Coaching practices for Via Character Strengths for My Teenager

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Via Character Strengths for My Teenager, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

  • I’ve got a list of my strengths but it reads like a flat personality quiz
  • My child has gotten so used to being "the difficult one" that they act like it’s just who they are
  • If you asked me to name what I’m actually good at, I’d freeze
  • I already know what I’m good at, but I only ever use those strengths in the same few familiar places
  • The very thing I’m best at turns on me under pressure

Practices that may help

  1. Connect individual strengths to the broader virtues they serve
    Understand which of the six VIA virtues your signature strengths express, and what that reveals about your character.
    VIA Character Strengths, Made Practical
  2. VIA Character Strengths, Made Practical
    Peterson and Seligman’s VIA Classification identifies 24 character strengths organized under six virtues, and multiple randomized trials find that using your top "signature strengths" in new ways reliably increases well-being and decreases depressive symptoms. The effect is most robust when strengths are deployed in engaged, relational ways — not just recognized but actively applied.
  3. Use experiential recognition to highlight strengths in the moment
    Catch the child demonstrating a virtue and name the virtue directly.
    The Nurtured Heart Approach (Howard Glasser)
  4. Take the VIA survey and identify your signature strengths
    Discover your top five to seven character strengths using the validated VIA survey.
    VIA Character Strengths, Made Practical
  5. Use a signature strength in a new way each day for one week
    Apply one of your top character strengths to a context or relationship where you don’t normally use it.
    VIA Character Strengths, Made Practical
  6. Map how your strengths distort under stress
    Identify the "overuse" and "underuse" of each signature strength — how they show up when you’re at your worst.
    VIA Character Strengths, Made Practical
  7. Spot and name character strengths in others
    Notice and explicitly name the character strengths you observe in people around you.
    VIA Character Strengths, Made Practical
  8. Build the child’s inner wealth narrative over time
    Consistently reflect back who the child is becoming, not just what they’re doing.
    The Nurtured Heart Approach (Howard Glasser)
  9. Use your signature strengths in a new way
    Identify your top character strengths and deploy one of them differently each day.
    Positive Psychology, Made Practical
  10. Apply strengths consciously in your most important relationships
    Identify how your signature strengths are showing up — or failing to show up — in the relationships that matter most.
    VIA Character Strengths, Made Practical

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