What is the Strengths Perspective?

Practicing from a strengths perspective means that everything you do as a helper will be based on facilitating the discovery and embellishment, exploration, and use of clients’ strengths and resources in the service of helping them achieve their goals and realize their dreams.
Dennis Saleebey

The strengths model has been used in helping:

• Adults with severe and persistent mental illness,
• People struggling with alcohol and drug abuse,
• Seriously emotionally disturbed children and their families,
• Older citizens, children and adults in the justice system,
• Neighborhoods and communities,
• It has also been used as a framework for policy analysis and women’s concerns among others.

More Information

   Historical development

Historical development

COMING SOON

 

   Epistemology

The Epistemology of the Strengths Perspective

Epistemology is that branch of philosophy that examines knowledge claims: that is, it asks the question, “How do you know what you know?” Or how do you distinguish belief from knowledge; thinking it so from knowing that it is so? This also requires a distinction between knowing how and knowing that. To know how does not require the test of its truth or falsity; knowledge claims, however, can turn out to be either true or false or some discomfiting conglomeration of the two. The historic and social context might conceivably alter any knowledge claim; much of what has been thought to be true at one time has turned out to be discredited at another time. Also, it is common to distinguish between a priori and a posteriori knowledge; the former can be acquired and justified through reasoning alone; the latter is attained and justified through experience (e.g., empirical science, or experiential sensations).

So what does this mean for the strengths perspective? I suppose we could argue that the philosophical underpinnings of the strengths perspective are derived both from naive realism and pragmatism. That is to say, we believe that the strengths of individuals, groups, families, and communities are tangible, and that they can be assessed. We believe that these phenomena, at whatever level they occur, are not figments or mere constructions of our minds. Rather, they are grounded in the world as we encounter and experience it. We also believe that the knowledge claims of the strengths perspective can be tested and used in the real world with actual and sometimes predictable consequences.

On the other hand, one could argue that the strengths perspective, like all such conceptions, is a social construction, forged out of the experience and dialogic encounters between practitioners, clients, scholars, and students, within the social contexts where they meet and act. It is an agreement based on the idea that it is useful to regard people in trouble, all people for that matter, in terms of their strengths. It may be more helpful and heartening to do so for all involved rather than an exclusive or one-sided focus on their problems and deficiencies.

Quote

“By suggesting an alternative ‘at promise’ view [as opposed to the at risk paradigm], I have attempted to convey the importance of considering the possibilities in all children and the promise of partnerships with parents and community members of diverse backgrounds….By viewing parents and children as ‘at promise’ we enhance the possibilities of constructing authentic relations where we actively listen to and learn from one another.”

Beth Blue Swadener, Children and Families “at Promise”: Deconstructing the Discourse of Risk in the book of the same name, edited by Swadener and Sally Lubeck, 1995, p.42.

   Principles of the Strengths Perspective

Principles of the Strengths Perspective

1. Every individual, group, family, and community has strengths

The Strengths Perspective focuses essentially on identifying, mobilizing, and respecting the resources, assets, wisdom, and knowledge that every person, family, group, or community has, as well as their potential for transforming their experiences and lives.

2. Trauma and abuse, illness and struggle, may be injurious but they may also be sources of challenge and opportunity.

To say that negative experiences can bring within opportunities to an individual, family, or community, does not mean that we do not acknowledge their scars and pain. The Strengths Perspective acknowledges that frequently people who are facing adversity are resilient and resourceful and we should explore and learn from their strategies to overcome adversity.

3. Assume that you do not know the upper limits of the capacity to grow and change. Take individual, group, and community aspirations seriously.

People frequently are bound by an assessment, diagnosis, or profile that has become a verdict or a sentence in their lives. By holding high expectations of clients and keeping an alliance with their hopes, values, aspirations, and visions, we make an obvious deal with their promise and possibility.

4. We best serve clients by collaborating with them.

When we approach clients as a helper or collaborator (having specialized education, tools, and experience to offer, but open to the wisdom, knowledge, and experience that clients bring with them) we work with clients rather than on their cases. In the Strengths Perspective, clients’ voices are heard and valued at all levels of intervention, including micro, mezzo, and macro levels, such as in practice with individuals, families, and groups, communities, and in policy advocacy.

