A counselor using a brief counseling model would most likely ask which question?

• A. How did you progress?
• B. What is problematic for you?
• C. Both a and c.
• D. When is this not a problem for you?

Answer: (D)

In brief counseling models, questions are often aimed at uncovering exceptions to the problem and ideas that can be built on quickly. Asking when this is not a problem for you invites the client to recall times when the issue didn’t arise or was easier to manage. This helps identify conditions, coping strategies, or supports that made those moments possible, which the counselor can reinforce and reproduce to move toward a solution. It shifts the focus from “why the problem exists” to “when and how we can keep it away or manage it,” which is the heart of brief, solution-oriented work.

Asking how you progressed can be useful, but it doesn’t specifically draw out those exception moments that show what works. Asking what is problematic keeps the conversation focused on the issue rather than on strengths or positive deviations. The option that combines two items isn’t aligned with the targeted, concise nature of brief counseling questions.