Solution-Focused Relapse Conversation — The Bruges Model

A key difference of the Bruges Model from traditional programs: relapse is not seen as a failure requiring prevention, but as part of the process of change carrying information. The therapist works not with prevention but with learning through the experience of relapse. The questions are aimed at understanding what was holding the person before the relapse and how to come back to what was working. Exceptions are sought inside the relapse period itself.

Step-by-step guide

Accept the fact of the relapse without judgment: "It happens. What can we learn from this?"
Inquire what came before: "What changed? What was different when it was holding?"
Look for exceptions inside the relapse: "Were there moments when you held — even partially?"
Return to what was working before: "What was helping before this? How to come back to it?"
Take a small step: "What will you do today?"

When to use

On any relapse after a period of abstinence or control
On "slips" in other contexts — not only addiction
When the client comes with guilt, shame, and a sense of failure
To restore the therapeutic alliance after a slip

Key phrases

Tell me what happened. It is important for me to understand.

What changed compared with the period when it was holding?

Follow-up questions

What can you take from this experience?

Were there moments even in this period when you held?

What will you do this evening — something that helped you before?

Alternative phrasings

This is not a return to zero — everything you have learned and done is with you. What exactly remains?

What does it say about you that you came today anyway?

Warnings

⚠️ Do not interpret the relapse as a "failure of therapy" or "lack of motivation"
⚠️ Avoid lecturing and lists of triggers — work with the client's specific experience
⚠️ Do not return to negotiating the goal at once — first restore contact and safety

Source: Isebaert, 2016; De Shazer & Isebaert, 2003; coping.us, 2016