In today’s article, we will discuss the impact that people’s strengths and resources have on overcoming their problems, and how, through Single Session Therapy (SST), this aspect is used to make the intervention even more effective.
What generally happens when people seek help from a therapist?
When people turn to a therapist to try to solve their problems, they focus on what they believe to be the cause of the problem itself, namely their inability to manage an event or a relationship, or the presence of some weaknesses within themselves.
How do therapists intervene in such circumstances?
Therapists who use more traditional intervention approaches help people address their weaknesses and develop their strengths. For example, if a problem presented by a person is associated with their unrealistic view of the situation they are experiencing, the therapist will help them develop a more realistic mindset, thus removing the cause of the problem.
How will therapists using the Single Session Therapy (SST) method act instead?
Most therapists using the Single Session Therapy method will directly help their clients identify existing strengths and resources in order to use them to solve the problem.
Are strengths and resources the same thing?
Dryden (2019) defines strengths as internal factors within the person (e.g., cognitive, emotional, relational abilities), distinguishing them from resources, which are considered external elements (e.g., family and social network, local associations, services).
Their distinction can be summarized in a phrase that perfectly indicates the interaction between the client’s strengths and resources in SST, which says, “Only you can do it, but you don’t have to do it alone.”
This phrase emphasizes that while the client’s internal efforts are the determining factor for the outcome of the intervention, external factors are important in helping the person’s efforts to be effective.
Why do SST therapists place such importance on people’s strengths and resources?
Therapists who use SST start with the belief that it is useful to assume that the client, like any person, has resources that can be identified during the session and used, either partially or fully, to achieve their goals.
The therapist approaches the session with the idea of finding and using these resources through conversation and the techniques used during and/or after the session.
Conclusions
In this article, we have shown how therapists approaching SST need to be prepared to address both the clients’ critical issues and to help people put their strengths into practice. However, the direction of the conversation will not be clear until the therapist works with the client. The therapist’s flexibility, in this case as in others, will be an important ingredient in promoting change.
Angelica Giannetti
Psychologist, Psychotherapist
Team of the Italian Center for Single Session Therapy
Bibliography
Cannistrà, F., & Piccirilli, F. (2018). Single Session Therapy: Principles and Practices. Giunti Editore.
Dryden, W. (2019). Single-Session Therapy. Routledge.
Hoyt, F.M. & Cannistrà, F. (2019). Single-Session Therapy: A healthful approach to effectively and efficiently solving client problems, Rivista Sperimentale di Freniatria, pp. 73-85.