Solution-focused supervision: History, research, techniques, guidelines and future development

Abstract

Solution-focused (SF) supervision evolved from SF psychotherapy and is now used not only in psychotherapy but also in social work, coaching, management, counselling, mentoring, pastoral counseling, pedagogy, jurisdiction, sport and voluntary and clinical work in mental health. Following a presentation of the key contribution of social worker and psychotherapist Insoo Kim Berg to the development of the principles, techniques and guidelines for SF supervision, a summary of research findings on this form of supervision follows. Based on them, guidelines for supervision are described at the end, which can help all supervisors, regardless of their affiliation to any particular psychotherapeutic approach or professional field of work, where supervision is required. In conclusion, the perspectives of research on SF supervision and supervision in general are presented.