COUN681 Assessment 4 Brief – SFBT thematic literature review

Assessment Task

This assessment requires you to conduct a thematic literature review on a topic of your choice related to Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). You will draw from a minimum of four peer reviewed journal articles and one book chapter (excluding the recommended Hanton and De Jong/Berg texts, although you may use these in addition).

Practical Application

The purpose of this task is to deepen your understanding of how SFBT is utilised across diverse contexts and populations, depending on your particular interest. This task encourages you to connect theoretical knowledge of SFBT with practical counselling applications. By identifying common themes in the literature, you will gain insights into how SFBT can be applied effectively in real-world settings, while also reflecting on any limitations or challenges of both the research in your chosen area and of the approach. The literature review will also provide an opportunity to explore the cultural appropriateness of SFBT in the bicultural context of counselling in Aotearoa | New Zealand.

The literature review will help you to:

• Explore a researchable topic related to SFBT that aligns with your professional or personal interests.
• Identify key themes and trends in the literature.
• Compare, critique, and contrast perspectives from various sources.
• Explore SFBT principles in relation to your topic of choice, using both theoretical and practical insights.
• Reflect on your personal experience and how it relates to your findings.
• Discuss how conducting this review has shaped your understanding of SFBT and its application.

Assignment Preparation

1. A thematic literature review is organised around key themes or topics found across the literature, rather than focusing on individual studies. It involves identifying common patterns, trends, or concepts from multiple sources and grouping these findings under specific themes. This approach helps synthesise information and offers a deeper understanding of how different studies relate to one another on broader issues.

2. Choose your topic and ensure its researchable

a) Select a topic that relates to SFBT and aligns with your personal or professional interests. Some suggestions include but are not limited to:

• SFBT with adolescents in educational settings: Explore how SFBT supports students with stress, anxiety, or behavioural challenges.
• Explore the effectiveness of SFBT as an approach to working with children, young people and families/whānau.
• Analyse the effectiveness of SFBT in helping clients experiencing loss and grief.
• Using SFBT for counsellors working with youth.
• Investigate how SFBT can support individuals recovering from trauma or addiction.

b) Ensure the topic is not only interesting but researchable. Before committing, do a preliminary search to confirm that there are at least four peer-reviewed journal articles and one book chapter available to support your review.

c) Start broad, then narrow down. Begin with a broad interest related to SFBT, such as its application with a specific client group (eg, youth, trauma survivors, addiction recovery). Narrow your focus to a manageable aspect that is well-represented in research, such as SFBT’s impact on school-aged children with anxiety.

d) Check for available literature before finalising your topic, conduct a preliminary search using academic databases like PsycINFO or Google Scholar. If you struggle to find quality sources, broaden or slightly adjust your topic.

e) Assess key themes: Your topic should allow you to explore key principles of SFBT (eg, the application within a future-oriented approach, how the research has utilised the focus on client strengths and resources). This ensures that your review engages critically with the literature and aligns with the core themes of the course.

f) Avoid overly niche or under-researched topics such as SFBT with elderly people in small rural communities, as these might lack sufficient literature. Make sure your topic is broad enough to find substantial research but focused enough to avoid overwhelming amounts of unrelated data.

f) Your Subject Librarian is available to help you search for and identify key pieces of literature to guide your research. You can connect with them via email or make an appointment to see them in-person or online via Zoom.

3. Conducting your research

a) When conducting research for your literature review, use academic databases like JSTOR, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. Search using relevant keywords related to your topic (eg, “SFBT with youth” or “solution-focused therapy for anxiety”).

b) Document your search strategy carefully, including:

• Keywords used.
• Filters applied (eg, date range, peer-reviewed only).
• Databases searched.

c) This documentation is essential, as you will need to include your search process in the Research Methods section of your review. Explaining your strategy ensures transparency, justifies your article selection, highlights any limitations, and demonstrates the comprehensiveness of your review.

Integrating personal application and reflection

As part of your literature review, you are expected to integrate personal application throughout the review. This means reflecting on how the literature aligns with, challenges, or expands your professional or personal experiences. You can incorporate these reflections by using “I statements” to demonstrate how SFBT principles and findings relate to your realworld practice.

For example:

“In my experience working with clients recovering from trauma, I found that the emphasis on client strengths within SFBT closely mirrors my approach to empowering clients, as discussed in [Author’s] article.”

To highlight personal reflections effectively, use “block quotes” or indentations to distinguish reflective text.

Using these methods will help you weave personal reflections and professional insights into your thematic discussion, creating a more cohesive, reflective review.                 

Detailed instructions on how to write a thematic literature review.

a) Introduction: Introduce your specific topic and explain why it is relevant to SolutionFocused Brief Therapy (SFBT). Clearly outline the goals of your review and briefly introduce the key themes you will explore.

