What works? A grounded theory investigation of training non-psychology staff in using Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

As part of a task-sharing strategy, clinical psychologists are becoming increasingly expected to offer therapy training for staff in health care services to develop psychological mindedness to increase access and provision of psychological support for clients. The current study explored how 10 staff working in health care settings experienced Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) training and how they subsequently used it.

One-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants; a constructivist grounded theory (GT) approach was used to generate a model based on the participants' reflections after the training.

Staff shared how they felt they needed evidence of SFBT effectiveness in order to believe that learning a new model would be worth the required investment. They also found realistic role modelling that was relevant to their context to be particularly convincing as well as regular support from their peers and multidisciplinary meetings. Participants also shared some barriers to using SFBT in practice, including time-restricted clinics, service pressures and challenging clients.

The model describes a complex dynamic between personal, interpersonal and systemic factors that influenced the staff members' individual decision to abandon the more familiar medical model that represented a sense of comfort and safety. The study includes recommendations for how clinical psychologists can address the identified facilitators and barriers to facilitate more effective training programmes and training transfer.