Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To explore and compare veteran and clinicians perspectives on veterans' strengths and ways strengths are used in care to promote engagement and recovery. METHOD: We recruited veteran-clinician dyads from a rural Veterans Affairs Medical Center for qualitative interviews with veterans (n = 15) who had initiated a trauma-focused evidence-based psychotherapy (TF-EBP) with the dyad clinician (n = 8; some were interviewed about two veterans). They were interviewed about four types of veterans' strengths: coping skills, external supports, internal assets, and values/sources of meaning. We summarized and compared within-dyad responses. RESULTS: Both veterans and clinicians reported discussing strengths at least once, but they were often underutilized. Psychotherapy coping skills, internal assets, and values/sources of meaning were most commonly integrated into TF-EBPs. External supports and complementary coping skills (e.g., yoga, walking) were infrequently integrated. Differences were observed between veteran and clinician perspectives: (a) some veterans identified relationships as supportive that clinicians believed worsened TF-EBP engagement and posttraumatic stress disorder recovery, and (b) clinicians noted many internal assets that veterans did not see in themselves. CONCLUSION: Veterans bring many strengths to posttraumatic stress disorder therapy, yet these are often underused. There is a need to develop resources and adjunctive interventions for integrating strengths into TF-EBP delivery and to implement family involvement in care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).