The Evidence for Solution Focused Therapy & Hypnotherapy
Updated: 1 day ago
As neuroscience & personal change nerds, here at The Better Brain Company we're a little obsessive.
Not just about the transformations our wonderful work can create - but about making sure that the work we do is grounded firmly in science.
Now, there's a ton of neuroscience and psychology behind many of the principles and techniques we use (just Google "Positive Psychology" or start researching the neuroscience of positive change, and you can probably keep yourself busy for the next decade or so, as we have!).
As far as understanding WHY what we do works to support positive change, the case is pretty compelling.
But in terms of hard, empirical evidence... you might have to search pretty hard before you find the studies directly proving that Solution Focused therapies work just as well as more conventional, well known therapies such as CBT.
Let's just say research funding hasn't exactly been forthcoming!
Look hard enough, though, and you start to find a well-hidden wealth of information, which demonstrates not just that Solution Focused therapies can be powerful tools for positive change - but also that they often tend to work quickly, effectively, and lead to a positive, lasting impact on lifestyle and satisfaction.
So, we thought we'd round them up here - just to help you!
What is Solution Focused Therapy?
Caddell (2021) defines solution-focused therapy as a ‘strength-based approach to psychotherapy that focuses on solution-building rather than problem-solving’. Rather than analysing present problems and their past causes, Solution Focused approaches focus more on current circumstances and future hopes.
If you want to read a little more about what Solution Focused Brief Therapy looks like before diving in to our roundup, you can read more, courtesy of the Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership here.
And if you're ready to go - buckle up - or grab yourself a cuppa. It's quite a list!
The Evidence for Solution Focused Therapy, Coaching & Interventions
The Clifton Practice studies
As we speak, a research project is being led by Jane Fox at the Clifton Practice - designed to provide meaningful data on Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH).
Her study group have been using a validated NHS-recognised tool called MYCaW (Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing), a simple, client-centred outcome tool designed to measure clinical change in a meaningful and practical way. MYCaW is a robust and validated tool, accredited by the NHS.
The CPHT pilot research project has now concluded, with 192 clients recorded on the database. Data was taken at sessions 1, 4, and 8, with a final follow-up sent to clients one month after treatment. Follow-up data revealed a 90% improvement rate in clients’ main concerns, a highly impressive outcome that suggests significant clinical impact.
With MYCaW verified as a streamlined, user-friendly outcome measure, CPHT will now be integrating MYCaW into training programmes and offering CPD opportunities for practitioners who wish to be involved in ongoing research.
Further study details will be available once the research article has been submitted to an academic journal.
The 'Inspired to Change' Northumbria Police study
A recent research project with Northumbria Police saw similarly encouraging findings for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy. The study looked at online SFH delivered to police personnel experiencing symptoms of anxiety and/or depression.
100% of participants responded positively to therapy.
78% of participants met the study's definition of complete recovery.
'Life wellness' scores increased by 84% (suggesting a sustained shift, rather than a temporary effect).
This was a pilot study, rather than a randomised controlled trial, and the researchers recommend further research with larger samples and a controlled design - but the results are nevertheless very encouraging. (We'll dive deeper into this one in our section on solution focused interventions in the workplace, below).
Vermeulen-Oskam et al. Meta Analysis (2024)
A review of 72 studies on Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) found major improvements across a range of psychosocial problems and outcomes, including mental health, wellbeing, anxiety, depression, stress and coping.
The authors concluded that that SFBT appears to be beneficial for a variety of psychological problems and participants. This is particularly interesting as a meta-analysis like this provides an overview of the wider patterns emerging across the research, and is considered one of the most robust ways of assessing current evidence.
Neipp and Beyebach Meta Analysis (2022)
A 2022 review of 251 outcome research papers identified that SFBT produced positive or superior outcomes in nearly 9 out of 10 studies, compared with no treatment, waiting list, or TAU ("Treatment As Usual") participants. Even when looking only at randomised controlled trials (generally considered to be one of the stronger ways of testing whether an intervention produces a significant effect) - SFBT was found to be superior in around 7 out of every 10 studies. The review also found very few studies in which SFBT produced inferior outcomes compared with alternative treatments (just 2.8%).
