ABSTRACT
In the first phase of the recovery process, the focus is on instilling hope in clients and motivating them to change. This is a critical phase, as many clients are still in their trapped selves at the beginning of the recovery process. These clients are passive, have lost hope, and cannot envision any prospect for change. If the worker is able to raise clients' awareness of the nature of the trapped self, and help them understand factors contributing to the condition of trapped self, it would be a major discovery for these clients. Once clients understand why they are trapped, they may realize that they can transform their lives by making changes.
In the previous chapter, we provided an overview of two cases that illustrate how strength-based cognitive behaviour therapy (SBCBT) can be meaningfully applied in the recovery process. We also introduced a number of strategies that can be used in the initial phase to instil a sense of hope and motivation among clients in the recovery process. These strategies include: (1) appreciate and validate the strengths of the client, (2) help the client identify his/her dysfunctional or functional cycles in daily life, and (3) demonstrate a sense of curiosity towards clients' concerns. In this chapter, two sets of strategies and tools, namely, the Personal Strengths Assessment form and Situational Self-Analysis exercise and the Emotion Thermometer, will be described in detail to illustrate how these strategies can increase hope and motivation in clients in the recovery process.
