What is Right With You? Exploring Personal Strengths in Therapy
If I were to ask you to name all of the things that were wrong with you, I would bet that you would have a fairly easy time rattling off an entire list of all of the negative thoughts you have about yourself..
“I’m too anxious and can’t make decisions”
“I don’t like the way I look”
“I’m not as productive as I could be”
“I can’t do anything right”
And the list could go on and on…
But what if I asked you to name the things that are right with you? Would this list be just as easy to create? For many, this is an extremely difficult and uncomfortable task for a variety of reasons - whether it feels uncomfortable to speak highly of yourself or if you truly struggle to see what is “right” about you. However, when we shift our focus to understanding and building upon our strengths and natural qualities, it can create a mindset of resiliency, positivity, and confidence that allows individuals to be the makers of their own change. It is for this reason that exploring your personal strengths in therapy may be the key to unlocking your full potential.
What To Expect When Exploring Personal Strengths in Therapy
While it may feel challenging to identify your personal strengths at first, your therapist can assist you in exploring your own strengths through a variety of therapeutic tools, such as discussing fulfilling activities in your daily life, processing current ways of problem-solving, taking a personal strengths assessment (e.g., CliftonStrenths assessment), or reflecting on their own understanding of your strengths from previous sessions.
Once you’ve identified your strengths, the next step is to determine how to intentionally use your strengths to solve/overcome existing problems and challenges, and increase the frequency/ease of utilizing those strengths. This looks different for each unique person, but here are some examples of what that could like:
Someone is incredibly disciplined about going to the gym, but they struggle to complete chores around the house. Is there a way to apply aspects of their discipline of going to the gym to their household responsibilities?
Someone is naturally compassionate towards others and is struggling with depression. Can that individual practice turning their compassion inwards?
The Big Picture
While it can be helpful for therapy to be a space to focus on the things that are “wrong” with you and the things that you want to improve upon in your life, there can also be so much hope in focusing on the strengths and talents that you naturally bring to the table and using them to enhance your life.
So, I leave you with this question to reflect on and to bring to your next therapy appointment: What is right with you?
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Written by: Jordan Bramhall, LGPC
Jordan is a licensed graduate professional counselor at LifeSpring Counseling Services with specialized training in helping people recognize and understand their strengths. If you need a therapist who is able to help you recognize the strengths that you have difficulty seeing, you can schedule an appointment with Jordan.
Photo Credit: Claire Morgan on Pexels
Date of download: 4/17/2024
