| Course | SOCW 6121 Advanced Clinical Practice II |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 6 |
| Paper type | Solution-focused session plan |
| Length | About 780 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | Master of Social Work (MSW) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for SOCW 6121 Week 6
Building on the Tuesday That Worked: A Solution-Focused Session Plan for a Client Who Has Decided to Apply for a Certificate, Set Out in Timed Segments From the Opening Question Through the Miracle Question, Scaling, a Break, Compliments and a Noticing Task
Student Name
Walden University
SOCW 6121: Advanced Clinical Practice II
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Building on the Tuesday That Worked: A Solution-Focused Session Plan for a Client Who Has Decided to Apply for a Certificate, Set Out in Timed Segments From the Opening Question Through the Miracle Question, Scaling, a Break, Compliments and a Noticing Task
Rationale
By the sixth session Dale, the course's composite client, had decided to apply for the community college logistics certificate and had mailed the application. The motivational work of the previous sessions aimed to strengthen that decision. The task now is different: to build on the days that already work, so that the new structure he wants can grow from what he is already doing. Solution-focused brief therapy, developed by de Shazer, Berg and colleagues, suits that task, because it attends to exceptions, the moments when the trouble eases or does not show up, and to the client's own picture of a better future rather than to the problem's history (Corcoran & Pillai, 2009). Reviews of controlled studies have found the approach to be associated with improvement across a range of problems, though effects are often modest (Gingerich & Peterson, 2013; Kim, 2008).
The Session Plan
Table 1
Solution-Focused Session Plan, Session 6 (50 minutes)
| Time | Segment | Planned question or move | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 min | Opening | "What's been going a bit better since our last session?" | Start from what is working |
| 5 to 15 min | Exception | Follow the anticipated exception: the Tuesday afternoon he helped his son replace brake pads. "What did you do that made that afternoon go well?" | Identify what Dale did, not only what happened |
| 15 to 25 min | Miracle question | "Imagine that tonight, as you sleep, something like a miracle takes place and the troubles that brought you here are gone. Since you slept through it, nobody has told you. What would be the first thing you'd notice tomorrow morning?" Follow-ups: "Who would notice first? What would they see you doing?" | Build a detailed picture of a preferred future |
| 25 to 32 min | Scaling | "On a scale from 0 to 10, where 10 stands for that miracle morning and 0 for the worst things have ever been, where are you today?" "What puts you at that number and not lower?" "What would one point higher look like?" | Locate progress and a next small step |
| 32 to 40 min | Break | The worker steps out for five minutes to prepare feedback | Signal that the feedback is considered |
| 40 to 46 min | Compliments | Grounded compliments, such as noting that he mailed the application without being asked and that he named his son as the first to notice change | Reinforce his own steps |
| 46 to 50 min | Task | "Between now and next week, notice what's different on the days that go a little better, so you can tell me about them." | Direct attention to exceptions |
Times are approximate and will shift with Dale's answers; the miracle question segment is the most likely to run long.
Why Each Segment Is There
The opening question assumes that something has been better and invites Dale to look for it, which differs from asking how his week was. The Tuesday exception is anticipated because Dale mentioned it last session: he spent three hours in the driveway with his son, and his mood rating that day was 4, compared with his usual 7. Asking what he did, rather than what happened, places the change in his own actions.
The miracle question, in the form developed by de Shazer, Berg and their colleagues, asks for a description of the morning after, in concrete behavioral terms, and the follow-up about who would notice first draws in the people whose response matters to him. If he names his son, as seems likely, the worker will ask what his son would see him doing, which links the preferred future to the third treatment goal. The scaling question then asks where he is now, which allows small progress to be noticed and named, and the question about one point higher identifies a next step that is his, not the worker's.
The break and compliments follow standard solution-focused practice. Compliments are grounded in specific things Dale said or did, since general praise tends to sound hollow to clients who feel they have failed. The noticing task keeps his attention on what goes well during the week and gives the next session a natural starting point.
