Once the client has identified a number of potential solutions, the fifth step is decision making. In this step the client looks in more depth at the solutions generated during the brainstorm, and by weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of potential solutions makes a decision about which one to implement. The aim is to find a solution that will be effective.

Some clients find the decision making stage difficult, with potential solutions going round and round in their minds. It can certainly be difficult to know where to start when you have a large number of options before you. The clinician's role is to teach the client a systematic way to sort through the alternative solutions by using decision-making guidelines. This is achieved by first considering whether there are any solutions we can immediately discard (initial selection). Then similar solutions are grouped together to gain a sense of the range of options available (grouping solutions). Finally, the client chooses two or three solutions they would like to try out and evaluates them in more depth (weighing the advantages and disadvantages).

Decision making worksheet

9:06 min

Watch the Video for Step 5

	High quality - 19.4Mb High compression - 6.8Mb
	Audio only - 2.4Mb