school |
residential treatment |
university clinic |
private practice |
military clinic |
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Sample size |
61 |
12 |
36 couples |
27 plus compar. s’s |
8 couples |
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Problem
|
academic, pers, social |
depression; oppositional |
marital relat. |
depression, sub abuse,. |
marital satisfaction |
|
Selection criteria? |
no |
no |
no |
no |
no |
|
Demographics
|
52% male;
ave age: 16 |
male & female
age: 10-14 |
marr. couples;
age: most in 30’s |
14 male, 13 female; age 22-45 |
age 18-40;
5 Afr-Amer; 1 Nat. Amer. |
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Intervention |
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# SFBT core conditions |
2,7 |
1,2,3,4,5,6,7 |
2,5,7 |
1,2,3,4,5,7 |
1,2,5,7 |
|
Modality |
individual |
supervision |
couples group |
individual |
couple |
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# sessions |
1 |
4 |
6. |
2-7 |
4 or 8 |
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Treat. manual |
yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
no |
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Monitored? |
no |
no |
yes |
no |
no |
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Therapist experience
|
counselors; newly trained in SFBT |
newly trained in SFBT |
trainees & recent grads. |
therapist experienced in SFBT |
doctoral student |
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Design |
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Type
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post-test only comparison group |
post-test only comparison group |
pre/post-test comparison group |
non-equiv pre/post-test comparison group |
Single subject, multiple baseline |
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Randomized? |
yes |
matched |
no |
no |
n.a. |
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Comparison group
|
problem-focused brief therapy |
standard child care |
no treatment |
eclectic; time unlimited |
no treatment |
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Outcomes/
Results |
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Measures used – end of treatment outcome
|
self-ratings of problem severity, goal attainment, and intensity of
feelings |
serious incident reports (restraints, police, hosp.);
medication use |
Dyadic Adjustment Scale – sig. change in tmt group on all 5 scales;
posttest scores approached pretest scores of non-distress group |
Outcome Questionnaire – tmt s’s improved 21.3 points; 36% tmt s’s
vs. 2% comp. s’s recovered after 2 sess. |
Dyadic Adjustment Scale; Goal Attainment Scale; relat. thermometer |
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Followup
|
2 and 6 weeks – sig. positive change in all 3 scales;
no between group differences, however |
16 weeks – 65% tmt vs. 15% control reduction in incident rpts;
tmt group decreased/ control incr. med use |
none |
none |
2-4 weeks – 6 couples appeared to show some change |
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