A Comparative Study Regarding Solution-Focused Brief Counseling and Narrative Counseling Approaches

Postmodernism and constructivism movements and changings of scientific understanding have effects on psychological counseling processes, too. Solution-Focused Brief Counseling and Narrative Counseling are approaches that emerged with the effects of postmodernism and constructivism and are widely used. Both approaches oppose the idea that the counseling process can be practiced objectively. The interaction between client and psychological counselor in the counseling process reconstructs reality and creates changings in both the client and the psychological counselor. Both approaches accept the idea that the client's experience is subjective. The person who has knowledge of this subjective experience is the client, therefore the expert of his life is the client, too. In addition, it is emphasized that the solutions for each client's experience are subjective. The psychological counselor has a good listener role. These two approaches based on the same the philosophical basis, differ in some points. Solution-Focused Brief Counseling uses questions actively to understand the client's experience. The focus of the approach is solutions and steps towards solutions and experiences that reduce the problem are examined in this approach. Due to these characteristics, it can be said that it is a present and future-oriented approach. There is an intense use of questions in the process of the Solution-Focused Brief Counseling. In Narrative Counseling, on the other hand, it is stated that the problem arises from the dominant story and focuses on in-depth investigation. These problematic stories are being made to rewrite in counseling process. In this respect, it can be said that it includes a present and past oriented analysis. Both approaches have new techniques that they added to psychotherapy practices. In this study, processive perspectives of the Solution-Focused Brief Counseling and Narrative Counseling approaches, their perspectives on people and assumptions, and counseling processes are discussed.