Solution-Focused Counseling in Nursing Practice
Abstract
The necessity of addressing an individual’s psychosocial needs in addition to their physical care in the delivery of healthcare services has made the integration of counseling approaches into nursing care a priority. Solution-focused counseling is a short-term, structured approach that focuses on an individual’s strengths, available resources, and capacity to generate solutions rather than on their problems. This review examines the literature on the fundamental principles, techniques, and application of the solution-focused counseling approach in the nursing field. Current studies indicate that this approach enhances patient motivation, supports treatment adherence, and strengthens nurse-patient communication. However, this approach has certain limitations, and it is recommended that it be used in conjunction with other methods, particularly in complex clinical situations. Consequently, it is argued that solution-focused counseling is a highly applicable, patient-centered, and empowering approach in nursing care. The purpose of this review is to explain the fundamental principles and characteristics of the solution-focused counseling approach and to evaluate its application in nursing practice.
Keywords
nursing care, psychosocial support, solution-focused counseling, therapeutic communication
Supporting Institution
No financial support was received for this study.
Ethical Statement
Ethics committee approval was deemed unnecessary for this study, as open access sources were utilized; however, the study was conducted in accordance with ethical principles.
References
- Aydın, G. (2018). Çözüm odaklı kısa süreli terapinin temel ilkeleri ve kullanım alanları. Psikolojik Danışma ve Rehberlik Dergisi, 8(2), 45–58.
- Corey, G. (2022). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (11th ed.). Cengage Learning. Çam, O., & Engin, E. (2021). Ruh sağlığı ve hastalıkları hemşireliği bakım sanatı. İstanbul Tıp Kitabevi.
- de Shazer, S., Dolan, Y., Korman, H., Trepper, T., McCollum, E., & Berg, I. K. (2021). More than miracles: The state of the art of solution-focused brief therapy. Routledge.
- Doğan, S. (2020). Çözüm odaklı yaklaşımın psikolojik danışmada kullanımı. Türk Psikolojik Danışma ve Rehberlik Dergisi, 10(56), 123–138.
- Franklin, C., Trepper, T. S., Gingerich, W. J., & McCollum, E. E. (2017). Solution-focused brief therapy: A handbook of evidence-based practice. Oxford University Press.
- Franklin, C., Zhang, A., Froerer, A., & Johnson, S. (2019). Solution-focused brief therapy: A systematic review and meta-summary of process research. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 45(3), 366–385.
- Franklin, C., Sucher, K., & Kim, J. S. (2025). Solution-focused brief therapy core elements and the process of change. In C. Franklin & J. S. Kim (Eds.), Solution-focused brief therapy with families: A training manual (pp. 23–49). American Psychological Association.
- Iveson, C. (2022). Solution-focused brief therapy: Advances in practice. Journal of Solution Focused Practices, 6(1), 15–28.
- Jerome, L., McNamee, P., Abdel-Halim, N., Elliot, K., & Woods, J. (2023). Solution-focused approaches in adult mental health research: A conceptual literature review and narrative synthesis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1068006.
- Karahan, F., Yalçın, İ., & Hamarta, E. (2019). Çözüm odaklı psikolojik danışmanın etkililiği üzerine bir inceleme. Eğitim ve Bilim, 44(198), 301–318.