24 Ways to Use Strengths to Help Your Clients

Source: VIA Institute/DepositPhotos

In any situation, with any person, at any time, recall you have 24 internal strengths you can tap into. Each moment you have with another human being is an opportunity to use your strengths and a chance to help them re-discover their own.

Using the 24 universal strengths from the VIA Classification as the framework, I offer 24 examples of how you can use your strengths in the moment to help a client.

1. Use your creativity to brainstorm with your client a completely new way of looking at one of their stressors or problems.
2. Use your curiosity to ask a question you’ve never asked before or to ask the same question in a new way.
3. Use your judgment/critical thinking to withhold judgment of your client’s opinion or belief that differs from yours. Examine their view from a different lens.
4. Use your love of learning to embody an approach of not just teaching but learning from your client – their story, their coping, their strengths, and their successes. Help them delve deeply and explore any one of these areas.
5. Use your perspective strength to reframe a stressor or problem a client is having, helping them to see the good, the strengths, or the balanced side of things, while simultaneously not minimizing their problem.
6. Use your bravery to disagree with, confront, or challenge your client on one of their blind spots or areas of physical, psychological, or social health that they are avoiding.
7. Use your perseverance to stick with your client when you see them make the same bad decision or fall into the same bad habit over and over.
8. Use your honesty to tell your client something truthful with the intention of helping them, even though they are unlikely to appreciate the observations in the moment.
9. Use your zest by infusing enthusiasm in your interaction with your client. As you offer help, go for a walk with them to immediately stimulate energy.

10. Use your love to listen to your client with a warm and genuine smile and sense of presence, giving them your full attention.

11. Use your kindness by going out of your way to do a thoughtful act such as getting your client a coffee or water or giving them extra time to share their story.

12. Use your social intelligence by gauging the situation, which includes your client’s needs and feelings, to decide whether to offer them your words, a nonverbal gesture, or the gift of silent empathic listening.

13. Use your teamwork to work diligently with your client on a solution to a new stressor they are encountering.
14. Use your fairness to include your client in a discussion or interpretation so that multiple angles are on display rather than only your own view.
15. Use your leadership to organize and orchestrate a structured plan and vision for a fruitful meeting with your client.
16. Use your forgiveness to let go of feeling personally affronted when your client expresses an emotion or opinion that is too strong.
17. Use your humility to not take credit for your client’s insight, idea, or positive change even though you prompted them toward it.
18. Use your prudence to help your client carefully think through a sensitive topic area rather than leaping into it; construct the best 2 or 3 questions that will help them.
19. Use your self-regulation and control your attention when your mind wanders while your client is rambling and unfocused; also use it to keep your cool when they blame you for their lack of progress on an issue.
20. Use your appreciation of beauty/excellence to point out the goodness, skill, or beauty in one of your client’s stories. Savor the positive with them.
21. Use your hope by offering positive words of encouragement when your client seems to feel down on their luck or hopeless.
22. Use your gratitude to express thanks for something that impressed you about your client, whether that be your witnessing their kindness in action, their bravery to tell a difficult story, or their discovery of hope amidst turbulent times.
23. Use your humor to laugh aloud with your client. Bring a joke or funny story to bring levity to a stressful topic.
24. Use your spirituality to find meaning in the interaction, a sense of purpose in your role as helper and wounded healer, or a sense of sacredness in the reality that you can potentially impact another human being in a positive way.