Navigating Independence: Solution-Focused Coaching with Young People Leaving Care

Abstract

This qualitative study explores how 12 care-experienced young people aged 18 to 21 perceive Solution-Focused Coaching during their transition from residential care. Thematic analysis of the findings indicates that participants valued the strengths-based approach and reported improvements in goal setting, self-efficacy, and resilience. However, personal gains were consistently constrained by structural barriers, including housing insecurity, financial instability, and limited employment opportunities. The results emphasized that, while coaching is therapeutically valuable, it alone cannot address systemic inequalities. This underscores the urgent need for integrated intervention models that combine strengths-based coaching with comprehensive structural support.

Keywords

solution-focused coaching care-experienced young people residential care transition to independence structural barriers

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