I FIRST DEVELOPED A DETAILED APPROACH TO CO-CONSTRUCTING A STRENGTHS-FOCUSED-RELATIONSHIP, WHICH I RECOMMEND TO ANY 2 PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOTS OF TIME TO WORK ON THE PROCESS OF CO-CONSTRUCTING THIS TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP. THAT PROCESS IS DESCRIBED ON THE LOWER PART OF THIS PAGE, UNDER THE _ _ _ _ _ LINE.
AFTER DEVELOPING THAT FAIRLY LONG, DETAILED PROCESS, I RECOGNIZED THAT MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN CO-CONSTRUCTING THIS TYPE OF A RELATIONSHIP WANT A SHORTER AND QUICKER PROCESS. SO I THEN DEVELOPED THE "GUIDELINES FOR INITIATING AN INTENTIONAL STRENGTHS-FOCUSED-RELATIONSHIP (SfR). THOSE SIMPLIFIED GUIDELINES ARE SHOWN ON THE NEXT PAGE. CLICK ON "RETURN TO CONTENTS" AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE TO ACCESS.
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(If you want to use the more detailed, two-hour format, read the material shown below and follow the longer SfR Video described below on this page.)
How Do You Co-Construct A Strengths-Focused Relationship?
In a Strengths-focused-Relationship (SfR), both participants relate to each other with a clear awareness of the other person’s self-articulated strengths. This can be implemented by following these three basic steps:
Step 1: Each participant must articulate his or her strengths. Since most people are fairly inarticulate when attempting to describe their strengths, I recommend a process designed to help you articulate your strengths with the help of others. This process should help you articulate words for describing your strengths that have personal meaning to you because they can be easily connected to real life experiences that you can recall with ease. Such a process for articulating your strengths can be accessed by going to a workshop where the Dependable Strengths Articulation Process (DSAP) is used. You can also articulate your strengths by following the guidelines described in the book, Articulating Strengths Together (AST); An Interactive Process to Enhance Positivity. The AST guidelines are designed to be used in a group of 3 or 4 people, but they can also be adapted to be used in pairs.
Step 2: After both participants have articulated their strengths, they agree to communicate these articulated strengths with each other. When communicating these strengths, they provide examples of personal experiences wherein they demonstrated each of the strengths they have articulated. Both participants in the relationship should hear the experiences that exemplify the strengths described by the other member of the relationship.
Step 3: As the strengths-focused-relationship continues to develop, each participant strives to consider the strengths and the feelings of the other person. This attempt to become more aware of the other person’s perspective is a form of empathy.
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A video-guided approach to co-constructing a strengths-focused-relationship is offered in the next page, titled: How to Use SfR Video.
The titles of the three parts in that page are:
1.INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN A PROCESS DESIGNED TO PROMOTE A STRENGTHS-FOCUSED RELATIONSHIP (SfR).
2.GUIDELINES FOR CONSTRUCTING A SfR USING A VIDEO DEMONSTRATION.
3.HOW TO ACCESS AND USE THE VIDEO THAT GUIDES TWO PARTICIPANTS TO A SfR.
To access the page with three parts click here.