Accentuate the Positive: Strengths-Based Therapy for Adolescents

Title:Accentuate the Positive: Strengths-Based Therapy for Adolescents

Volume: 10 Issue: 3

Author(s): Eunice Yuen*, Julie Sadhu, Cynthia Pfeffer, Barry Sarvet, R. Susan Daily, Jonathan Dowben, Kamilah Jackson, John Schowalter, Theodore Shapiro and Dorothy Stubbe

Affiliation:

• Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT,United States

Keywords: Strengths-based, adolescent psychiatry, positive psychology, patient-centered care, health promotion.

Abstract:

Purpose: The field of psychiatry has conventionally employed a medical model in which mental health disorders are diagnosed and treated. However, the evidence is amassing that using a strengths-based approach that promotes wellness by engaging the patient’s assets and interests may work in synergy with the medical model to promote recovery. This harmonizes with the patient-centered care model that has been promoted by the Institute of Medicine.

Methods: The article uses a clinical case to highlight the attributes of a strength-based model in the psychiatric treatment of adolescents.

Results: Outcome metrics from a number of studies have demonstrated enhanced youth and parent satisfaction and decreased use of hospital level of care with the implementation of strengths-based therapeutic modalities.

Implications: Incorporating strengths-based interventions into conventional psychiatric practice provides a multi-faceted treatment approach that promotes recovery in children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders.

Cite this article as:

Yuen Eunice *, Sadhu Julie , Pfeffer Cynthia , Sarvet Barry , Daily Susan R. , Dowben Jonathan , Jackson Kamilah , Schowalter John , Shapiro Theodore and Stubbe Dorothy , Accentuate the Positive: Strengths-Based Therapy for Adolescents, Adolescent Psychiatry 2020; 10 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/2210676610666200225105529