Cynthia Franklin

University of Texas at Austin | UT · Steve Hicks School of Social Work

Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is an empirically-supported psychotherapeutic intervention in treating mental health issues in the general population. When being delivered to adolescents and young adults (AYAs) diagnosed with cancer, specific techniques and skills of SFBT need to be tailored to meet the unique bio-psycho-social challenges of...

School social workers are integral to the school mental health workforce and the leading social service providers in educational settings. In recent decades, school social work practice has been largely influenced by the multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) approach, ecological systems views, and the promotion of evidence-based practice. However,...

Purpose: Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is practiced by social workers in clinical, community-based services, but no reviews of the outcome research have been completed. Methods: A meta-analysis of randomized studies. Outcome domains included depression, anxiety, behavioral health, health and wellbeing, family functioning, and psychosocial a...

Aims: To examine the characteristics, perceived barriers, special student populations, and school-based tasks performed by Texas's school social workers in comparison to other Specialized Instructional Services Providers (SISP) professionals in schools. Methods: A convenience sample from a survey of 212 school social workers and school services pr...

Background: Two Way Prayer Meditation (TWPM) is a spiritual intervention that holds promise for improving the psychospiritual well-being of individuals in recovery from substance use disorders (SUD). This study aimed to identify moderators of TWPM's treatment effects. Moderators tested included gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, religious/spir...

Background Community-based youth mentoring programs are popular interventions that serve a large number of Black youths throughout the country. Interestingly, the majority of mentors who volunteer their time for mentoring organizations identify as non-Hispanic White. This study examines how White mentors address topics acknowledging ethnic/racial i...

Objective Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use exposes college students to a myriad of adverse consequences. However, there is no recent nationally representative study on SAM use among college students in the United States (US). To provide an update to the literature, the present study aimed to examine the trends, prevalence, and correlate...

While the academic job market continues to be strong for social work doctoral graduates, there has been relatively little guidance for students and their mentors on how to prepare for and obtain these positions. Research in doctoral education across disciplines shows that students need help transitioning from their role as doctoral student to navig...

Indigenous Peoples (IP) face significant health disparities that stem from historical trauma (HT). This is the first systematic review to investigate mental health interventions that address HT in addition to treating mental health disorders among IP in the United States. The data search included seven databases for published studies, consultations...

Objective This study examines whether parents involved in the child welfare system, due to substance abuse, who receive solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) counseling experience more hope and positive emotions than those receiving treatment-as-usual counseling services. Methods Randomized controlled trial design was used to evaluate the effectiv...

Objectives This study explored courses offered by social work PhD programs, the variation in these courses by type of university, and how the courses compare to the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE) Quality Guidelines. Study Methods Course curriculums of 84 GADE-affiliated social work PhD programs were double-bl...

Substance use is a prevalent public health issue. Most social workers may encounter substance use in their work with clients and need effective therapeutic strategies for this issue. Since the 1980s, solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) has been practiced with clients who have substance use problems, and clinical training materials have been devel...

Objectives MindUP is a mindfulness-based social-emotional learning program designed for implementation by teachers in school settings. The purpose of this pilot study is to examine whether MindUP can effectively improve the classroom conduct of students with behavioral challenges in general education classrooms. Study hypotheses are: after receivin...

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the systemic inequities in our health care system and society has called for actions to meet the clinical, psychosocial and educational needs in health care settings and communities. In this paper we describe how an organized Department of Health Social Work in a medical school played a unique role in responding to...

Background: The study goal was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of a spiritual intervention called Two Way Prayer Meditation’s (TWPM) effectiveness on the psychological distress, self-esteem, and spiritual well-being of people with substance use disorders. Methods: This study employed a randomized controlled trial design with pretest and posttes...

Objective: This review analyzed the effectiveness of SFBT as a school-based intervention by synthesizing and comparing results from the English and Chinese literature. Method: In order to achieve a rigorous analysis, the search aligned with the Cochrane guidelines. Fifty studies, containing 246 effect size estimates and a total of 2,921 participant...

