Strength Based Counseling Theory

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I was raised catholic, which often consisted of me going to mass every Sunday, and Bible study on Wednesdays, and I even went to Bible school during the summer. Honestly, my faith was included in everything that I did as child, and it kept my family close. However, as an adult, I would say that while I am spiritual, I’m not really a religious person anymore, if that makes sense. I honestly feel like religion is too restrictive, but I do pray on a daily basis reverting back to practices of old with regard to Catholicism.
I would say that I’m lower middle class, and at times it can be a struggle because I don’t like living paycheck to paycheck, but I manage on what I make currently. Latinos make up the largest percentage of what is considered the “working poor” in the United States (Furman, Negi, Iwamoto, Rowan, Shukraft, & …show more content…

I would use this theory to focus on positives in her life currently, from the fact that she has a job and a high school diploma, which is a good thing, but also that opportunity is out there for her to better herself and her situation. It’s key for me to build JB’s self-awareness in this aspect by having her focus on her successes instead of her shortcomings. Strengths based theory teaches learned optimism, JB must learn to focus on the things that can and are going right in her life presently. I would also utilize Solution focused therapy with JB. Its clear from our talk that JB knows where she wants to be in life, and what she needs to do to get there, but now it’s a case of action. Instead of focusing on problems in therapy if she was my client, I would focus on the solutions, and set specific goals that she would have to meet. For example, one goal for JB would be to enroll in college in the coming semester, or making a budget based on her income to help her with her