Kim (University of Michigan; 2006) Meta Analysis
This older meta-analysis found small positive effects associated with SFBT, particularly for personal behavioural change, and places solution-focused therapy as being equivalent to other therapies.
Stams et al. (2006) Meta analysis
Another early meta-analysis found Solution Focused Therapy to be effective, with particularly positive findings around personal and behavioural change.
WJ Gingerich and LT Peterson’s (2013) report
Their systematic review looked at 43 controlled outcomes studies of SBFT. Of the studies included, 74% of the studies included reported significant positive benefit from SFBT with another 23% reporting positive trends. The strongest evidence of effectiveness came in the treatment of adult depression, where several studies found SFBT to be comparable to well-established alternative treatments. The authors concluded that the evidence for SFBT in adult mental health was strong and reliable, and suggested it might offer a shorter and less costly approach than some alternative treatments:
"In sum, the evidence of SFBT effectiveness in adult mental health is strong and reliable."...
“There is strong evidence that SFBT…appears to be briefer and less costly than alternative approaches.”"
The research base has grown considerably since, the more recent reviews and meta-analyses above adding to this and providing further validation of these points.
Knekt 2016 Comparative Study
This study compared the outcomes of short- and long-term psychotherapy on patients’ mental health and functioning over a 10 year period, including solution-focused therapy.
The results found that long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (LPP) was somewhat more effective in the very long term – but particularly for symptom reduction, work ability and remission – the differences in the short- to medium-term were modest.
Approximately 12 sessions of solution-focused therapy yielded similar long-term benefits to about 20 sessions of short-term psychodynamic therapy (SPP), and only slightly inferior results to 240 sessions of LPP after 10 years.
This indicates that, whilst long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (LPP) remains more effective in absolute terms, SFBT can be viewed as a cost and time-effective approach that achieves almost comparable results in a much shorter timeframe.
Sundmann (1997)
Sundmann studied the effects of basic training in solution-focused ideas for nine social workers. Eleven controls worked as usual. Session tapes and questionnaires were analysed after six months. In all, 382 clients were seen, of whom 199 (52 per cent) replied. More positive statements, more goal focus and more shared views were found in the experimental group.
Triantafillou (1997) This study reports that four sessions of solution-focused supervision were provided for staff of an adolescent residential unit. The staff's clients were compared with those of other staff who received 'standard' supervision. At 16 weeks' follow-up, the five clients of the solution-focused group had 66% fewer incidents and the use of medication to control behaviour had decreased. The seven clients in the control group had 10% fewer incidents and the use of medication had increased. The numbers in this study are small, so it shouldn't be treated as definitive evidence - but it is another interesting example of SF being implemented successfully in a real-world setting.
Wheeler (1995)
A three-month follow-up compared 34 solution-focused therapy referrals and 39 routine referrals. In the solution-focused group, 68% were satisfied comapred with 44% of the routine care group. Other clinic resources were required by 12% of the solution- focused therapy clients compared with 31% of the routine care group.
De Shazer (1985, 1986 & 1991)
Follow up studies from the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee, US, reported improvement or resolution of the original difficulty in 82, 72 and 80% of cases for the respective years. These early studies helped establish the Solution Focused approach and provided some of the first ever outcome data from its use in practice.
Lee et al. (2001)
A pilot study of solution-focused therapy in the treatment of depression involved ten clients were seen for a set of six sessions. Nine clients were traced for follow-up six months later, of whom eight had improved on all measures. Again, this is a small pilot study, but it adds to the picture emerging from the wider body of research.
George, Iveson and Ratner (1999-2005)
3 studies, using follow up 6 months after brief therapy, showed that a good outcome was reported by 83 clients (70%) with a mean of 4.03 sessions per case; 25 per cent required only one session.