As many as one third of children who reunify from child welfare systems reenter care because of continued child maltreatment. This can have long-term deleterious effects on mental health. Yet, few studies have examined interventions that have been effective in promoting successful reunification or reunification that does not result in recidivism. T...

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a typo in the second author surname. The author surname was incorrectly listed as Borhneimer. The correct name should be Bornheimer.

Working on What Works (WOWW) is a manualized, 10‐week classroom intervention based on solution‐focused brief therapy. This study evaluates WOWW using a randomized experimental, posttest‐only design. The study included 30 fourth and fifth grade classrooms, containing 30 teachers and 413 students. Results indicate no significant differences between W...

To access this article, use this link: https://rdcu.be/bxS53 Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is well supported for treating depressive and anxiety disorders. Trials of CBT for anxiety and depression in primary care have increased over the past decade, yet only one meta-analysis, published in 2015, examined this topic and the scope of that revie...

While the academic job market continues to be strong for social work doctoral graduates relative to graduates of other fields, there has been relatively little guidance for students and their mentors on how to prepare for and obtain these positions. Research in doctoral education across disciplines shows that students need help transitioning from t...

Purpose The increasing need for school-based mental health services has altered teachers’ involvement in mental health services. Methods This study presents a meta-analysis from a previous systematic review to identify which study characteristics result in effective treatment outcomes. Specific treatment characteristics analyzed in this study incl...

Background: Spiritual/religious (S/R) interventions are commonly used to treat substance use problems, but this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to examine their efficacy for these problems. Methods: Ten electronic databases were searched to identify eligible studies (i.e., randomized controlled trials) published between January...

Nearly ten years ago, Families in Society published an article (Kim, Smock, Trepper, McCollum, & Franklin, 2010) that discussed the empirical status of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) and its progress toward being accepted as an evidence-based intervention in the United States. In the last decade, new growth of experimental design studies usi...

Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a strengthens-based, future-oriented approach that has received promising results over the past decade. Literature on SFBT has demonstrated the approach’s ability to meet the unique needs of various client populations while adapting to a variety of service delivery settings. Schools are a specific setting in...

To access this article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.12.008 Background:Depressive and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and detrimental in primary care settings. However, there are gaps in the literature concerning effectiveness and generalizability of empirically supported interventions and treatment of both depression and anxiety in...

This scoping review followed Cochrane guidelines to comprehensively assess the use and understanding of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in Chinese social science literature. We conducted a research across three electronic databases and three major social science journals for the studies published between 2004 and 2016. Chinese social work literature...

This chapter describes how SFBT has been used in the treatment of substance use and relies on the clinical literature to illustrate interventions. Specific ways to engage clients with substance use will be covered, including the questions to ask in order to promote change. In addition, this chapter will describe a case where SFBT has been used with...

Purpose: Given the critical role of parental care for pediatric cancer patients, this pilot study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of a hospital-based solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) intervention for reducing psychological distress among parents of pediatric cancer patients in China. Differences between treatment and active contro...

Solution Focused Brief Therapy in Alternative Schools (SFBT) provides a step-by-step guide for how school social workers and counselors can work with other school professionals to create an effective solution focused dropout prevention program. Along with illustrative cases and detailed explanations, the authors detail the curriculum and day-to-day...

This meta-analysis synthesized randomized controlled trials of solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) in medical settings for patients’ health-related psychosocial (e.g., depression, psychosocial adjustment to illness), behavioral (e.g., physical activity, nutrition score), and functional health (e.g., BMI, individual strength) outcomes. Medical set...

Involuntary clients are required to see a professional, such as juveniles on probation, or are pressured to seek help, such as alcoholics threatened with the desertion of a spouse. For close to two decades, Strategies for Work with Involuntary Clients has led in its honest analysis of the involuntary transaction, suggesting the kind of effective le...

The objective of this research is to generate leads for developing our ultimate poly-active molecules with utility in central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Indeed, poly-active molecules capable of mitigating brain free radical damage while enhancing acetylcholine signaling (via cholinesterase inhibition) are still being sought for combating Alzhei...

