A Critical Review of Teachers Using Solution-Focused Approaches Supported by Educational Psychologists

This paper offers reflections on teachers using solution-focused approaches in schools, supported by Educational Psychologists (EPs). The paper provides an outline of the development of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), its assumptions and its limitations. Literature describing its application in schools by teachers and the evidence of its effectiveness is reviewed using a Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. A discussion about the appropriateness of this tool is also examined, leading to further discussion relating to evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence. The paper concludes that it is very difficult for EPs to judge the strength of the evidence base for solution-focused approaches since this judgement is affected by the epistemological position a person takes.