• Include personal reflection by explaining why this topic is of interest to you professionally or personally, and how it relates to your counselling practice.

b) Outline your research methods: Explain your approach to selecting literature, detailing the databases, keywords, and filters you used. Justify the inclusion of specific studies by explaining their relevance to your chosen topic. Highlight any limitations or gaps in your search and how you adapted.

• In this section, you may include personal reflections on how your search strategy evolved, what challenges you faced, and what insights you gained from exploring these sources.

c) Thematic Discussion: Organise your review around key themes identified in the literature (eg, principles of SFBT, empowerment, collaboration, effectiveness, limitations, criticisms).  

• Discuss these themes while critiquing the literature—highlighting findings, inconsistencies, and implications for SFBT practice.
• Throughout this discussion, include “I statements” to relate the literature to your own counselling practice. For example, mention how certain SFBT principles resonate with your experiences or challenge your current approach. Reflect on how you might adapt these findings in practice.

d) Specific context of your topic: If your topic involves a specific cultural or social group, discuss how SFBT is used or adapted in that context. Reflect on how SFBT can be applied in real-world counselling settings for your chosen population or issue.

• Address any special considerations that might arise for counsellors applying SFBT in these contexts. Include personal insights about how this knowledge could apply to your professional setting.

e) Bicultural Considerations:

Reflect on how SFBT can be used within the bicultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly when working with Māori and Pasifika. Discuss how SFBT might enable a culturally responsive approach for counselling with Māori and Pasifika and what limitations might exist. Consider any potential adaptations which might enable a more culturally responsive and Te Tiriti led approach.   

• Include your own experiences working with diverse populations and how integrating bicultural responsiveness into SFBT practice may change or enhance your approach. Use personal examples if applicable.

f) Conclusion: Summarise the main insights from the literature, reflecting on how they have enhanced your understanding of SFBT. Connect these findings to your specific topic and explain how they could contribute to improved counselling practice.

• Include a final personal reflection on how your view of SFBT has evolved through conducting the review.

g) Recommendations:

• Based on your review, offer recommendations for future research or practice. Highlight any gaps in the current literature and suggest ways SFBT could be better applied or adapted for the issue or population you’re focusing on. Consider recommending ways to better integrate SFBT into specific cultural or practice settings.

Recommended Structure

1. Cover page – (0 words)
2. Contents page – (0 words)
3. Introduction – (250-300 words)
4. Research methods – (200-250 words)
5. Thematic discussion – (1,000-1,500 words, including personal reflections)
6. Specific context of your topic – (300-350 words, with personal application)
7. Bicultural considerations – (250-300 words)
8. Conclusion – (200-250 words, including personal reflection)
9. Recommendations – (200-250 words)
10. References – (0 words)

Wordcount = Minimum: 2,250 words – Maximum: 2,750 words         

Presentation Guidelines

• Word count: 2500 words (+/- 10%) of the word count, excluding references.
• Format: All written work should be word-processed and submitted as a Word document
• Include a cover page with your name and student number.
• Use a clear, readable font and ensure your work is double-spaced with page numbers
• Ensure your Student ID and name are on every page within the footnotes.
• Before submission, spellcheck and proofread your work thoroughly to avoid errors.
• Ensure your submission is within 10% of the word count provided (excluding references).
• File Naming: Name your files clearly using the following format:

o   Assignment 4_ Lit_Review _Student Number_Initial and Last Name

Research and referencing 

Your work must be professionally presented. Any external ideas or sources that are not your own must be cited using APA 7th edition.

Assessment mitigating circumstances

If you are unable to complete this assignment in the required timeframe due to mitigating circumstances, please discuss with your facilitator.

Generative AI tools cannot be used for this assessment

Assessment Submission Guidelines

1. You need to submit Assignment 4 by 11:55pm Sunday, Week 12
2. Go to the Assessment section in your Tuihono |UC Online Learner dashboard.
3. Find the corelating Assessment 4 submission link
4. Select Add Submission button to bring up the file upload prompt
   • You will be required to tick the box that confirms “This assignment is my own work, except where I have acknowledged the use of work of other people”.
   • Select Choose File and select your assessment file from your local drive.
   • Select Upload this file. You are also able to drag and drop the file into the submission box
   • Select Save Changes

Before uploading, ensure files are correctly named, fully uploaded, and accessible by your assessor.

5. Review your Submission status to check your Turnitin similarity score to assess potential plagiarism. You may edit and resubmit your work to make necessary changes and ensure your submission is original.
6. Your submission status table will display the last modified date, the uploaded file(s), as well as the dates and grade status for your assignment.