Assessing Strengths, Resilience, and Growth to Guide Clinical Interventions.

Abstract

Recently, the field of mental health has incorporated a growing interest in strengths, resilience, and growth, psychological phenomena that may be associated with healthy adjustment trajectories and profitably integrated into strategies for clinical assessment and practice. This movement constitutes a significant shift from traditional deficit-oriented approaches. Addressing clinical practitioners, this article (a) provides a broad overview of these constructs and phenomena, (b) discusses their relevance for clinical assessment and intervention, and (c) describes selected strategies and approaches for conducting assessments that can guide intervention.