Last Updated:

January 30th, 2026

Strengths model in recovery

The strengths model in recovery identifies your existing strengths and builds recovery around them. Traditional substance and behavioural addiction treatment often dwells on problems, like what you’ve lost or what you feel like you can’t do without drugs or alcohol. The strengths model flips this. Your counsellor will help you recognise skills, relationships, and personal qualities you possess, so you can use these strengths to power healing and build a new life.

the strengths model therapy session

What is the strengths model in recovery?

The strengths model is a recovery-oriented approach to mental health treatment developed in the 1980s by Charles Rapp and Richard Goscha. It is now widely used in addiction recovery as it recognises everyone has strengths, even when drug or alcohol addiction has caused serious damage.

Your strengths may include work, skills, a strong mentality or family connections. Sessions focus on what you want to achieve and what you’re good at, rather than reviewing everything you have done wrong. This is very important because addiction can seriously harm confidence and self-esteem, but the strengths model can help you look at yourself more positively.

Core principles of strength-based recovery

The strengths model rests on several key beliefs about recovery and human capability. These principles are:

People can recover
The strengths model assumes recovery is always possible, regardless of the severity of alcohol or drug addiction or how many times you have relapsed. The idea is that past failures don’t predict future ones. This hopeful perspective is unlike other approaches, which often view addiction as a chronic condition requiring lifelong management.
Focus on strengths, not deficits
Rather than documenting all your problems, the strengths model pinpoints your assets. Your counsellor will ask questions like, “What skills do you have?” “Who supports you?” “What motivates you?” “What have you accomplished despite addiction?” The answers to these questions become the starting point for change.
You direct your recovery
The strengths model puts you in charge. This means you set goals that align with your values and hopes. You decide what changes to make and when, with the counsellor supporting your choices rather than telling you exactly what to do.
Community integration matters
Recovery happens in real life, not just in alcohol or drug rehab. The strengths model emphasises connecting you to local support. The idea is that getting involved in normal life supports staying sober better than endless therapy sessions.

The eight stages of the strengths model

Programmes using the strengths model follow eight distinct stages. Not everyone completes all stages, and some people move back and forth depending on their situation. In general, the eight stages go like this:

Stage 1: Engagement
This is where you build a working relationship so you feel respected and heard. Your counsellor learns about you as a person, not just as someone with addiction problems. This initial phase establishes a safe, trusting environment before any other work begins.
Stage 2: Strengths assessment
Your counsellor then creates a detailed tally of your positive qualities, which becomes the record of your strengths for recovery. You identify what you’re good at, what you enjoy, and what you’ve achieved, even when struggling with addiction.
Stage 3: Personal recovery plan
Next, you set your own personal goals, which reflect what you care about. Maybe you want a job, better family relationships, stable housing, or education. You and your counsellor break these large goals into smaller achievable steps. For example, if your goal is employment, steps may include updating your CV or practising interviews.
Stage 4: Resource acquisition
This means connecting you with community resources that support your goals. These may include job training, educational programmes, housing assistance, social activities, Gambling Anon or AA meetings. Much of this work happens outside rehab facilities, but your counsellor will still provide key support.
Stage 5: Skill development
This stage is all about learning new abilities or rebuilding old ones. This could include job skills or just practical life skills like budgeting or cooking. The exact skills you work on will be those which you need to achieve your personal goals from stage 3.
Stage 6: Advocacy
Advocacy means your counsellor helping you navigate the challenges of systems like housing, employment, or benefits. They may accompany you to appointments or help you get legal or ongoing therapeutic support. This help continues until you feel confident dealing with these challenges yourself.
Stage 7: Evaluation and adjustment
There will also be a regular review of what is and isn’t working, and plans can change depending on how things go. This is important because some goals may become easier than expected, or new barriers may appear.
Stage 8: Transition and closure
When you have met your goals and feel confident managing life independently, the focus becomes celebrating your successes and relapse prevention planning. This stage gets you ready for life post-rehab, so you have everything you need before you leave.

the strengths model therapy session

Benefits of the strengths model for recovery

The strengths model has huge benefits for people struggling with all kinds of substance and behavioural addiction. Some of the most important benefits include:

1. New confidence and self-esteem

When addiction has destroyed your self-worth, recognising your existing abilities helps you feel confident again.

2. Increases motivation

Working toward goals you actually care about creates motivation, which is crucial for long-term recovery. There will always be ups and downs, but when treatment focuses on your aspirations rather than imposed requirements, you are more likely to stay on course.

3. Practical changes

Connecting with real-world resources, like jobs, housing, and education, creates real changes you can see. These make sobriety feel worthwhile rather than just a daily struggle to stay sober.

4. Reduced shame

Traditional treatment can sometimes make shame worse by focusing on the damage addiction caused. The strengths model counters this by emphasising your abilities and potential and helping you forgive yourself.

Finding strengths-based addiction treatment

Not all drug and alcohol rehab programmes use the strengths model, though many include some aspects of it. When researching programmes, ask whether they use strength-based approaches and how they put them into practice. Some programmes combine the strengths model with other treatments like CBT or 12-step work. This combination can work well, though pure strengths-based programmes also exist, and they can work for some people.

Next steps

If you believe that the strengths model is right for you, Recovery.org can help you find a suitable programme. Contact us today, and we will help you get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a list of strengths in recovery?
Common strengths in recovery include work experience and education, family relationships, hobbies and personal qualities. Your specific strengths are unique to you, but a strengths assessment with your counsellor can pinpoint your assets.
How does the strength-based recovery model differ from traditional treatment?
Traditional treatment often focuses on losses and problems, but the strength-based recovery model focuses on what you have going for you and who supports you. Traditional treatment may follow preset protocols, while strength-based treatment lets you set your own goals. Traditional approaches often emphasise avoiding substances, while strength-based recovery emphasises building a life worth staying sober for. Both can work, but they take different philosophical approaches.
Does the strengths model work for severe addiction?
Yes, the model was developed for people with severe mental illness and works for serious addiction too. Even when addiction has caused significant damage, people retain strengths like determination or relationships that have endured. The model finds these assets and uses them for recovery.

(Click here to see works cited)