Each family has elements in their own culture which, if understood and utilized, can become levers to actualize and expand the family's behavioural and experiential repertoire. See also StrengthsResiliencies.

Some of the techniques used are:

1. Identifying competence in each family member as well as in their various relationships with one another. This includes pinpointing behaviours that have positive effects on daily family interaction ("What is it that you can do to please your spouse / parent / child?")
2. Identifying past positive elements in their interaction (e.g. exploring how they have successfully supported each other during crises in the past; exploring what attracted them to each other originally)
3. Reframing. This is a technique that aims to give an alternative meaning to events, which fits the events as well as the explanation previously subscribed to by the family, but which contains some leverage for change.
4. Searching for fluctuations of or exceptions to some of the symptomatic behaviours ("I'm interested in the times when it happens less or when it does not happen at all. So when you are doing that...it doesn't happen") and framing these positively as potential solutions. Families can also be asked to monitor exceptions to negative patterns between sessions (see section 10 on inter-session tasks).
5. Focusing on positives. The KW will at times try to discourage conversation that is relentlessly problem-focused or complaining about each other, and will try to enhance talk that looks at positives, solutions or small changes. For example, when someone is exclusively focused on the gloomiest part of their lives, the KW could use subjective scales to turn the family's attention towards some positive aspects: ("If on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the way you feel when things are really bad, you had to say how you felt when things were a bit better... where would you place yourself/him or her? When was the last time that happened? What did you do to make that happen? When and how could you do more of that?")