Apology worksheet
Are you a therapist looking for a list of personal strengths to help clients build their self-confidence? You’re in the right place.
This article provides a comprehensive list of strengths discussion questions to help clients identify their character strengths.
We’ve included a free downloadable strengths worksheet with questions about strengths and a list of positive traits to save to your electronic health record (EHR).
What are personal strengths?
Strengths are a list of positively valued traits that reflect an individual's personality, skills, core values, and how they relate to and interact with others and their environment.
For example, a social worker may demonstrate character strengths like compassion, empathy, and kindness. An academic may cherish values like curiosity and a love of learning.
What are the benefits of identifying strengths?
Research indicates that understanding your strengths, skills, and attributes is linked to enhanced physical and psychological well-being, as well as a higher quality of life.
Other clinical benefits of helping clients identify their strengths include:
Increases self-awareness of what motivates them and how they show up in the world
Boosts self-confidence and self-esteem by helping them recognize their unique skills and abilities
Highlights resilience and problem-solving abilities by acknowledging the challenges they have overcome
Creates alignment with core values by promoting behaviors that lead to a more meaningful and fulfilling life
Promotes a resource-focused/positive mindset by helping them leverage existing resources to navigate challenges rather than focusing on what they lack
Fosters a sense of empowerment as clients recognize their skills, achievements, and agency over their lives
Encourages greater awareness of growth areas and opportunities that align with their specific skills and strengths
Finding your personal strengths
The following strengths discussion questions can be a helpful way for clients to identify their strengths, skills, and qualities:
Describe an achievement (big or small) that you experienced recently.
What traits or qualities do you most appreciate in others?
What is something you do really well?
What skills do people seek you out for? This can be about work, school, romantic, or social relationships.
What skills or traits have helped you adapt to change?
What are you most proud of?
What gives your life meaning and purpose?
What makes you happiest?
Which activities make you feel energized?
What are some of your favorite things to do? What unique skills do you possess that help you do these activities?
Which qualities do you receive the most praise for?
What is something easy for you to learn?
What are you doing now that you couldn’t have imagined a year ago?
Think about a situation in which you had to find a solution. What skills did you use to problem solve?
What strengths and qualities have you used to meet your needs?
Which inner resources or strengths did you call upon when facing challenges?
What is the biggest obstacle you have overcome, and how did you do it?
When you think about the challenges you’ve faced, what lessons have you learned about your resilience, skills, and strengths?
What kind of person do you want to be, and what strengths do you possess that help you show up in the world this way?
How have you helped others in times of need?
When you think about achieving a goal you set for yourself, what skills do you use to achieve it?
How do you recognize strengths in others?
What has been your greatest success as a parent?
How do you use your strengths and skills in your community?
How have you used your strengths to model the qualities you want to see in your children?
When you think of someone you look up to, what skills or qualities do you most admire?
What strengths have you used to motivate or inspire others?
What skills or qualities make you stand out from your colleagues at work?
Has anyone told you that you have a natural talent for something? What was it?
How to use the strengths discussion questions
You can download and use the strengths discussion questions worksheet in several ways:
Use the questions about strengths as prompts in the session to help the client identify their character strengths and qualities.
Ask the client to answer “What are your personal strengths?” reflection prompts between sessions and report their findings at their next therapy appointment.
Use the strengths discussion questions in group therapy sessions to encourage participants to identify their strengths and those of their peers.
Combine this worksheet with other strengths-based and values worksheets, including our strengths worksheet, values worksheet, positive traits worksheet, positive psychology worksheets, self-esteem worksheet, and “Who Am I?” worksheet
Share the questions about strengths worksheet with coworkers or leave copies in your waiting room.
Use this worksheet to provide training to interns or supervisees about the benefits of a strengths-based approach to therapy.
Sources
Azañedo, C. M., Artola, T., Sastre, S., & Alvarado, J. M. (2021). Character strengths predict subjective well-being, psychological well-being, and psychopathological symptoms, over and above functional social support. Frontiers in Psychology.
Niemiec, R. M., & Pearce, R. (2021). The practice of character strengths: Unifying definitions, principles, and exploration of what's soaring, emerging, and ripe with potential in science and in practice. Frontiers in Psychology.
Ohio State University, Involved Living. (n.d.). Values in action (VIA) character strengths reflection questions. Ohio State University Residence Life.
PreventConnect. (2018, February). Strength-based questions. PreventConnect.
Saleebey, D. (2000). Power in the people: Strengths and hope. Advances in Social Work.
Schutte, N. S., & Malouff, J. M. (2019). The impact of signature character strengths interventions: A meta-analysis. Journal of Happiness Studies.
VIA Institute on Character. (n.d.). 24 character strengths list. VIA Institute on Character.
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