Strength Based Therapy Techniques: Positive Outcomes that Last and Grow

I take an integrative approach that draws from positive psychology, strength based therapy, and evidence-based modalities to help clients reduce distress and move toward a more fulfilling and authentic life. I focus on what’s right with you, not to ignore challenges, but to empower your capacity for resilience, purpose, and growth. Whether you’re navigating anxiety or depression, life transitions, a general lack of meaningfulness, burnout, or identity concerns, we’ll use a strength based approach to identify the inner resources, values, and fortitude that can guide your healing and direction. In my practice, I use strength based therapy techniques not to fix what’s broken, but rather to illuminate and expand what’s already working.

Together, we explore your story, reconnect with your fortitude, and cultivate the mindset, habits, and meaning that support long-term well-being.

What Is Strength Based Therapy?

Strength based therapy is a positive, collaborative approach to psychotherapy that emphasizes clients’ existing potential, resources, and resilience, rather than focusing primarily on their deficits, problems, or pathologies. It aims to empower individuals by helping them recognize and build upon what they already do well.

The strength based therapy operates on the belief that:

• Every person has fortitude, power, and resources.
• Change is more likely when people focus on what is working.
• Empowerment fosters resilience and improved well-being.

Populations and Settings

Strength based therapy is widely used across:

• Youth and family therapy
• Trauma recovery
• Career assessment and counseling
• Substance use treatment
• Education and executive coaching
• Community mental health

Origins of Strength Based Therapy

The strength based approach emerged as a response to traditional therapy models that focused largely on pathology, problems, and dysfunction. Key historical milestones include:

• Social Work Roots: The strength based approach gained traction in social work during the 1980s and 1990s. It was notably advanced by Dennis Saleebey, who argued for viewing clients through a lens of competence and capability rather than deficiency.
• Influence from Positive Psychology: The field of positive psychology, spearheaded by Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, also contributed significantly. Positive psychology shifted focus toward human flourishing, happiness, and meaning.
• Narrative and Solution-Focused Therapies: Strength-based therapy draws from these practices by encouraging clients to tell stories of resilience and success, and envision preferred futures.

Common Strength-Based Therapy Techniques

Each of the following is a strength based approach:

1. Strengths Assessment
   • Clients identify personal, relational, cultural, and community fortitude.
   • Tools like the VIA Character Strengths Survey may be used.
2. Exception-Finding
   • Identifying times when problems were absent or less intense, to explore what was different and effective.
3. Reframing
   • Helping clients reinterpret difficulties as opportunities or indicators of  (e.g., seeing “stubbornness” as determination).
4. Narrative Techniques
   • Encouraging clients to tell stories highlighting their resilience, achievements, and problem-solving abilities.
5. Goal Setting
   • Creating actionable goals aligned with what clients are naturally good at or passionate about.
6. Gratitude and Power Journals
   • Keeping track of positive experiences and moments when personal power was used positively and successfully.
7. Positive Affirmations and Visualization
   • Practicing affirming beliefs and imagining future successes.

What is the Strength Based Therapy Success Rate

Research and clinical observation show several positive outcomes from strength based therapy:

• Increased Self-Esteem and Confidence: Clients feel more capable and empowered to handle challenges.
• Improved Coping and Resilience: Focus on past successes builds confidence in future problem-solving.
• Greater Motivation and Engagement: Positive reinforcement enhances engagement in the therapeutic process.
• Enhanced Relationships: Recognizing positive potential can improve empathy and communication in relationships.
• Reduction in Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: Especially when combined with cognitive-behavioral techniques.

Conclusion

Strength based therapy shifts the narrative from “what’s wrong” to “what’s strong.” Empowering individuals to tap into their inner resources offers a hopeful, energizing path to growth, healing, and well-being. It’s particularly effective when clients feel stuck or overwhelmed by problems or when traditional pathology-focused approaches feel disempowering.

Strength Based Therapy Techniques

Here’s a deeper breakdown of strength based therapy techniques, how they’re used, and why they’re effective. This section answers the question, “What is strength based therapy used for?”

1. Strength Based Therapy Assessment

Purpose: To identify and validate the client’s internal and external resources.

How it works:

• Clients explore positive aspects of character traits, skills, relationships, values, achievements, and coping strategies.
• I use structured tools like:
  • VIA Character Survey
  • StrengthsFinder by Clifton
  • Resilience scales 
• Informal methods include asking:
  • “What are you proud of?”
  • “How have you gotten through tough times before?”

Why it works: People often overlook their fortitude. Naming them increases self-efficacy and builds a foundation for change.

2. Exception-Finding in Strength Based Therapy

Purpose: To uncover times when problems did not occur or were less severe, revealing potential solutions.

