Cite as (APA style): Ahmad, M. B & Ahmad, M. I. (2026). Balancing capacities in Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy: A case-informed reflection from clinical practice. The Global Psychotherapist, 6(2), 186-192 http://doi.org/10.52982/lkj326
Abstract: Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy (PPT after Peseschkian, since 1977) draws on the strengths, resources, and transcultural perspectives of human beings as core elements in understanding and addressing psychological suffering. Although the importance of actual capabilities and the Balance Model was well known in PPT, they have received little attention in the systematic clinical use of balancing capacities in case formulation and therapy.
This article aims to fill this gap by offering a practice-based reflection on balancing capacities in outpatient psychotherapy from a Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy perspective. Internal conflict, resource identification, and therapeutic change are discussed, drawing on the paper’s exploration of how actual capabilities, future capacities, and the dynamic balance between primary and secondary capacities can help with this assessment. Special emphasis is placed on the transcultural aspects of psychotherapy, in which clients often face the challenge of balancing competing value systems among family traditions, social expectations, and today’s culture.
The balancing capacities are not only a descriptive phenomenon but also a therapeutic instrument, according to the authors, that can help clients redistribute emotional, cognitive, and behavioral investments among the most important areas of life. Case vignettes are used to illustrate the therapeutic dialogue, conflict resolution, and resource-oriented work that can be achieved with capacity balancing. The relationship between the proposed framework and the current five stages of consultation in Positive Psychotherapy is highlighted, as are the implications for psychotherapists seeking to include capacity-based interventions in their practice. Finally, suggestions for future research, supervision, and transcultural applications of capacity balancing in Positive Psychotherapy are presented
Keywords: Positive Psychotherapy, capacities, balancing, clinical practice, transcultural perspective