Chinese parents of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) experience significant psychological distress due to the child's illness and hospitalization. Unfortunately, there are few psychosocial interventions for parental distress in China. This pilot study aimed to examine the efficacy of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) in a Chinese hos...

Purpose This article presents a pilot study exploring the applicability of a linguistically adapted, solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) program, implemented by social workers in Chilean primary care. Method We completed a single-case design with eight replications. To analyze the results of the program on participants’ alcohol use and other rel...

Bereavement is prevalent among college students and spirituality/religiosity may play an important role in their bereavement adjustment. This is the first systematic review to investigate spirituality/religiosity’s relationship with bereavement among college students. We searched 10 databases and screened 598 studies. Eight studies met the inclusio...

The growing mental health needs of students within schools have resulted in teachers increasing their involvement in the delivery of school-based, psychosocial interventions. Current research reports mixed findings concerning the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions delivered by teachers for mental health outcomes. This article presents a sy...

Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a resource-based, future-oriented therapeutic approach that focuses on finding exceptions to problems and identifying coping strategies to build solutions. SFBT has been efficacious with individuals with alcohol use disorders. Chile experiences high levels of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related health co...

In an effort to develop new fluoroquinolones, we synthesized eight compounds and tested them against a panel of bacteria. The design of these compounds was guided by the introduction of the isothiazoloquinolone motif. The three most active compounds in this series, 8-10, demonstrated good antibacterial activity against methicillin-sensitive Staphyl...

Strengths-based, goal-focused approaches to working with at-risk youth have been successfully used by mentoring programs, therapeutic interventions, prevention programs, and self-help groups. However, few such approaches have been used to inform juvenile diversion programs. This is partially explained by limited empirical research on mechanisms of...

The impact of suicidal ideation on college students' academic performance has yet to be examined, yet mental health is often linked with academic performance. Underclassmen and upperclassmen were compared on behavioral health outcomes related to academic success (N = 26,457). Ideation (b = -0.05, p < .05), increased mental health (b = -0.03, p < .0...

This article reviews all the published and non-published outcome studies that were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-experimental designs on solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) conducted with Latinos within the United States and Latin America. Data search included 18 databases for published articles, three databases for dissertations,...

The primary aim of this study was to assess the overall effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) among Chinese populations with mental and behavioral health issues. A random effects meta-analysis of nine eligible studies was conducted on SFBT outcomes in China. SFBT was effective in reducing internalizing problems, with effect sizes r...

Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a strengths-based approach that was developed by American social workers and a team of interdisciplinary colleagues in the early 1980s. This article provides a review of SFBT in mainland China, showing the cross-cultural and transdisciplinary use of SFBT by diverse professionals within China. In particular,...

This paper reports an approach to improving the integration of research and practice instruction by engaging students in a research project. Through the project, the students evaluate an effort to improve their interviewing and relationship-building skills. The skills-development component relies primarily on student role playing and peer feedback,...

Background Schools and school-based mental health professionals (SBMHP), such as school social workers, have become a primary service provider of mental health services for youth. Policy and research over the past 20 years have helped to evolve an intervention model known as Response to Intervention (RTI) to address various levels of identified so...

Schools are large providers of mental health services for children and adolescents. Recent educational policy initiatives at the federal level have ushered in Response to Intervention and school-wide behavior supports that have potential to involve teachers in school mental health interventions. Little research exists investigating the involvement...

Utilizing a solution-focused approach, an alternative high school in Austin, Texas, has been able to impact multiple risk factors in the lives of youth identified as at risk of dropping out of school. Garza High School has become known as a solution-focused alternative school (SFAS) and has participated in various research investigations. The solut...

This article describes how concept mapping techniques were applied to evaluate the development of a solution-focused, public alternative school program. Concept Systems software was used to create 15 cluster maps based on statements generated from students, teachers, and school staff. In addition, pattern matches were analyzed to examine the degree...