How it works:

• I might ask:
  • “Can you think of a time when the problem wasn’t happening?”
  • “What was different then?”
  • “What did you do that helped?”

Why it works: This technique, borrowed from solution-focused therapy, helps clients realize they already possess the tools to succeed, even if they use them inconsistently.

3. Reframing Weaknesses

Purpose: To challenge negative self-perceptions by reframing them in a positive light.

How it works:

• Examples:
  • “You say you’re too sensitive. That sensitivity also helps you empathize with others.”
  • “Being stubborn could be a sign of determination.”

Why it works: Reframing helps clients shift from shame or self-criticism to self-acceptance and pride.

4. Strength-Based Therapy Goal Setting

Purpose: To help clients set achievable, motivating goals rooted in their values and fortitude.

How it works:

• Instead of asking “What’s wrong?” I might ask:
  • “What would you like more of in your life?”
  • “How can you use your creativity or persistence to reach that goal?”
• Goals are framed positively (what to build, not avoid).

Why it works: Aligning goals with positive attributes makes them more engaging and sustainable.

5. Narrative Strength Based Therapy and Storytelling

Purpose: To help clients author new versions of their life stories.

How it works:

• Clients describe:
  • Successes and the traits they used to achieve them.
  • Key turning points where resilience was shown.
• Techniques:
  • “Re-authoring” problem-saturated stories
  • Identifying “sparkling moments” (times of success or empowerment)
  • Writing a “heroic” or growth narrative

Why it works: Retelling life through a positive lens can help rewire self-identity and boost hope.

6. Strength Based Approach to Journaling

Purpose: To promote positive emotion and highlight strengths in action.

How it works:

• Daily or weekly entries where clients:
  • Reflect on a positive aspect of their day.
  • Express gratitude for their efforts or for others.
• Prompts may include:
  • “Today I showed courage when…”
  • “I’m grateful for my persistence because…”

Why it works: Consistent focus on positives increases self-awareness, mood, and motivation.

7. Scaling Questions

Purpose: To help clients assess progress and confidence.

How it works:

• I ask:
  • “On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you in using your positive quality of patience this week?”
  • “What would make it a 7 instead of a 5?”

Why it works: Encourages realistic self-assessment and fosters small, attainable improvements.

8. Strengths Based Therapy Mind Mapping

Purpose: To visually organize a person’s fortitude and connect them to life goals.

How it works:

• The client creates a visual map with a core goal at the center (e.g., “Better relationships”).
• Branches represent strengths like empathy, patience, listening skills, etc., and how each can support the goal.

Why it works: Seeing things mapped out reinforces clarity and confidence in how to move forward.

9. Strengths Based Therapy Role Play and Visualization

Purpose: To mentally rehearse using a strength in a challenging scenario.

How it works:

• I guide the client to:
  • Visualize a future situation (e.g., a job interview).
  • Identify success (e.g., confidence, preparation).
  • Role-play or imagine it going successfully.

Why it works: Builds neural pathways and reduces anxiety about real-life execution.

10. Strengths Based Therapy Affirmations

Purpose: To help rewire internal dialogue.

How it works:

• Clients develop personalized affirmations such as:
  • “I bring calm to chaos.”
  • “I overcome by adapting.”

Why it works: Repetition of positive beliefs helps shift inner narratives.

Case Example: Strength Based Approach for a Student Athlete

Here’s a case example of how I might use the strengths based approach with an adolescent student athlete experiencing a dip in confidence.

Client Background

• Name: Maya (fictional)
• Age: 15
• Context: Maya is a high school sophomore and a competitive soccer player.
• Presenting Issue: Her coach recently benched her for a few games. Since then, Maya reports feeling “not good enough,” struggles with motivation, and is pulling back socially and academically. She came to me for sports psychology treatment.

Strengths Based Therapy Goals

1. Restore Maya’s self-confidence.
2. Help her reconnect with her identity and resilience beyond recent setbacks.
3. Promote a growth mindset and emotional fortitude.

Strength Based Therapy Techniques Used

1. Discovery Session

Technique: Interview + Strengths Cards

• What I do
  Ask Maya to describe moments when she felt proud of herself, both in and outside of soccer. We identify qualities like determination, leadership, teamwork, and discipline.
• Outcome:
  Maya begins to reframe herself not just as a “benched player,” but as someone who worked hard to earn a starting position previously. She also identifies how those attributes show up academically and socially.