5. Every environment is full of resources.

Every environment is full of individuals, families, informal groups, associations, and institutions willing to help others. When given the opportunity, they contribute with all kinds of assets and resources that others profoundly need, such as knowledge, company, special talents, time, and place, and the like. There are resources, partnerships, and strengths available in the community that are ready to be used, while we engage in policy advocacy and social action in pursuit of social justice and structural transformation.

6. Caring, caretaking, and context.

Human well-being is essentially related to caring. We should facilitate and assist families, groups, and communities to care for their members. The Strengths Perspective focuses, in a sense, also in caretaking, since this is related to hope; “hope realized through the strengthened sinew of social relationships in family, neighborhood, community, culture, and country.” (p. 20).

References

Saleebey, D. (Ed.). (2006). The Strengths Perspective in social work practice. (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Quote

"Central to Strengths Based Case Management is the belief that clients are most successful when they identify and use their strengths, abilities, and assets "

Richard C. Rapp, (2006). Strengths-Based Case Management: Enhancing treatment for person with substance abuse problems in D. Saleebey (ed.) The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice. Boston: Allyn /Bacon & Longman, p. 129

   CPR of Strengths

Where: C= competencies, capacities, courage, character  and P= promise, purpose, possibility, positive expectations and R= resources, resilience, relationships, resourcefulness, resolve, reserves (p. 10).      Any type of holistic healing or helping must include all three life elements.  Their interaction reflects the essential dynamics of a strengths-based perspective at work Saleebey, D. (Ed.). (2006). The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Quote

"The image [of survivors of troubled families]… will make you proud, fortify you against your pain, and instill the belief that you can live well despite a troubled past. It is the image of a resilient survivor—one who has suffered and one who prevails."

 Steven and Sybil Wolin, The Resilient Self, 1993, p. 207

   The lexicon of Strengths Perspective

The Lexicon of the Strengths Perspective

Language and words are powerful. Words can inspire, yet they can destroy. We must examine the words we use with and regarding our clients. We should ask: Are we communicating hope, belief in their potential, and acknowledging their resiliency? Or are we teaching helplessness, defeating their goals, or weakening their aspirations? We are compelled to pay attention to our lexicon. Here are some concepts that are important to consider…

Believing in the client

Believing in the client is central to the Strengths Perspective. Questioning the validity of the clients’ views does not help them to overcome adversity or oppression. We must convey our belief in the clients’ potential.

Dialogue and collaboration

Establishing relationships with others is indispensable to all human beings. In dialogue, we can discover and test our own knowledge, inner strengths, and wisdom; we can begin the healing process within; we can revisit our own narrative and redefine it.

In a humble and caring dialogue, based on empathy, connection, and inclusion, we can overcome the barriers of oppression and mistrust. This horizontal relationship facilitates deep connection and collaboration. When we work with clients, we collaborate with them through an open negotiation and the recognition of the clients’ insights, views, and aspirations. In other words, we collaborate with them by listening to their voices.

Empowerment

It is necessary to challenge the derogatory labels in order to identify and mobilize the power within individuals and their communities; foster connections among individuals, families, institutions, and communities; overcome the victim mindset and paternalism. This is possible when we trust people’s wisdom and perspectives, and believe in their dreams.

Healing and wholeness

For the Strengths Perspective, transformation and healing can come from the clients’ internal sources (not only from external sources). Healing implies looking at the whole person and recognizing the innate ability that body and mind have to regenerate and endure challenges. However, “healing requires a beneficent relationship between the individual and the larger social and physical environment” (p. 14).

Hope

Optimism and hope are necessary in the process of healing and transformation. Hope is related to positive emotions and feelings (Benard, 2004). It conveys the belief in a positive future. The Strengths Perspective proceeds from the recognition of the clients’ promise and potential. This does not mean that we do not acknowledge the individual, communal, or structural challenges. We understand the individual pain, suffering, limitations, and needs, keeping always a hopeful attitude and a profound belief in the possibility of change.

Membership

Belonging and inclusion are essential to human beings. We must proceed from the recognition that every single client we serve is a human being like us, a member of our species, and thus, is expected to get all the respect, dignity, and responsibility that every human being deserves.