This chapter presents an overview to the general structure of solutionfocused brief therapy (SFBT). The chapter inludes an overview, description, and rationale for SFBT, explanation of goals and goal setting in SFBT, a description of how SFBT is contrasted with other treatments, a look at specific active ingredients and therapist behaviors in SFBT,...

Therapy is frequently miscast as requiring an enormous amount of time and financial commitment, but helpful, goal-oriented therapy can produce positive results after only a few sessions. Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) has been gaining momentum as a powerful therapeutic approach since its inception in the 1980s. By focusing on solutions inste...

Social workers provide services to a variety of clients and are challenged with finding interventions that meet the multifaceted needs of diverse populations. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is becoming an increasingly popular therapy that offers flexibility and effectiveness in treating challenging cases. The purpose of this review is to p...

Recent trends in education have drawn attention to students at risk of school failure and dropout in the United States. Alternative schools are one method for preventing the severe and long-lasting consequences of underachievement and dropout. Few research studies have sought the opinions and perceptions of the at-risk students who attend alternati...

This chapter describes the solution-focused Taking Charge (TC) intervention, a school-based program designed to help adolescent mothers. Taking Charge is a multimodal, brief cognitive behavioral curriculum that was developed within solution-focused and developmental frameworks, utilizing the strengths, resources, life goals, and developmental tasks...

Here, readers will find an overview of adolescent mental health disorders and step-by-step guidelines for intervening effectively. This Concise Companion covers ten major mental health issues - from depression to ADHD to autism - as well as strategies for working with co-occurring disorders and for managing psychopharmacological treatments. Each ch...

Taking Charge is the first empirically tested program of its kind, designed specifically to improve academic achievement and self-sufficiency for adolescent and teenage mothers, who face increased risk of dropping out and experiencing poverty. This eight-session, in-school group-intervention uses cognitive-behavioral principles to bolster life skil...

Here, readers will find an overview of the factors that put students at risk for missing school and dropping out. This Concise Companion presents strategies to improve school attendance and to engage under-served student populations such as those who are pregnant or in foster care. Each chapter is filled with charts, checklists, and cases and is or...

Here, readers will find an overview of violence and interpersonal conflict in schools. This Concise Companion covers the types of violence that threaten school and student safety - from bullying to sexual assault to gang activity - and presents strategies to assess risk, teach conflict-resolution skills, and create a violence-free culture. Each cha...

Here, readers will find an overview of adolescent health issues and step-by-step prevention and intervention guidance. This Concise Companion covers major health issues that affect students' well being - from substance abuse to STDs to obesity - and presents strategies to improve student health by addressing risky behaviors. Each chapter is filled...

School social work is a subspecialty within the social work profession. The field has been in existence in the United States for over one hundred years and is practiced in many other countries. Although the actual number of school social workers worldwide is unknown, the field serves children in most states in the United States. According to the Sc...

Objective: This systematic review examined the effectiveness of school social work practices using meta-analytic techniques. Method: Hierarchical linear modeling software was used to calculate overall effect size estimates as well as test for between-study variability. Results: A total of 21 studies were included in the final analysis. Unconditiona...

The application of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) with students and in school settings has grown over the past 10years and has been applied to a number of behavioral and academic problems. This review of the research literature examined the most rigorous outcome studies on SFBT conducted in schools, given its promise within this specific set...

This article describes the process of having solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) be evaluated by various federal registries as an evidence-based practice (EBP) intervention. The authors submitted SFBT for evaluation for inclusion on three national EBP registry lists in the United States: the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrati...

Purpose: School social work is a specialized group within the social work profession that works to support student learning and well-being through direct service, service coordination, and advocacy in an academic setting. Despite the one-hundred year history of school social work, previous reviews on school social work interventions have generally...

A school social worker and three social work interns in a semirural alternative high school with a predominant Hispanic student enrollment evaluated the Taking Charge group intervention. The group is an evidence-based life skills intervention for adolescent mothers, and it was evaluated on its efficacy for improving participants' school achievement...