Handling Resistance in Psychotherapy: A Strength-Based Psychotherapeutic Approach

One of the toughest challenges that a psychotherapist encounters is the resistant nature of their client (s). Though rapport formation, empathy, and unconditional positive regard are the trio in establishing a firm therapeutic alliance, these basic ingredients sometimes fail to make the client stay and continue their session (s). This article highlights the relevance of selecting a strength-based psychotherapeutic approach in fruitfully dealing with resistant clients. Also, it dictates the fine skills that a therapist needs to consider during the sessions. The core idea of this case report is to highlight the flexibility of therapists in adjusting to the needs of clients coming from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Here, the client was brought with the presenting complaints of—excessive intake of substances, tall talks, and a few borderline personality traits such as—unstable mood, suspicious and aggressive behavior, and a poor level of insight. At the initial phase of the therapy, the client showed an indifferent attitude towards the therapist and was very much resistant to attending any of the therapy sessions. Thus, the therapist formulated the present case based on the key ideas of ‘Narrative Practices’ to maximize the client's personal agency. At the end of the initial phase of therapy, the client became much more cooperative, and during the termination phase, she gained a good level of insight and was able to discover her multi-storied ‘self.’