Plasticity

Self-regulation, flexibility, and adaptability, are words that several authors have used to describe this human capacity to “alter, extend, and reshape behavior, feeling, and cognition” (Saleebey, 2006, p. 11). A clear example of this surprising human plasticity is evident in the placebo effect.

Resiliency

Most of the literature about resiliency points out that all human beings have the inner capacity to overcome adversity and rebound from trouble. Resilience refers to the capacity to surmount adversity, to meet the challenges and ordeals of daily living as well as extraordinary circumstances that confront us. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from, or to simply endure with dignity, the tribulations that life may send your way. The facility for resilience is available to everybody; it is not just a property of some special people. It is amplified by the resources and resourcefulness of individuals, families, and communities, and by the education, mentoring and support that people find in their lives.

References

Saleebey, D. (Ed.). (2006). The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Quote

"In fact, for just about any population of children that research has found to be at greater risk than normal for later problems—children who experience divorce, live with step-parents, lose a sibling, have attention deficit disorder, suffer developmental delays, become delinquent, run a way, become involved with religious cults, and so on---more of these children make it than do not."

Bonnie Benard. 2004. Resilience: What We Have Learned, p. 7.

   Assessing Strengths

Assessing Strengths

What are strengths

Saleebey (2006) asserts that “[a]lmost anything can be considered a strength under certain conditions” (p. 82). Some strengths can be found in:

1. What people have learned about themselves and others
   People learn from the challenges they endure as well as from their accomplishments. Resiliency seems to spring from the interaction between those internal and environmental resources and the risk factors that the person is facing.
2. Personal qualities, traits, and virtues
   When going through adversity, people may become aware of some talents, assets, or resources. In other cases, people develop new strengths and resources in order to meet their challenges. Some examples are creativity, spirituality, humor, caring, and the like.
3. What people know about the world around them
   Knowledge comes from different sources, including education, culture, and actual experience. While learning about our world, we develop skills and abilities. For instance, a client might know much more about the housing system than we can ever hope to learn. However, too often this knowledge is subjugated. We will identify it only if we observe and ask.
4. Talents people have
   Frequently, you will find that people have surprising talents, such as singing, writing, painting, telling stories, and so on. Many times people do not even mention those talents because they do not seem relevant to what we are discussing. If we do not ask, we remiss the opportunity of mobilizing these strengths. Although these talents may not be connected to the clients’ aspirations, they give us more resources and tools to assist individuals in fulfilling those aspirations and reaching their goals.
5. Cultural and personal stories and lore
   These strengths are sources of stability, guidance, a sense of belonging, and a place in the world. Narratives, myths, and cultural stories can be a source of identity, meaning, and inspiration through adversity.
6. Pride
   When people overcome deterrents, bouncing back from adversity, they develop a sense of pride and accomplishment. It is the “survivor’s pride” described by Wolin and Wolin (1994), which is waiting to be discovered, usually behind a curtain of shame.
7. The community
   There are many assets in the communities that should be included in the assessment, such as physical, interpersonal, and institutional strengths. People can benefit from giving as well as receiving, since this enhances their membership and empowerment.
8. Spirituality
   Canda (2006) describes spirituality from a holistic approach, which involves and transcends the biological, psychological, social, cultural, or political aspects of a person. It is also related to finding meaning and experiences that may manifest in peak experiences, cosmic revelations, and the like, which invite us to explore the mysteries and complexities of life. Spirituality is a powerful source of strength and resiliency that may convey hope and belief in the possibility of a positive future for the clients. Thus, we should listen to our clients when they refer to spirituality and we should dare to respectfully explore their beliefs and practices. Again, it is important to focus in what is important for the client.

Strengths-based assessment

Cowger (1994) and Saleebey (1997) provide clear guidelines for a strengths–based assessment:

• Give primacy to the clients’ perspectives,
• Believe the clients
• Discover what the clients want, their aspirations, goals, and dreams,
• Direct the assessment toward personal and environmental strengths,
• Make the assessment of strengths multidimensional,
• Discover the clients’ uniqueness,
• Use language the clients can understand,
• Avoid blaming,
• Avoid cause-and-effect thinking,
• Avoid diagnosing and labeling

Discovering strengths

There are many different questions that can be used to discover internal and external strengths. For a more complete reference, see Saleebey (2006) and De Jong and Miller (1995). Nevertheless, strength-discovery questions are endless.

