Strength-Based Therapy

When we focus on our resourcefulness and internal strengths, we can change our perspective and worldview. We ought to make it a point to take time to focus on our resiliency and positive qualities. Our lived experiences and traumas may have negatively impacted and drastically changed our worldview.

The medical model tends to focus on our deficits, diagnoses, and "what went wrong," while shying away from our existing strengths.

However, focusing on our strengths and interests is person-centered and promotes recovery. Our strengths should be utilized in our treatment plan.

Research in 2020 demonstrated that using strength-based therapy in teenagers increased patient and parent satisfaction, improved positive outcomes in patients, and decreased hospital utilization.

"Positive psychiatry," first coined by Maslow, is where a patient's wellbeing is promoted through interventions that result in enhancement of positive psychosocial factors, such as: resilience, optimism, personal mastery and coping self-efficacy, social engagement, spirituality and religiosity, wisdom, and compassion.

Clinicians ought to highlight patient strengths through the stories of their lived experiences; asking patients what they like to do; highlighting the parts of their lives where things are or were going well; asking what makes or made them have purpose in life; and asking them what is or was something they excelled at -- to name just a few focus areas. Clinicians ought to encourage patients to take some time to visualize these moments of successes.

Patients may be fearful because of past traumas and shy away from their strengths. Clinicians ought to help patients form insight and rediscover their inner strengths so that they are guided to find better solutions to the challenges they face. When the solution comes from the patient, this gives them empowerment. It is important to move out of the comfort zone on the path to recovery. Motivation is also very important in promoting positive self esteem so that self actualization may occur.

Of course, we must be aware of the diagnosis, but allowing this to be the sole focus may ultimately leave the patient feeling discouraged, stuck, and victimized by the disease.

Content adopted from:

Anna Sanchez, PMHNP-BC, FNP-C

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