2. Exception-Finding

Technique: Identifying “good games” and “confident days”

• Prompt:
  “Tell me about a time this season when you felt really confident—what was different that day?”
• Maya’s Reflection:
  She recalls a tournament where she felt “on fire” because she played with friends, slept well, and remembered her parents’ encouragement.
• Outcome:
  Maya begins noticing the link between emotional support, preparation, and performance. These become actionable levers.

3. Journaling

Technique: 3 entries per week

• Homework:
  Each week, Maya writes about three ways she used her abilities (not just on the field). Example: “Used persistence to finish a hard history project.”
• Outcome:
  Maya becomes more aware of her non-soccer abilities and sees her value beyond one role.

4. Visualization & Role Rehearsal

Technique: Guided imagery of future performance

• Session Activity:
  I guide Maya through imagining an upcoming game in which she plays confidently, focusing on breathing, positive self-talk, and using her “resilience” and “focus.”
• Outcome:
  Maya starts training her mindset, not just her skills. It helps her manage nerves and prepare mentally.

5. Strengths-Based Goal Setting

Technique: Process over outcome

• Goal:
  Rather than “get back in the starting lineup,” Maya sets goals like:
  • “Stay focused during practice.”
  • “Show leadership by encouraging teammates.”
  • “Track my effort, not just stats.”
• Outcome:
  These goals are internal and within her control, boosting her autonomy and confidence.

6. Reframing Setbacks

Technique: Reframe “benched” as “opportunity”

• Conversation:
  I help Maya reframe the coach’s decision as a chance to grow her game, observe team dynamics, and focus on her mental preparation.
• Outcome:
  Maya stops viewing the bench as punishment and starts viewing it as part of her development arc.

Therapeutic Outcome

Throughout 8–10 sessions:

• Maya’s self-talk shifts from “I’m not good enough” to “I’m still growing.”
• She re-engages in both her academic and athletic life.
• She reports feeling “like myself again,” with more tools to manage future dips in confidence.

Takeaway

Strength-based therapy helped Maya reconnect with her identity beyond temporary setbacks. Rather than fixing a “problem,” I amplified Maya’s resilience and built confidence from the inside out.

Case Example: Strength Based Therapy for an Adult in Life Transition

Here’s a comprehensive case example of a strength-based therapy approach for an adult navigating a major life transition.

Client Profile

• Name: James (fictional)
• Age: 42
• Background: James recently left a 15-year corporate career. He’s uncertain about his next steps and feels a loss of identity, purpose, and structure.
• Presenting Concerns:
  • Low motivation
  • Anxiety about the future
  • Difficulty seeing his value beyond work identity

Overall Framework

Primary Approach:

• Strength-Based Therapy
• Integrated with:
  • Logotherapy (Viktor Frankl’s meaning-centered therapy)
  • Narrative Therapy
  • Positive Psychology Exercises

Phase-by-Phase Breakdown of Strengths Based Therapy Techniques

Phase 1: Grounding in Strengths and Identity

Assessment

• Tools Used: VIA Character Strengths Survey + narrative prompts
• Goal: Help James rediscover and name his enduring strengths (e.g., leadership, curiosity, fairness, perseverance).
• I Prompt:
  • “What personal qualities helped you succeed in your last role?”
  • “Which of these are still alive in you now?”

Outcome: James begins to see that while his job role has ended, his core identity as a mentor, problem-solver, and visionary remains intact.

Phase 2: Meaning-Making with Logotherapy

Meaning-Oriented Dialogue

• Technique: Frankl-inspired Socratic questioning
• I Ask:
  • “What values guided your work all those years?”
  • “What kind of pain are you willing to endure if it meant doing something meaningful?”
  • “Why are you uniquely positioned to contribute now?”

Outcome: James identifies that mentoring others and creative problem-solving gave him a deep sense of purpose, which can extend beyond corporate life.

Discovering Meaning Through Three Logotherapy Pathways

• Creative Values: What can James give or create (e.g., consulting, writing, teaching)?
• Experiential Values: What experiences bring James meaning (e.g., travel, relationships)?
• Attitudinal Values: How can James grow through adversity?

Outcome: James begins reframing this transition as a challenge rather than a void.

Phase 3: Narrative Re-Authoring and Reframing

Timeline of Strengths

• Activity: I help James create a life map, marking key moments where his fortitude helped him overcome or contribute.
• I Ask:
  • “What does this map say about the kind of person you are?”

Outcome: James builds continuity between his past and his emerging identity, reducing fear of the unknown.

Story Re-Authoring

• Technique: Narrative therapy-style rewriting
• Exercise: James writes a letter to his “future self,” describing how he navigated this phase with courage, creativity, and meaning.

Outcome: James sees himself as an active author of his life, not a passive victim of circumstance.