There was an equal benefit for all socio-economic classes - an important finding which contrasts with other approaches to psychotherapy.
Those with problems lasting more than three years did less well (due to the brevity of the intervention, our experience would lead us to assume that further sessions or additional interventions may have been of benefit).
The Evidence for Solution Focused Therapy in the Workplace
There is also a growing research interest in what Solution Focused approaches can offer in workplace and organisational contexts. After all, the things that make this approach useful in therapy - focusing on what people want to achieve, recognising strengths and resources, and identifying small, meaningful steps towards change - can be just as relevant when someone is struggling with confidence, change, relationships, pressure or simply feeling stuck at work. Solution Focused approaches have increasingly found their way into coaching, leadership and organisational settings, and there is now a growing body of research exploring what happens when these principles are applied beyond the therapy room.
Innstrand, Langballe and Falkum (2011)
This was a longitudinal study across eight occupational groups in Norway, which found that higher work engagement predicted lower levels of anxiety and depression two years later. This wasn't a study of Solution Focused Therapy itself, but it does provide useful context for the potential value of approaches that support positive psychological functioning, engagement and agency in the workplace such as SFT.
The importance of enhancing positive psychology supports the rationale for using Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT/SFBT) in workplace wellbeing programmes.
By helping employees build vigour and psychological resources, SFBT may serve as a preventative intervention, reducing the likelihood of more severe mental-health difficulties that contribute to greater rates of absenteeism and higher costs.
Barney (2024)
The study mentioned earlier, into the use of online solution-focused hypnotherapy in the police force, offers encouraging evidence to support the effectiveness of SFT in the workplace.
The study examines a form of Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) and demonstrates strong outcomes within this occupational group, where anxiety, depression and other mental health difficulties are a significant concern.
Among those who completed the intervention and had clinically significant anxiety or depression, 78% met the study's definition of recovery. Overall, 97.2% of participants met the study's definition of "wellness" after the intervention, compared with 19% beforehand, and no participants experienced an increase in symptom scores.
For some context, NHS Talking Therapies services in England currently achieve recovery rates of around 50%. These figures come from very different populations and study designs, so this isn't a head-to-head comparison, but it does provide an encouraging pilot finding in a particularly challenging occupational population which would clearly benefit from further study. The findings suggest that online SFH is effective, well-liked and safe.
Participant feedback was exceptionally positive, with 88.9% achieving a meaningful reduction in symptoms (a 50% or greater decrease), contrasted with the approximate 50% response rates found in general clinical populations.
Kong et al. (2024)
A recent randomised controlled trial looked specifically at whether Solution Focused Brief Therapy could help reduce job stress and burnout in clinical nurses. Sixty nurses working in a tertiary hospital were randomly allocated to either an SF intervention or a control group. The researchers measured job stress, burnout and coping, and found significant improvements in the SF group in job burnout, total job stress and positive coping. This adds to the growing evidence that SF approaches may have a useful role to play in supporting healthy mental functioning within the workplace - something we've seen anecdotally in our own work with organisations and busy professionals.
Gerhát, Ocsenás and Münnich 2025
This paper explores the impact of Solution-Focused Brief Coaching (SFBC) on performance, self-efficacy, well-being and affect in a business context.
The report provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of solution-focused approaches in the workplace. The study used 360-degree performance evaluations (a combination of self-reports and external evaluations) to evaluate the impact of SFBC.
For example, when measuirng the impact of coaching on performance (across various competencies such as decision-making, teamwork, communication etc), the Experimental Group (EG) showed significant improvement from the start to the end of the study, whereas the control group showed no significant changes, confirming the positive impact of solution-focused coaching on performance.
The EG also showed significant improvements in self-efficacy, wellbeing and positive effect in comparison to the control group.
Cockburn, Thomas and Cockburn (1997)
This study looked at Solution Focused therapy as part of an orthopaedic rehabilitation programme designed to help people return to work following injury. The study group received six Solution Focused sessions alongside the standard rehabilitation programme, while the control group received the standard rehabilitation programme alone.
