Fidelity Monitoring in the Solution Focused Wellness for HIV (SFWH) Intervention for Women

Abstract

Solution Focused methods are often interpreted by different practitioners with a degree of flexibility and adaptation to specific practice settings (Lehmann & Patton, 2012). This flexibility is one of the features that makes SFBT a very client-centered approach and has been highlighted as one of the key aspects of successful co-construction of desired outcomes with clients (Franklin et al., 2017). This collaborative approach is possible due to SFBT’s utilization of social constructionist principals in the solution-building process (Blundo & Simon, 2015). While encouraging flexibility of implementation of SFBT, identifying the main tenets of the therapy, including specific techniques and mindsets is helpful to researchers who are interested in determining SFBT’s success in certain clinical and research efforts (Lehmann & Patton; Trepper et al., 2012). To help with this process, members of the Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association (SFBTA) created a treatment manual that outlined these major tenants to serve as a guide and to reach a consensus about how to understand and implement SFBT (Trepper et al.). In publishing their SFBT fidelity instrument, Lehmann and Patton recommended that the field of SFBT focus more seriously on the issues of treatment fidelity in SFBT practice and research. However, continued discussion on the topic has been limited in the peer-reviewed, published SFBT literature. To continue this discussion among SFBT researchers and practitioners, the process for planning, monitoring and reporting fidelity to SFBT in the Solution Focused Wellness for HIV Intervention for women (SFWH) will be presented. The SFWH fidelity monitoring process will be explained in the context of both common SFBT fidelity processes and the latest accepted behavioral intervention research guidelines for the fidelity process.