Phase 4: Forward Action and Strengths in Motion

Strengths-Based Goal Setting

• Method: Aligning goals with core strengths and values.
• Example Goals:
  • Use of leadership qualities in a volunteer role.
  • Create a professional blog to share lessons learned from the transition.
  • Network with the intention to mentor or collaborate.

Outcome: Action reduces paralysis. James feels engaged and hopeful again.

Gratitude and Meaning Journal

• Prompt: Daily reflection on moments of meaning or strength in use.
• “Today I acted with courage when…”
• “I found meaning in…”

Outcome: Rewires attention toward growth, not loss.

Results After 12 Sessions

Strength based therapy techniques led to:

• James reports a renewed sense of identity and purpose.
• He begins consulting part-time and develops a mentoring program for younger professionals.
• He no longer views his corporate exit as a failure, but as a pivot toward deeper meaning.
• Anxiety decreases; agency increases.

Takeaway

By integrating strength-based therapy techniques with logotherapy, the therapeutic process:

• Honors the past without getting stuck in it
• Focuses on identity through inner resources, not external roles
• Uses meaning as a compass and strengths as the fuel for forward movement

Summary and My Work

A strength-based approach can be integrated with many therapeutic models, especially those emphasizing collaboration, empowerment, growth, and positive identity development. Here’s a list of therapies that work especially well with strength based therapy techniques, along with how they align:

Therapies That Integrate Well with a Strength Based Approach

1. Positive Psychology

• Why it fits: This is the foundation of many strength based approaches. It cultivates well-being, optimism, flow, gratitude, and meaning.
• Key Tools: VIA Character, gratitude journaling, savoring, strengths spotting, best possible self exercises.

2. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

• Why it fits: This form of brief therapy emphasizes what’s working rather than what’s wrong. It uses “exceptions to the problem” and goal-oriented language to build on success.
• Techniques: Miracle questions, scaling questions, identifying past successes.

3. Narrative Strengths Based Therapy

• Why it fits: Encourages clients to “re-author” their stories by highlighting moments of power, resistance, and capability.
• Techniques: Externalizing problems, identifying sparkling moments, writing alternative life narratives.

4. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Why it fits: It helps clients clarify values and take action from a place of meaning rather than avoidance. It is a strength based approach emphasizing psychological flexibility and resilience.
• Techniques: Values clarification, committed action, mindfulness exercises.

5. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Why it fits: While traditionally problem-focused, CBT can be modified to focus on identifying and reinforcing helpful thoughts and behaviors.
• Techniques: Thought records with strength-based reframing, behavioral activation using core strengths.

6. Logotherapy (Viktor Frankl)

• Why it fits: A strength based approach centering around finding meaning in suffering and life’s challenges, it encourages action based on purpose and inner fortitude.
• Techniques: Meaning-centered dialogue, exploration of creative, experiential, and attitudinal values.

7. Humanistic/Person-Centered Strengths Based Therapy

• Why it fits: Emphasizes unconditional positive regard, self-actualization, and the belief that people are inherently resourceful.
• Core Values: Empathy, authenticity, client-led growth.

8. Coaching-Oriented Therapies

• Why it fits: Life coaching, career coaching, and mental fitness models often assume that clients can generate their own solutions with the right support, and thus, they use a strength-based approach.
• Techniques: Goal setting, motivational interviewing, future self visualization.

9. Mindfulness Therapies

• Why it fits: Mindfulness cultivates present-moment awareness and self-compassion, both of which help people notice and build on their existing power.
• Examples: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).

10. Trauma-Informed Therapies (e.g., Internal Family Systems, EMDR)

• Why it fits: It’s a strength based approach that supports resilience-building and post-traumatic growth when integrated with trauma healing.
• Note: Always balanced with sensitivity to survivor safety and pacing.

My Integrative Practice

A strength based approach is not a standalone model, but a powerful lens that can enhance many therapies by:

• Shifting focus from pathology to possibility
• Empowering clients to build on what already works
• Fostering lasting change by rooting growth in identity, values, and capacity

At the heart of this work is the belief that everyone has untapped strength and potential, even in their most uncertain moments. My goal is to use strengths based therapy to help you rediscover and activate compassion, curiosity, and practical tools. Healing doesn’t always start with what hurts. Sometimes, it begins by remembering what gives you life.

Move forward, away from pain and toward purpose, joy, and self-trust. Contact me or schedule a consultation anytime to learn more.

Dr. Alan Jacobson Founder and President

Dr. Jacobson is a licensed clinical psychologist providing individual, couples, and family therapy for over 20 years. He uses an integrative approach. choosing from a variety of proven and powerful therapeutic methods.

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