The results were striking. Within seven days of completing treatment, 68 per cent of the Solution Focused group had returned to work, compared with just 4 per cent of the control group. By 30 days, 92 per cent of the Solution Focused group had returned to work, compared with 47 per cent of the controls.
It's an early study, and the findings shouldn't be generalised to every workplace situation, but it's an interesting example of Solution Focused work being used outside a conventional therapy setting, with a very practical outcome: helping people get back to work.
Nystuen & Hagen (2003; 2006)
Another Norwegian research project looked specifically at employees who had been on long-term sick leave because of psychological problems or musculoskeletal pain. In the 2006 randomised controlled trial, 103 employees were allocated to either eight weekly Solution Focused sessions or treatment as usual.
There was no significant difference between the groups in return-to-work outcomes overall. However, among participants with psychological problems, the Solution Focused group showed a significant improvement in mental health, and the researchers concluded that the approach warranted further investigation.
The Evidence for Hypnotherapy
There is quite a wide variation in what constitutes "hypnotherapy" with practitioners engaged in many different tools, techniques and forms - unfortunately it's not hugely standardised (or always regulated!), which is why we're so keen on Solution Focused Hypnotherapy - a modality that IS based in neuroscience and psychology, and requires rigorous education, ethics and ongoing supervision and CPD.
Nevertheless, there's a good body of evidence for hypnotherapy in general and it's used very successfully by many UK hospitals, dentists etc. for pain management, among other things.
Meta Analyses & Systematic Reviews
Many studies of a high quality have been published which provide support for the efficacy of hypnotherapy, including meta-analyses and systematic reviews which collate data from multiple studies to form a more general picture of the research findings in this area.
David Wark’s review "What we can do with hypnosis: a brief note"
Wark identifies over thirty additional studies on hypnotherapy which he rates using the revised Chambless & Hollon (1998) criteria for either “possible”, “probable”, or “specific” empirically-supported treatments, depending upon the nature of the evidence available.
Certain hypnotherapy treatments for certain types of pain, anxiety, and weight loss are supported by the strongest evidence at present, by this standard.
Most of the other studies provide evidence relating to the treatment of acute or chronic pain, and certain stress- related or psychosomatic medical conditions such as insomnia, migraine and IBS.
Hypnotherapy and NICE
NICE guidelines endorse the use of Hypnotherapy in IBS (to be clear, the evidence used was based on gut directed hypnotherapy rather than relating specifically to Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, although they share many common principles).
What About the Evidence for IEMT?
Ok, it's not hypnotherapy or strictly 'Solution Focused' - but it IS one of our favourite modalities, and given it doesn't require any disclosure of problems or traumatic past events, we still think it fits the bill!
Initial pilot studies show distress scores halving after just one session - with improved emotional regulation.
Further compelling research is beginning to emerge. A 2026 peer-reviewed exploratory study compared IEMT-directed eye movements with EMDR-directed eye movements and a control condition. Both eye-movement conditions produced significantly greater reductions in distress than the control condition, with effects still present one week later. The study was small and involved non-clinical participants, and it tested the eye-movement component rather than complete IEMT therapy, so it is an encouraging early finding rather than proof of clinical effectiveness. Integral Eye Movement Therapy (IEMT) is an emerging therapy, welcoming further research (if you are interested in helping in this respect, please contact IEMT founder Andrew Austin at The Association For IEMT Practitioners.
We'd love to keep this blog post updated and as accurate as possible as further evidence emerges, so please get in touch if you have anything to share.
We've compiled this blog with huge thanks to the team at Practera and SheStrategic, care of The Leeds University Soul Project - we couldn't have done this without you! Particular mention goes to our student researcher team: Ane Lundy-Munoz, Hong Ha Linh Vu, Laxmi Shinde, Mariam Kone, Minna Watson, Sanaa Elcock.
We've also drawn on information provided by Clifton Practice Hypnotherapy Training, and a good old Google search.
Comments