Strength-Based Therapy: what it is, what it is for and how it is applied

Strengths-based therapy focuses on highlighting and training the positive characteristics that the individual has, that is to say, the abilities and capacities of him so that in this way he can face the different situations that he encounters in his life.

This therapy is compatible with other types of interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, it has also been found useful for a wide range of subjects, without or with different types of pathology and of different ages in order to increase their self-esteem, confidence and functionality in the different contexts of his life.

It is effective, as it has been observed that if the patient shows a constructive mindset, they are more likely to highlight their positive skills. In the same way, it is essential that the subject perceives himself as a survivor, as someone who overcomes his adversities and problems and not as a victim, because the role he takes is essential for his behavior to be active.

In this article we present you strength-based therapy, what are its characteristics, what does it consist of, how apply it, what are its objectives, to which subjects it is directed and what strategies and techniques are used to improve the patient.

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What is Strengths Based Therapy?

It is common to associate psychological therapy with improvement and work on the symptoms or problems that the patient has; In other words, normally the difficulties or problems that the subject has will be dealt with, focusing on the negative aspects of each individual. It is for this reason, why therapy is typically posed on the basis of the negative, that it has appeared a new way of coping with alterations or working with the patient, focusing on reinforcing their capacities and abilities.

Thus, through strengths-based therapy, a personalized intervention is proposed, adapted to each subject to to be able to work concretely on his most outstanding skills and thus be able to have a better vision of himself and the environment that surrounds.

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Objectives of therapy

The purpose of therapy is to improve the state of the person working and improving their strengths, so that you know what capacities and abilities he has to face the different difficulties that he may encounter throughout his life. This therapy is closely linked to the concept of resilience, which is understood as the ability of a subject to overcome different problems that arise and to be able to move forward, developing and leading a functional life despite the adversities of his environment.

That is, the idea will be conceived and transmitted to the patient that he is a survivor, a person who has overcome his difficulties and not as a victim. This denomination, which may seem to be of no great importance, may affect how the subject perceives or deals with the problem, since On many occasions, the role we play, the role we are given or chosen, will be relevant or fundamental to determine what our role will be. performance.

If we are defined as a victim, it is likely that we feel weaker, more passive and with little possibility to improve our situation; On the other hand, if we present ourselves as a survivor, as a fighter, it increases our sense of strength and we are more capable of overcoming any situation of difficulty.

Likewise, work will be done so that the person develops a mentality of strength, since it is in this way that they are able to focus and face life taking into account account for his capabilities and positive traits, on the contrary, if his mentality is weak, he tends to develop a way of coping focusing on his defects and deficiencies.

We therefore know that the mentality shown by the subject, whether it is positive or negative, influence the way he thinks, how he perceives himself and others, and the way he acts. Thus, in therapy, the aim is to highlight and emphasize the patient's positive thoughts, focusing on his positive qualities, instead of working on negative thoughts.

It is very important that the treatment that the therapist has with each patient is individualized and that, Therefore, take into account what is best for each one according to their characteristics and not for the disorder that presents. The important thing is to work on the capacities that stand out in each subject regardless of the alteration they have, since as is obvious each person we are different and, therefore, the techniques that work well for one may not work with another, even if they have the same diagnosis.

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Which patients can receive this therapy

It has been proven that the group of people who can benefit from this type of therapy is wide and varied, said otherwise, it is not directed at specific subjects, but can be used with almost all individuals. So that, It has been seen to be effective as an intervention for subjects with low self-esteem, although they are not more affected.

But in the same way it is also useful to treat patients with more serious affections such as major depression disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety with The purpose of improving their quality of life, increasing their confidence and security in themselves and living more adapted to their living conditions without their diagnosis causing them greater stress.

Too it has been proven useful to intervene in individuals of all agesThe important thing will be to adapt the techniques and the intervention to the characteristics of each one. Similar will happen with the number of people to be treated, since apart from individual therapy it has also been found useful to treat couples and families.

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How to apply Strength-Based Therapy

Despite raising and focusing on a different vision than usual in psychological therapy, giving greater importance to positive characteristics and thoughts, does not mean that it is contrary or incompatible with more common therapies such as cognitive-behavioral. In this way it can be used in a complementary way so that the work is more global and as a result benefits the patient more.

Another fundamental aspect in the way of applying or proposing the intervention is for the subject to be active, that is, to collaborate with the therapist to discover what your skills and abilities are and how these can be enhanced to be useful in different situations and problems that will arise in your life.

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Techniques used by this type of therapy

Now that we know that strengths-based therapy has been effective not only as the sole therapy, but also used in complementary way with other types of treatments, to improve self-esteem, self-confidence and enhance our strengths to better cope with different life events, let's see what techniques or what mode of action raises this therapy.

In this way, the first step or technique will consist of each person identifying what their strengths are, their points strong, their abilities, we all have positive characteristics, abilities, positive beliefs that we can empower. Having a diagnosis does not mean that the patient has no capabilities and be limited to that problem. The therapist will help the patient to verbalize and be more aware of the positive things and aspects of him and her life, as it will be essential to face therapy.

Once we have investigated the strengths, we propose what are the goals or objectives that the subject has, that he wants to achieve, because depending on his purposes, we propose the line of work, the change to be made so that the subject manages to develop and overcome the difficulties found in the road.

If we are aware of our abilities and strengths, it will be easier for us to find the solution, how to face the different problems that arise. A commonly used technique or strategy in strengths therapy is to raise the different circumstances, both positive and negative in the form of a question, that is, to train the interrogation, so that the patient can use it in their day to day life and it is easier for them to understand, become aware and know how to act.

Presented in question form the different situations and the different objectives that the subject has, it is a useful way for the patient to see more clarity how to proceed, select which is the best alternative or the strength that works best in such a circumstance and thus not get stuck in the trouble.

Finally, another strategy that has been useful is to have a notebook where to write down the strengths of each one, as well as the situations where they have been reflected in the actions of oneself. In this way, keeping this record the person will be much more aware of all the capacities and abilities that he has, in what times you have used them and in what circumstances you can use them, being more likely to make use of them and do not forget to it.