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SFBT for therapists: training, videos and associations

Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is an approach in which the practitioner and the client describe the client’s preferred future and look for times when the problem was less present. The practitioner steps out of the expert role: clients are treated as the experts on themselves.

The method in short

Founders
Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer with colleagues, Brief Family Therapy Center, Milwaukee, early 1980s
Core tools
Pre-session change, exceptions to the problem, the miracle question, scaling questions, tasks between sessions
Associations
SFBTA (annual conference since 2003), EBTA (since 1993), IASTI (training institutes)
Certification
IASTI: three levels, each with at least 50 hours of direct training and 100 hours of practice

Primary sources: EBTA: definition of the approach, SFBTA: history of the association, IASTI: certification levels

We give you information and answer for how we select it. Check terms, prices and dates with the organiser.

SFBT training

We do not run courses. Each programme has a link to the organiser and a check date.

Solution Focused Trainers C.I.C., UK

Level 3 Certificate in Solution Focused Practice

A short intensive course of five days in three blocks over about three months, assessed through a presentation, observed skills, a practice log, an audio recording with a written reflection and a case study. The provider’s site states that it has run NCFE accredited courses since 2012 and that its follow-up days lead to IASTI practitioner certification.

Format
Five course days in three blocks; delivery mode set by the organiser
Language
English
For
Adults (18+) in direct work with people, with employer permission to attend and to use their work as evidence, and the usual arrangements if in private practice; education equal to 5 GCSEs or Level 2 NVQ

Listed byIASTI member institutes list

Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Academy of Solution Focused Training, Singapore

Level 1: Certified Solution Focused Practitioner (CSFP)

A 30-hour SFBT training module on the first and second session process, client patterns of change and relapse prevention, plus a 20-hour supervision module with group and individual supervision, assessment and self-study. The page says the courses can also be taken as professional development without certification.

Format
Online cohorts and cohorts in Singapore
Language
English
For
See the organiser

Listed byIASTI member institutes list

Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Denver Center for Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, USA

Solution-Focused Practitioner Certificate

A certificate built on the IASTI standards: at least 50 hours of direct training and 100 hours of practice activities over a minimum of one year, then an examination. At least 25 training hours must come from the centre or its trainers, and the centre decides which outside courses it accepts.

Format
Live classes and workshops, including live online classes
Language
English
For
A college degree in a recognized clinical mental health field (psychiatry, psychology, social work) or in another professional area that can use the approach, such as nursing, coaching, education or business

Listed byIASTI member institutes list

Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

IASTI

IASTI certification levels and examination checklist

The alliance’s description of three levels (practitioner, advanced, master): each needs at least 50 hours of direct training with a member institute and 100 hours of practice, and the examination covers the questions, compliments and tasks on its checklist.

Format
Through IASTI member institutes
Language
English
For
Trainees of IASTI member institutes
Organiser’s siteChecked: November 1, 2026

How to choose a programme

  • Recognition. A professional association registry or an accredited provider list.
  • Practice. Hours under supervision and live discussion of your own cases.
  • Teachers. Experience in this particular method.
  • Outcome. A certificate, a path to certification or only knowledge.
  • Entry. Whether you need a base qualification and proof of practice.

SFBT videos

All videos on methods

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy vs. Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Channel: Teri Pichot · Checked: November 1, 2026

Teri Pichot of the Denver Center for SFBT explains how the practitioner thinks and what they do in SFBT compared with motivational interviewing and CBT, and shows some solution-focused questions.

Open on YouTube ↗

What Is SFBT? The Difference Between Problem Solving and Solution-Focused Thinking

Channel: Teri Pichot · Checked: November 1, 2026

A short explanation of how SFBT differs from traditional problem solving, using a housework analogy, and how each session is treated as if it could be the last.

Chapters, 5
  • 0:00Problem Solving vs. Solution Focused Therapy
  • 0:46The Housework Analogy (Why Shame Doesn't Work)
  • 1:21Designing Your Preferred Future
  • 2:14Process Hows: Behavior Change & Maintenance
  • 3:31Treating Every Session Like It's the Last
Open on YouTube ↗

SFBT associations and institutes

Practitioner registries, training standards, conferences. The links go to official sites; the descriptions are ours.

International

SFBTA (Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association)

Holds an annual conference on solution-focused practice (the first was in 2003), research awards and a research list, and publishes an SFBT treatment manual. It also keeps the materials of the Brief Family Therapy Center, which it received in 2007.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

Europe

EBTA (European Brief Therapy Association)

An open non-profit association founded in 1993 by Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg and a group of European practitioners. It runs conferences, learning sessions and an annual research grant, and keeps a directory of national associations and training centres in Europe that it states it does not accredit.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

International

IASTI (International Alliance of Solution-Focused Teaching Institutes)

An alliance of solution-focused training institutes that sets shared standards for three levels of practitioner certification. Its site lists member institutes in Europe, the Americas and Asia and the examination checklist for trainees.

Official siteChecked: November 1, 2026

SFBT questions

How do I choose a solution-focused training?

Check how many hours are live and supervised and who issues the document. IASTI ties certification to three levels, each with at least 50 hours of direct training at a member institute and 100 hours of practice. EBTA publishes a directory of European training centres but states that it does not accredit them.

How is SFBT different from approaches that start with analysing the problem?

SFBT builds the conversation around the client’s preferred future and around exceptions to the problem, and the practitioner steps out of the expert role and avoids interpretations. This is how EBTA describes the approach.

What does IASTI certification require?

Three levels: practitioner, advanced practitioner (with a specialisation such as therapy, counselling, coaching or education) and master. Each level needs at least 50 hours of direct training and 100 hours of practice, and the master level takes at least two years. The examination covers solution-focused questions (scaling, coping, exceptions, goals, the miracle question), compliments and homework tasks.

Do I need a particular degree to train in SFBT?

It depends on the organiser. The Denver Center asks for a college degree in a clinical mental health field or another professional area that can use the approach. Solution Focused Trainers in the UK asks for adults who work directly with people and have employer permission. EBTA membership expects good professional standing and at least 20 hours of solution-focused training. Read the entry rules of each programme.

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