Fit With the Treatment Plan
The session serves the first and third goals from Week 2, restoring a daily structure and rejoining family routines. It does not replace monitoring of mood or the safety plan; the worker will briefly check on the thoughts Dale reported at intake during the opening segment, as at every session.
References
Corcoran, J., & Pillai, V. (2009). A review of the research on solution-focused therapy. British Journal of Social Work, 39(2), 234-242. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcm098
Gingerich, W. J., & Peterson, L. T. (2013). Effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy: A systematic qualitative review of controlled outcome studies. Research on Social Work Practice, 23(3), 266-283. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731512470859
Kim, J. S. (2008). Examining the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy: A meta-analysis. Research on Social Work Practice, 18(2), 107-116. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731507307807
Reading the SOCW 6121 Week 6 instructions
For Week 6, plan a solution-focused session for your client. Open with a short rationale explaining why a solution-focused approach suits the client at this point in treatment, citing evidence on the approach. Set out the session in timed segments, giving for each the planned question or move and its purpose. Include an opening question about what has been better, exploration of a known or likely exception, the miracle question with follow-ups, a scaling question, a break, compliments grounded in what the client has said or done, and a task. Explain why each segment is placed where it is. Close by noting how the session fits the treatment plan and what continues regardless, such as safety monitoring.
Inside the SOCW 6121 Week 6 example
Dale's plan explains that motivation has done its work now that he has applied, and that the next step is building on what already goes well, citing Corcoran and Pillai and two outcome reviews. The table sets seven segments across fifty minutes, from an opening about what has gone a bit better to a task to notice better days. A section explains each choice: why the Tuesday exception is anticipated, why the miracle question follows it, why the scaling follow-up asks about one point higher, and why compliments must be specific. A closing section ties the session to two treatment goals and notes that the safety check continues at every session.
Reading the SOCW 6121 Week 6 rubric
The timed plan decides most of the grade; readers check that each segment uses a recognized solution-focused technique correctly and that its purpose is clear. The rationale should explain why this approach suits this client now, not why it is good in general. Anticipating an exception from what the client has already said shows attention to the case. Compliments must be grounded in specifics. The explanation of sequence earns credit when it shows how segments build on one another. Plans that list techniques without timing or purpose, misstate the miracle question, use generic compliments or drop ongoing risk monitoring fall into the middle range.
Common SOCW 6121 Week 6 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Review your notes for any time recently when the problem was smaller; that is your likely exception. Write the miracle question out in full and practice it, since its wording matters. Plan follow-ups that ask for observable detail and for who would notice. For scaling, write the anchors clearly. Draft two or three compliments from things the client actually did. Keep the task simple and about noticing. Time each segment, leaving slack for the miracle question. Remember to keep safety checks in place. If the client answers the miracle question with very little, slow down and ask about small details, such as what he would have for breakfast. A tutor can help you plan follow-up questions, and the session plan above sets out every segment.
Get a SOCW 6121 Week 6 example written to your instructions
Share the Week 6 prompt, the rubric and the case or session number the plan should cover. If your section pairs solution-focused work with a family or group rather than an individual, say so, and that room is what the plan is written for. It returns in 24-48 hours, free as a first custom sample, around a client who does not exist.
More SOCW 6121 papers and MSW samples
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- SOCW 6121 Week 3: CBT Case Conceptualization
- SOCW 6121 Week 4: Group Process Analysis
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- SOCW 6121 Week 7: Family Intervention Plan
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- SOCW 6121 Week 11: Termination Summary
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SOCW 6121 Week 6 questions, answered
Where can I find a free SOCW 6121 Week 6 sample paper?
The press operator's solution-focused session plan is reproduced above in full.
What exception is the SOCW 6121 Week 6 session built on?
A Tuesday afternoon when he helped his son replace brake pads.
Why shift to a solution-focused approach now?
He has decided to apply, so the task is building on days that already work.
What does the scaling question ask?
Where he is today on a 0 to 10 scale and what one point higher would look like.
What task closes the session?
Noticing what is different on the days that go a little better.