SFBT · Solution-Focused

Solution-Focused Therapy Worksheet

A solution-focused worksheet takes a different starting point from most therapy tools: instead of analysing the problem, it looks for what is already working and builds from there. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) assumes patients already have strengths, resources, and "exceptions" (times the problem is smaller), and that small, concrete steps toward a preferred future create momentum.

The signature techniques show up right on the page: the miracle question (a vivid picture of the preferred future), exception-finding (times things already went better, and why), scaling (rating progress from 0 to 10 and defining the next point up), and a small, doable next step. (For how SFBT compares with CBT, DBT, and ACT, see our guide to choosing a therapy modality.)

Below is a complete example, a personalized solution-focused worksheet generated by TheraFlow from a therapist's session notes.

Example only. This worksheet is based on a fictional patient (Leah) and is shown for illustration.

The session notes behind this worksheet

Session: Leah Osei - Building on What Already Works (Session 2)

Leah returned for her second session. She arrived describing a stretch of feeling overwhelmed and "like I'm treading water," juggling long nursing shifts, a young family, and a house that never feels on top of. Her opening was that "nothing is working" and she doesn't know where to start.

Rather than mapping the problem in detail, we worked in a solution-focused way. When I asked what she would notice if she woke up tomorrow and things were suddenly more manageable (her version of the miracle question), she described getting up ten minutes earlier without dread, having a calmer handover at work, saying yes to one small thing for herself, and going to bed without a running list in her head.

We looked for exceptions. Even in a hard week, she identified two days that went "a bit better." On both, she had prepped the night before, taken a proper break on shift, and messaged a friend. She was surprised to notice she already does things that help; they just get lost in the overwhelm.

On a scale where 10 is coping the way she wants and 0 is the worst it has been, she placed herself at a 4, and said she has been as low as a 2, so she is already above her worst. When I asked what a 5 would look like, she described protecting one evening a week and asking her partner for help with bedtime.

No risk concerns: denies SI/HI. This is stress and overwhelm rather than clinical depression.

Goals she named: feel less like she is treading water, do more of what already helps, and take one small step toward a five this week.

Direction: Solution-focused brief therapy. Build on her preferred future from the miracle question; amplify the exceptions she already has (prepping the night before, breaks, connection); use scaling to define a concrete, small next step toward a five; and highlight her existing strengths and resources rather than analysing the problem.

From these notes, TheraFlow generated the worksheet below in about a minute.

Building on What's Already Working

For Leah

Welcome

Hi Leah, welcome back for your second session. We talked about how you've been feeling like you're "treading water" with everything on your plate, but we also discovered something important: you're already doing things that help, even in the midst of the overwhelm. You identified two days that went "a bit better" and recognized the specific actions that made the difference. This worksheet builds on those discoveries and helps you move from feeling like "nothing is working" to seeing the resources you already have. The exercises focus on your preferred future from our miracle question work, the exceptions you've already found, and concrete steps toward that 5 on your coping scale.

Understanding What's Happening

Solution-focused work operates on a simple but powerful principle: you already have more resources and strengths than you realize, especially when overwhelm makes everything feel impossible. When we're in survival mode, our helpful behaviors can become invisible to us, even though they're still happening. The miracle question helps clarify what you actually want your life to look like, while exception-finding reveals that pieces of that preferred future are already occurring. Scaling makes progress measurable and helps identify the smallest possible next step. Rather than analysing why things feel hard, we amplify what's already working and build from there.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify specific moments when coping felt more manageable
  • Recognize existing helpful behaviors that get lost in overwhelm
  • Define what one point higher on your coping scale would look like
  • Plan one concrete step toward your preferred future
  • Track daily coping levels to notice patterns and progress

Your Miracle Morning Check-In

You placed yourself at a 4 on our coping scale last session, with 10 being coping the way you want and 0 being the worst it's been. Rate where you are right now and notice what has shifted since we last met.

