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

Let's see what it is, how it works and what are the characteristics of Strengths-Based Therapy.

Strengths-based therapy focuses on highlighting and training the positive characteristics of the individual, i.e. his or her skills and abilities.that is, their skills and abilities so that they can cope with the different situations they encounter in their lives.

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

It is effective, as it has been observed that if the patient shows a constructive mentality is more likely to highlight their positive abilities.. Similarly, it is essential that the subject is perceived as a survivor, as someone who overcomes his adversities and problems and not as a victim, because the role he adopts is essential for his behavior to be active.

In this article we present strengths-based therapy, what its characteristics are, what it consists of, how to apply it, what its objectives are, which subjects it is aimed at and what strategies and techniques are used to improve the patient.

What is Strengths-Based Therapy?

It is usual to relate psychological therapy with improvement and work of the symptoms or problems that the patient has; that is to say, normally the difficulties or problems that the subject has are treated putting the focus on the negative aspects of each individual. It is for this reason, because of how therapy is typically approached based on the negative, that a new way of dealing with the alterations or working with the patient has appeared, focusing on reinforcing their abilities and skills. a new way of dealing with the alterations or working with the patient, focusing on reinforcing their abilities and skills..

Thus, through strengths-based therapy, a personalized intervention is proposed, adapted to each subject in order to work specifically on their most outstanding skills and thus be able to have a better vision of themselves and the environment that surrounds them.

Goals of therapy

The purpose of therapy is to improve the person's condition by working on and improving his or her strengths, so that he/she knows what abilities and skills he/she possesses to face the different difficulties he/she may encounter throughout his/her life.. This therapy is closely linked to the concept of resilience, which is understood as the ability of a subject to overcome the various problems that arise and to move forward, developing and leading a functional life despite the adversities of their environment.

In other words, the idea that the patient is a survivor, a person who has overcome his or her difficulties, and not a victim, will be conceived and transmitted to the patient. This denomination, which may not seem to be of great importance, can affect how the subject perceives or faces the problem, since on many occasions the role we play, the role we are given or choose, will be relevant or fundamental in determining what our actions will be.

If we are defined as a victim, we are likely to feel weaker, more passive and with few possibilities to improve our situation; on the other hand, if we present ourselves as a survivor, as a fighter, our sense of strength increases and we see ourselves as more capable of overcoming any difficult situation. we see ourselves as more capable of overcoming any difficult situation..

We will also work so that the person develops a mentality of strength, since it is in this way that we get to focus and face life taking into account their capabilities and positive traits, on the contrary if their mentality is weak they tend to develop a way of coping by focusing on their flaws and shortcomings.

We know then, that the mentality shown by the subject, whether it is positive or negative, will influence his or her way of thinking, his or her mentality, whether it is positive or negative, will influence his way of thinking, 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 or her positive qualities, instead of working on negative thoughts.

It is very important that the therapist's treatment of each patient is individualized and that, therefore, he/she takes into account what is best for each patient according to his/her characteristics and not according to the disorder he/she presents. The important thing is to work on the abilities that stand out in each subject regardless of the disorder they have, since it is obvious that each person is different and, therefore, the techniques that work well for one may not work for another even if they have the same diagnosis.

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, in other words, it is not aimed at specific subjects, but can be used with almost all individuals. It can be used with almost any individual, has been found to be effective as an intervention for subjects with low self-esteem, even if they do not have a major affectation of self-esteem..

But in the same way it is also useful to treat patients with more serious affectations such as major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety in order to improve their quality of life, increasing their confidence and security in themselves and to live more adapted to their life condition without their diagnosis generating more stress.

Also has proven useful to intervene with individuals of all ages, the important thing will be to adaptThe important thing is to adapt the techniques and the intervention to the characteristics of each individual. 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.

How to apply Strengths-Based Therapy.

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

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

Techniques used in this type of therapy

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

Thus, the first step or technique will be for each person to identify their strengths, their strong points, their abilities, we all have positive characteristics, abilities, positive beliefs that we can enhance. Having a diagnosis does not mean that the patient has no capabilities and is limited to that problem. and is 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 his life, as it will be essential to face the therapy.

Once we have inquired into the strengths, we raise what are the goals or objectives that the subject has, what he wants to achieve, because depending on his purposes we raise the line of work, the change to be made so that the subject manages to develop and overcome the difficulties encountered along the way.

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 technique or strategy commonly used in strengths therapy consists of to pose the different circumstances, both positive and negative, in the form of a question. in the form of a question, that is to say, to train the interrogation, so that the patient can use it in his day to day and it is easier for him to understand, to become aware and to know how he can act.

By presenting the different situations and the different objectives that the subject has in the form of a question, it is a useful way for the patient to see more clearly how to proceed, to select the best alternative or the strength that works best with such a circumstance and thus not get stuck in the problem.

Finally, another strategy that has been found useful is to have a notebook in which to write down one's strengths, as well as the situations where they have been reflected in one's actions. In this way, by keeping this record, the person will be much more aware of all the abilities and skills he/she has, at what times he/she has used them and in what circumstances he/she can use them, being more likely to make use of them and not forget about them.