One Size Fits All! The Secret of the Solution-Focused Approach

Sound a little crazy? Probably.
But here’s the thing: the Solution-Focused Approach really is a one-size-fits-all.

Why? Because it isn’t a checklist of techniques or a step-by-step script.
It’s a way of thinking - a mindset that shifts every conversation toward hope, possibility, and action.

Think about it.
When a teacher walks into your office and sighs, “Please fix that kid,” whose problem is it, really?
Not the kid’s - it’s the teacher’s!
They’re the ones stuck in a moment of frustration, believing the student is the entire problem.
That’s where you come in.

With your solution-focused mindset, you gently hand the power back where it belongs.
You might say:

• “What are your best hopes for our time today?”

• “Suppose that began happening, even a little, what would be different? What would you be doing to help it happen?”

• “Can you recall a time when things were even slightly better? What was different then?”

Just like that, the conversation changes.

When people begin describing what they want instead of what they don’t want, something shifts.
They begin to see themselves as part of the solution, not just the observer of a problem.
And once even one part of a system changes - whether it’s a teacher, parent, or student - the entire system responds in new ways.

That’s the magic of this work.
You’re not fixing anyone; you’re helping people rediscover their own agency, their own influence, their own hope.

So this week, when the complaints start rolling in, smile quietly to yourself.
You already know the secret.

The Solution-Focused Approach fits everyone — teachers, parents, students, and yes, even you.

Try it on again this week.

It never goes out of style. 👟💛