Small Shifts, Big Results — How Change Really Happens in Therapy

When life feels heavy or stuck, it’s easy to believe that real change must come from something big — a breakthrough, a major decision, a total overhaul. But in therapy, change often begins quietly. One small shift in thinking or behavior can start to turn things around in powerful ways.

In Brief Solutions Focused Therapy, we often say that clients already hold the seeds of their own healing. My role as a therapist isn’t to fix what’s wrong, but to help notice what’s already working — the strengths, moments, and choices that point the way forward.

Why Small Changes Matter

The human mind loves the idea of a fresh start — but big, sweeping change can feel overwhelming when you’re already running on empty. Focusing instead on one manageable shift helps restore a sense of control and confidence.

Think about it like steering a ship. Turning even one degree in a new direction doesn’t seem like much — but over time, that small turn completely changes where you end up.

In therapy, we look for those “one-degree turns”:

• A moment when you handled a situation a little differently

• A time you felt a bit more in control than before

• A day that went slightly better than the last

Each one is evidence that growth is already happening.

The “Miracle Question”

One of my favorite tools in Brief Solutions Focused Therapy is the miracle question:

“Suppose tonight, while you’re sleeping, a miracle happens — the problem that brought you here is resolved. When you wake up tomorrow, what’s the first small sign that tells you things are better?”

The point isn’t to imagine perfection — it’s to identify what better looks like in your daily life. Maybe it’s less tension in your shoulders. Maybe it’s having one kind conversation with yourself. Maybe it’s simply getting out of bed and starting your day.

From there, we work backward: What’s one step you could take today that moves you closer to that version of yourself?

Hope in Action

Hope isn’t wishful thinking — it’s a strategy for change. When you begin noticing what’s going well, you start building evidence that progress is possible. This doesn’t mean ignoring pain or pretending things are fine; it means holding space for both the hard things and the hopeful ones.

As you start to recognize small victories, your mindset shifts from “nothing ever changes” to “I can make changes, one step at a time.”

That shift is where healing begins.

Try This Today

Take a few minutes tonight to reflect:

• What’s one small thing that went right today?

• What helped make that happen?

• What could you do tomorrow to make more of those moments possible?

Then, celebrate it — however small it seems. Every step forward is a step toward Hope. For Change. For Good.

If you’re ready to start noticing your own progress, therapy can help you build the tools to keep moving forward.