1. Survival questions: How have you managed to overcome/ survive the challenges that you have faced? “What have you learned about yourself and your world during those struggles?” (Saleebey, 2006, p. 87)
2. Support questions: Who are the people that you can rely on? Who has made you feel understood, supported, or encouraged?
3. Exception questions: “When things were going well in life, what was different?” (Saleebey, 2006, p.87)
4. Possibility questions: What do you want to accomplish in your life? What are your hopes for your future, or the future of your family?
5. Esteem questions: What makes you proud about yourself? What positive things do people say about you?
6. Perspective questions: “What are your ideas about your current situation?” (Saleebey, 2006, p.87)
7. Change questions: What do you think is necessary for things to change? What could you do to make that happen?

A word of caution is necessary here. Any strengths-based assessment must proceed from the belief in the client and it should not become a verdict or sentence for the client. Repeating these questions or filling out a strengths-based form does not mean that you are working from the Strengths Perspective. A profound belief in the client’s potential is intrinsic to any strengths-based assessment. Thinking about strengths begins with the understanding what goals and dreams the person has; reflecting on the possibilities and hope in their lives. In this process, they can discover or develop new possibilities for themselves and change toward a better quality of life.

References Saleebey, D. (Ed.). (2006). The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Strengths Assessment Worksheet

Rapp and Goscha (2006) include seven life domains in their strengths assessment: daily living situation, financial/insurance, vocational/educational, social supports, health, leisure/recreational, and spirituality. These life domains are related to three temporal orderings: past (“What have I used in the past?”), present (“What’s going on today? What’s available now?”), and future (“What do I want?”).

This tool is not similar to other assessment tools and the process of developing a strengths assessment is also unique, since it has the intrinsic purpose of “amplifying the well aspects of the individual” (p.102).

For a complete description of the tool as well as the process of conducting a strengths assessment, please see Rapp and Goscha (2006, p. 99).

References

Rapp, C. A., & Goscha, R. (2006). The strengths model: Case management with people with psychiatric dissabilities (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford.

Quote

" These factors [elements in a client’s life], unquestionably the most common and powerful of the common factors in therapy….consist of the client’s strengths, supportive elements in the environment, and even chance events."

Hubble, Duncan and Miller, The Heart and Soul of Change, 1999, p. 1

   Paradigm shift

Paradigm Shift

Working from a Strengths Perspective requires a paradigm shift, moving away from the medical model and disease paradigm in a process of inner transformation that implies the recognition of our clients’ promise, strengths, assets, hopes, and dreams, as well as our own strengths, talents, assets, potential, hopes, and dreams. In Saleebey’s (2006) words:

… to begin to surrender it can be a wrenching experience-in a moderate fashion, as disruptive as larger, more cosmic shifts in consciousness. But it is nonetheless a shift in consciousness , a change in the way we see our clients and regard our work. Fortunately, we are not alone in this transformation of our professional consciousness . In other disciplines and professions, fault lines have appeared, and new conceptual and practical structures are becoming visible (p. 293).

References

Saleebey, D. (Ed.). (2006). The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Quote

"To collaborate in this process [of client growth], the practitioner must make a revolutionary shift. Rather than seeing oneself as having expert knowledge about the nature of someone’s problem, and therefore able to diagnose it and/or solve it, the practitioner must relinquish this role and, instead, start from a very different place—the place of skilled unknowing."

Ann Weick, James Kreider, and Ronna Chamberlain, Solving Problems from a Strengths Perspective in D. Saleebey (ed.), The Strengths Perspective on Social Work Practice. (2006). Boston: Allyn/Bacon & Longman, p. 125.

   The Strengths Perspective and Client-centered practice

The Strengths Perspective and Client-Centered Management Practice

Both, the Strengths Perspective and client-centered management practice prioritize the clients’ and their narratives. In fact, a human service agency exists mainly to improve the lives of the people it serves (Rapp & Poertner, 1992). For the client-centered model, performance depends on management and “client-centered management provides the best performance” (p. 25).

