We address this question on our About page. However, it may be worth repeating.
The word ‘brief’ is being used in two ways. Firstly, it is a nod to ‘brief therapy’ – often understood as a commitment to work with clients in less than 12 sessions. To prolong therapy beyond such a time-frame is considered counter-productive. An example of Brief Therapy is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, which focuses on a client’s resources and employs a future-orientation. This is in contrast to traditional therapies which might be more inclined to focus on the ‘problem’ being discussed and seeking to back-track to the root of the issue.
Secondly, we are using the term brief to advocate for temporary acceptance. Clients newly introduced to Brief Acceptance Therapies can struggle with the idea of accepting unpalatable situations. To be told that, in order to move forward, they merely need to accept reality as it is for now, can be accessible and empowering.