I'v never really had my T ask me to find the silver lining in thing. Yes, sometimes we talk about how something can be both a positive and a negative, but I'm usually the one that starts such a conversation. My T rarely suggests just thinking of other things. Perhaps, if your T starts in with such an approach, you can tell them that you don't really find that helpful and you would like to focus on your specific issues and find ways to cope with them.