What’s the goal of problem-solving therapy?

The goal of PST is straightforward:

To assist in managing the everyday problems that contribute to emotional distress by teaching practical, structured problem-solving skills.

In a bit more detail:

  1. Empowerment

The sentence, "I can and I will" made with scrabble blocks on a green background.

PST aims to make people feel capable and in control again.

Depression often makes you feel powerless. PST counters that by building confidence in handling life’s challenges.

  1. Skill-building

It’s about teaching a method, not just offering temporary support.

Clients learn how to define problems clearly, generate solutions, and make decisions systematically, skills they can use long after therapy ends.

  1. Reducing emotional distress

Depressive symptoms are usually lessened by solving or improving the problems that cause stress (like relationship conflicts, financial issues, work difficulties).

  1. Breaking the negative cycle

Depression can create a loop: problems feel overwhelming → avoidance increases → problems worsen → depression worsens.

PST interrupts this loop by promoting action instead of avoidance.

  1. Encouraging resilience

It’s not about eliminating every life issue, which is impossible.

Instead, PST helps people cope more effectively with new challenges that arise in the future, thereby building long-term psychological resilience.

Join our forum and Facebook

Please consider joining our forum and Facebook if you enjoyed reading this and would like to chat with like-minded peers about anything depression related.

It would certainly go a long way toward making my dream of creating a thriving, supportive community a reality!

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