Examining the Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: A Meta-Analysis

TLDR

The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of solution‑focused brief therapy through a meta‑analysis. The authors used hierarchical linear modeling to synthesize primary studies, estimate overall effect sizes, and assess between‑study variability. The meta‑analysis found small but positive effects of SFBT (d = 0.13–0.26), with a statistically significant benefit for internalizing behavior problems, providing social workers with concise empirical evidence.

Abstract

Objective: A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). Method: Hierarchical linear modeling software was used to synthesize the primary studies to calculate an overall effect size estimate and test for between-study variability. Results: Solution-focused brief therapy demonstrated small but positive treatment effects favoring SFBT group on the outcome measures (d = 0.13 to 0.26). Only the magnitude of the effect for internalizing behavior problems was statistically significant at the p < .05 level, thereby indicating that the treatment effect for SFBT group is different than the control group. Conclusions: This study allows social workers interested in solution-focused brief therapy to examine the empirical evidence quickly and with more definitive information.