10

Getting up without dread, calm handovers, saying yes to small things for myself, sleeping without lists in my head

9

Almost all of the above happening most days

8

Three out of four miracle elements happening regularly

7

Two miracle elements plus feeling more in control

6

One evening protected per week, partner helping with bedtime

5

Small steps toward balance, asking for help when needed

4

Some helpful behaviors happening, but getting lost in overwhelm

3

Occasional good moments, mostly feeling like treading water

2

Survival mode, everything feels like too much

1

Barely managing, no helpful behaviors visible

Mark where you are today. What would one step up look like?

Exception Detective Work

You mentioned two days last week that went "a bit better." Dig deeper into what made those days different, and think about other moments, even small ones, when things felt more manageable.

Tip · Even a 20-minute stretch where you felt on top of things counts as an exception worth exploring.

1

Describe one of those 'bit better' days in detail. What time did you wake up? How did the morning feel different?

2

You identified three key actions: prepping the night before, taking a proper break on shift, and messaging a friend. Which of these felt most impactful, and why?

3

Think of another moment this week when you felt even slightly more in control. What were you doing differently, even if it was tiny?

4

What do you notice about your energy or mood when these helpful behaviors happen, versus when they don't?

Your Preferred Future in Living Color

During our miracle question work, you painted a clear picture: getting up ten minutes earlier without dread, calmer handovers at work, saying yes to one small thing for yourself, and going to bed without a running list in your head. Let's expand this vision with even more detail.

Imagine waking up tomorrow and your miracle has happened. Walk through your entire day from morning to bedtime. What does that ten minutes earlier feel like in your body? What makes the handover calm? What small thing do you say yes to? How does your head feel when it hits the pillow? Include sensory details: what you see, hear, feel, even smell.

Mapping Your Path to a 5

You said a 5 would look like protecting one evening a week and asking your partner for help with bedtime. Break this into specific, doable steps for this week.

1

Choose your protected evening: which evening feels most realistic to protect, and what would you do during that time?

2

Plan the conversation: what specific help do you need, and how will you bring it up with your partner?

3

Set yourself up to win: what might get in the way of these steps, and how can you prepare for those obstacles?

Daily Coping Scale Tracking

Each evening this week, rate your coping on the same 0 to 10 scale from session. Note what helpful behaviors happened that day and what influenced your number. This helps you see patterns and notice when you're already moving toward that 5.

Tip · Focus on what you did that helped, not what you didn't do. Even small actions count.

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Your Week Ahead

Leah, what struck me most in our session was your surprise when you realized you already do things that help, even during overwhelming weeks. When you connected prepping the night before and taking breaks with those "bit better" days, it showed you have more resources than the overwhelm lets you see. This week, focus on that one small step toward a 5: protecting one evening and having that conversation with your partner about bedtime help. You don't need to transform everything at once. You're already at a 4, which means you're above your worst and have momentum. Pay attention to your daily tracking, not to judge yourself, but to catch yourself in the act of coping well.

A Word of Support

You're not treading water as much as you think. You're actually swimming, even if the strokes feel uneven right now. Give yourself credit for the small things that are already working, and remember that asking for help is a sign of strength, not failure.

Editable Printable

What makes a solution-focused worksheet effective

Notice the stance: the example never asks the patient to dissect why she feels overwhelmed. It amplifies the two days that already went better, expands her preferred future in sensory detail, and turns "a 5" into two concrete actions for the week.

Keep the language strengths-based and future-focused, anchor everything to the patient's own words and exceptions, and make the next step small enough to be almost guaranteed.

Frequently asked questions

What is a solution-focused worksheet?
A solution-focused worksheet is a tool from Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) that helps a patient identify what is already working, picture a preferred future (the miracle question), find exceptions, use scaling, and plan a small next step, rather than analysing the problem.
What is the miracle question?
The miracle question is a signature SFBT technique that asks the patient to imagine that, overnight, their problem was solved, and to describe in detail what would be different. It clarifies the preferred future and reveals small steps already within reach.
What are scaling questions?
Scaling questions ask a patient to rate where they are on a 0 to 10 scale toward their goal, then describe what one point higher would look like. They make progress visible and identify the smallest next step.
Is the example based on a real patient?
No. The example is based on a fictional patient (Leah) and is shown for illustration only. TheraFlow does not use real patient data in these examples.