A human service agency performance is reflected in five measurable areas: client outcomes, productivity, resource acquisition, efficiency, and job satisfaction. These areas impact directly the client. For instance, the improvement or deterioration experienced by the clients is reflected in client outcomes, whether it is through affective, cognitive, behavior, status, or environmental changes. Productivity, as caseload sizes, impact profoundly the quality of service that clients receive, In order to work from the Strengths Perspective, the caseload size should not exceed 20. Also, resource acquisition is crucial in order to provide quality services to clients (including money, volunteers, information, and even clients acting as resources themselves). Staff morale and efficiency, reflected in the way that the agency resources and outcomes are related, are experienced by the clients on a daily basis.

Rapp and Poertner (1992), describe four principles of client-centered management proceeding from the recognition that “the raison d’être of the social administrator is client well-being and that the principal task of the manager is to facilitate that well being” (p.16). These principles should be at the basis of the management tasks of any client-centered agency. They are:

1. Venerating the people called clients: On a daily basis, managers communicate verbally and nonverbally the values of the program or agency to those involved in it. For the client-centered performance model, clients are seen as “whole” individuals, people with a life that goes beyond the agency, with relationships, interests, and stories. Thus, the Strengths Perspective and a client-centered management practice emphasize that people have strengths and a potential for growth in time. This can be done by getting to know the clients, seeing clients are heroes, and advocating for clients even at their own agency.
2. Creating and maintaining the focus on the clients and client outcomes.
3. Healthy disrespect for the impossible. Some qualities that client-centered managers show are: action-orientation, a perception of self as powerful and responsible, flexibility and invention, problem solving skills, the ability and willingness to blend agendas, and persistence.
4. Learning for a living: Client-centered managers are open to be challenged to continue their learning and growth in order to find more effective ways to provide services to people.

Quote

"From [a Strengths Perspective], individuals are valued and respected for their ability to survive and adapt, and there is a sense of hope regarding each person’s capacity to continue to learn and develop over time in relationship with others."

 Rapp, C. A., & Poertner, J. (1992). Social administration: A client-centered approach. New York: Longman.

   The Strength Perspective and Resiliency

The Strengths Perspective and Resiliency

Most children face adversity. Some of the challenges they face have been associated with diverse negative consequences for their well-being. Nevertheless, despite negative outcomes predicted and expected, most children bounce back and have functional lives ensuring their own sense of well being. Everybody has the capacity for resiliency.

Resiliency is not a new concept. Research has tried to understand this human tendency to strive for a healthier and more positive development for approximately the last 50 years. Masten (2001) affirms, “[w]hat began as a quest to understand the extraordinary has revealed the power of the ordinary. Resiliency does not come from rare and special qualities, but from the everyday magic of ordinary, normative human resources in the minds, brains, and bodies of children, in their families and relationships, and in their communities” (p. 235).

These assertions represent the shift from traditional research on pathology and risk to resiliency research (Fraser, Kirby, & Smokowski, 2004). According to Benard (2004), a consistent and remarkable finding in this research (both quantitative and qualitative) is that most children somehow manage to have positive lives and develop successfully, including the most challenged ones from troubled families and disadvantaged communities. In fact, most research shows that an average of 70% to 75 % of children who seemed at a greater risk for later problems make it (Benard, 2004). For instance, Werner and Smith (1982) carried out a longitudinal study, following almost 700 children who were born in Kauai (Hawaii) in 1955. Data collected at six different ages, including birth through adulthood showed that these children, despite being challenged by a variety of risk factors as they were growing up, could achieve positive outcomes in adulthood.

The Strengths Perspective facilitates this normative human process that directs people toward a healthy development fulfilling their potential. This perspective provides structure and content as it assesses attainable goals, mobilizes resources to promote change and self-esteem, and instills hope in the future. Further, resiliency theory and the Strengths Perspective share a common faith in human beings that characterizes a possibility-focused paradigm. Social workers who are interested in this perspective, and committed to the core values of our profession, are challenged to explore their attitudes, beliefs, biases, and their own selves in order to generate a shift in the way they perceive themselves, their clients, and their relationship with them.

Susana Mariscal

References

Benard, B. (2004). Resiliency. What we have learned. San Francisco: WestEd.

Masten, A. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56(3), 227-238.

Fraser, M. W., Kirby, L. D., & Smokowski, P. R. (2004). Risk and resilience in childhood. In M. W. Fraser (Ed.), Risk and resilience in childhood (pp. 13-66). Washington D.C,: NASW Press.

