Solution focussed brief counselling is not just shortened long term therapy, but a discipline of its own, and comes from a different starting point entirely.  Brief therapy is planned around limited sessions, usually around 6 sessions.  It is future-focussed and aims to build solutions rather than solve problems.  

Instead of listening in order to understand what has gone wrong, solution focused brief therapists listen for clues about what going right would look like. Instead of discovering the problem and helping someone fix it we discover a preferred future and help someone reach it. Initially we focus on identifying a specific problem and defining the solutions or goals to be achieved during counselling.  The focus needs to be clear, specific and constant and is defined by the first or second session which then becomes the index of progress.  The therapist does not interpret these symptoms as representative of some other deeper problem, but deals with what the client wants changed. These presenting problems are also most likely what the client is most motivated to work on and change.  Homework is often given at the end of each session to initiate changes and to promote and expedite changes between sessions.  Homework facilitates the transfer of learning from the counselling session to the clients daily life.  The clients own strengths, resources and coping strategies will be identified during the counselling process to initiate the changes.