Fraser, M. W., & Richman, J. M. (2001). Resilience: Implications for evidence-based practice. In J. M. Richman & M. W. Fraser (Eds.), The context of youth violence. Resilience, risk, and protection (pp. 187-198). Wesport, Connecticut: Praeger.

Saleebey, D. (2001). Human behavior and social environments: A biopsychosocial approach. New York: Columbia University Press.

Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (1992). Overcoming the odds: High-risk children from birth to adulthood. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Books Benard, B. (2004). Resiliency. What we have learned. San Francisco: WestEd. Desetta, A., & Wolin, S. (2000). The struggle to be strong. True stories by teens about overcoming tough times. Canada: Free Spirit Publishing. Fraser, M. W. (Ed.). (2004). Risk and resilience in childhood. Washington D.C,: NASW Press. Gilligan, R. (2001). Promoting resilience: A resource guide on working with children in the care system. London: British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF). Kaplan, M. (1997). On playing a poor hand well: Insights from the lives of those who have overcome childhood risks and adversities. New York: W. W. Norton. Luthar, S. S. (Ed.). (2003). Resilience and vulnerability. Adaptations in the context of childhood adversities. New York: Cambridge University Press. Norman, E. (Ed.). (2000). Resiliency enhancement. Putting the Strengths Perspective into social work practice. New York: Columbia University Press. Ridgway, P., McDiarmid, D., Davidson, L., Bayes, J., & Ratzlaff, S. (2002). Pathways to recovery: A strengths recovery self-help workbook. Lawrence, KS: School of Social Welfare, University of Kansas. Robbins, S. P., Chatterjee, P., & Canda, E. R. (1998). Contemporary human behavior theory : A critical perspective for social work. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Robbins, S. P., Chatterjee, P., & Canda, E. R. (2006). Contemporary human behavior theory : A critical perspective for social work (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Saleebey, D. (1992). The Strengths Perspective in social work practice. New York: Longman. Saleebey, D. (1997). The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (2nd ed.). New York: Longman. Saleebey, D. (2001). Human behavior and social environments: A biopsychosocial approach. New York: Columbia University Press. Saleebey, D. (2006). The strengths approach to practice. In D. Saleebey (Ed.), The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Swadener, B. B., & Lubeck, S. D. (Eds.). (1995). Children and families “at promise”: Deconstructing the discourse of risk. Albany: SUNY Press. Vaillant, G. E. (2002). Aging well: Surprising guidelines to a happier life. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. Walsh, F. (1998). Strengthening family resilience. New York: The Guilford Press. Walsh, F. (2003). Normal family processes: Growing diversity and complexity (3rd Ed.). New York: Guilford Press. Werner, E., & Smith, R. (2001). Journeys from childhood to midlife. Risk, resilience, and recovery. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (1992). Overcoming the odds: High-risk children from birth to adulthood. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Wolin, S., Desetta, A., & Hefner, K. (2000). A leader's guide to the struggle to be strong. How to foster resilience in teens. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing. Wolin, S., & S., W. (1993). The resilient self:  How survivors of troubled families rise above adversity. New York: Villard.   Book Chapters Benard, B. (2002). Turnaround people and places: Moving from risk to resilience. In D. Saleebey (Ed.), The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Benard, B. (2006). Using strengths-based practice to tap the resilience of families. In D. Saleebey (Ed.), The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Canda, E. R. (2002). The significance of spirituality for resilient response to chronic illness: A qualitative study of adults with cystic fibrosis In D. Saleebey (Ed.), The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Canda, E. R. (2006). The significance of spirituality for resilient response to chronic illness: A qualitative study of adults with cystic fibrosis In D. Saleebey (Ed.), The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Fraser, M. W., Kirby, L. D., & Smokowski, P. R. (2004). Risk and resilience in childhood. In M. W. Fraser (Ed.), Risk and resilience in childhood (pp. 13-66). Washington D.C,: NASW Press. Fraser, M. W., & Richman, J. M. (2001). Resilience: Implications for evidence-based practice. In J. M. Richman & M. W. Fraser (Eds.), The context of youth violence. Resilience, risk, and protection (pp. 187-198). Wesport, Connecticut: Praeger. O'Dougherty Wright, M., & Masten, A. (2005). Resilience processes in development. Fostering positive adaptations in the context of adversity. In S. Goldstein & R. Brooks (Eds.), Handbook of resilience in children (pp. 17 -37). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.   Other resources Anderson, K. M. (2001). Recovery: Resistance and resilience in female incest survivors. Unpublished Thesis (Ph. D.), University of Kansas, Social Welfare, 2001. Ridgway, P. A. (2004). Hope and mental health recovery: Co-constructing new paradigm knowledge. Unpublished Thesis (Ph.D.), University of Kansas, Social Welfare, 2004.   Articles Banerjee, M. M., & Pyles, L. (2004). Spirituality: A source of resilience for African American women in the era of welfare reform. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 13(2), 45-70. Deegan, P. E. (2005). The importance of personal medicine: A qualitative study of resilience in people with psychiatric disabilities. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 33(66), 29-35. Masten, A. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56(3), 227-238. Nakashima, M., & Canda, E. R. (2005). Positive dying and resiliency in later life: A qualitative study. Journal of Aging Studies 19(1), 109-125. Severson, M. E., Postmus, J. L., & Berry, M. (2005). Incarcerated women: Consequences and contributions of victimization, risk, and resiliency. International Journal of Prisoner Health, 1(2), 1-18. Werner, E. (1995). Resilience in development. Current Directions in Psychology, 4(3), 81-85. Wolin, S., & Wolin, S. J. (1996). The challenge model: The challenge model working with strengths in children of substance-abusing parents. Adolescent Substance Abuse and Dual Disorders, 5, 243-256.   Links National Resilience Resource Center. University of Minnesota (Bonnie Benard, Kathy Marshal, and Ann Masten) Project Resilience (Steve and Sybil Wolin)

   The Strengths Perspective and Solution-Focused Therapy

The Strengths Perspective and Solution-Focused Therapy

The Strengths Perspective as well as the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy developed as an alternative to the problem-solving and medical model, which placed the problem at the center of our attention. Focusing on the problem implies serious costs to the clients, since they would not be developing hope for the future or a sense of competence. It also implies a cost for the worker, who may not experience a sense contribution to the client’s growth and development.

Both approaches have similar underpinnings, “starting where the client is” (p.119), they focus on goals and solutions. There is an evident trust in what the clients express about their lives, especially about their hopes for the future. This way, “both strengths and solution-focused work intentionally create a partnership designed to explore in detail the shape of a person’s life beyond the problem.” (p. 119). However, these approaches have some differences. The main differences are related to the scope of resources tapped into and the degree of acknowledgment of the problem.

The Strengths Perspective has a clear focus on human potential, strengths, capacity, and aspirations. It has conveyed a vision and vocabulary of human qualities directed to human change. Solution-focused therapy has contributed with valuable tools, such as the development of questions directed to what is possible (instead of what has failed). In this way, both emphasize the human capacity for growth and change, they honor the resources people develop through challenges, and both recognize the crucial role of hope in the process of change.

In short, as Weick, Kreider, and Chamberlain (2006) assert:

When one considers the generative resources that exist both within and around people, the focus on strengths becomes a strategic way to keep visible the profession’s mission and practice wisdom. When this large view is supported by the practicality of solution-focused questions, it becomes possible to imagine new implications for the merger of strengths and solutions (p. 125)

Reference

Weick, A., Kreider, J. W., & Chamberlain, R. (2006). Solving problems from a Strengths Perspective. In D. Saleebey (Ed.), The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Books Barry, L. D., Hubble, M. A., & Miller, S. D. (1997). Psychotherapy with "Impossible" Cases.  The efficient treatment of therapy veterans. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Duncan, B. L., & Miller, S. D. (2000). The heroic client. Doing client-directed, outcome informed therapy. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Hubble, M. A., Duncan, B. L., & Miller, S. D. (2002). The heart and soul of change. What works in therapy. Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association. Walter, J. L., & Peller, J. E. (1992). Becoming solution-focused in brief therapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel Publishers.   Book Chapters Chapin, R., Nelson-Becker, H., & MacMillan, K. (2006). Strengths-based and solution-focused approaches to practice with older adults. In B. Berkman & S. D'Ambruoso (Eds.), Oxford handbook of social work, health, and aging. USA: Oxford Press. Kreider, J. W. (1998). Solution-focused ideas for briefer therapy with longer-term clients. In M. Hoyt (Ed.), The handbook of constructive therapies. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Weick, A., & Chamberlain, R. (2002). Putting problems in their place: Further explorations in the Strengths Perspective.  . In D. Saleebey (Ed.), The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Weick, A., Kreider, J. W., & Chamberlain, R. (2006). Solving problems from a Strengths Perspective. In D. Saleebey (Ed.), The Strengths Perspective in social work practice (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.   Articles Berg, I. K., & De Jong, P. (1996). Solution-building conversations: Co-constructing a sense of competence with clients. Families in Society, 77(6), 376. De Jong, P., & Miller, S. D. (1995). How to interview for client strengths. Social Work, 40(6), 729. Greene, G. J., Kondrat, D. C., Lee, M. Y., Clement, J., & al., e. (2006). A solution-focused approach to case management and recovery with consumers who have a severe mental disability. Families in Society, 87(3), 339. Lee, M. Y. (2003). A solution-focused approach to cross-cultural clinical social work practice: Utilizing cultural strengths. Families in Society, 84(3), 385.   Links Brief family therapy center (Insoo Kim Berg)

Quote

"By suggesting an alternative ‘at promise’ view [as opposed to the at risk paradigm], I have attempted to convey the importance of considering the possibilities in all children and the promise of partnerships with parents and community members of diverse backgrounds….By viewing parents and children as ‘at promise’ we enhance the possibilities of constructing authentic relations where we actively listen to and learn from one another.”

Beth Blue Swadener, Children and Families “at Promise”: Deconstructing the Discourse of Risk. In Children and families “at promise”. Swadener and Sally Lubeck, 1995, p.42.

   The Strengths Perspective and Positive Psychology

The Strengths Perspective and Positive Psychology

Positive psychology is the profession of psychology’s version of the Strengths Perspective in social work. It has not been around as long, however, but it is a vigorous attempt to bring some balance to the pathological and deficit orientation of clinical psychology, especially. It begins with a reconstruction of the language of psychology to a more affirmative cast and a foreswearing of the negative ideology, and categories of clinical psychology as they have historically evolved. Behind these changes is the desire to help people optimize their functioning through the mobilizing of their capacities as well as understanding their problems.

Books Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Csikszentmihalyi, I. S. (2006). A life worth living: Contributions to positive psychology. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press. Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association:  Oxford University Press. Snyder, C. R. (Ed.). (2000). Handbook of hope: Theory, measures, and applications. San Diego: Academic Press. Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (Eds.). (2002). Handbook of positive psychology. NY: Oxford University Press. Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (2007). Positive psychology : The scientific and practical explorations of human strengths. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications.   Book Chapters Coming Soon Articles  Coming Soon Links The Gallup Organization (Shane Lopez) Positive Psychology Center. University of Pennsylvania (Martin Seligman)

 

Quote

"To be heroic may require an operating fund of self-regard (no matter what your circumstances), support (tangible or moral) of others faith and hope, a viable system of meaning, and a sense of purpose beyond mere self-interest or ego validation."

 Dennis Saleebey, Workshop on practicing the Strengths Perspective, 2005.

   The Strengths Perspective and Health Realization

The Strengths Perspective and Health Realization

Health Realization is an approach to understanding and improving the human condition, individually and collectively, by encouraging the mobilization of the innate health and capacity for self-righting that all people have. Many times these have been buried under the criticism and censure of others. But it is the approach of health realization to free these capacities by appealing to, and strengthening the mind, consciousness, and thought, the three elements of how we come to understand ourselves and the world.

Books

Mills, R. (1994). Realizing mental health. New York: Sulzburger & Graham.

Book Chapters

Coming Soon

Articles

Coming Soon

Links to Health Realization

• Health Realization Institute, Inc.  (Roger Mills)

Quote

"We believe that the client accounts for most of the placebo effect. The placebo effect represents the client’s personal agency in action. Viewing techniques themselves as active placebos that initiate clients’ self-healing processes has received little attention…”

 Karen Tallmman & Arthur C. Bohart. The Client as a Common Factor: Clients as self healers in Hubble, Duncan & Miller (eds.) The Heart and Soul of Change: What works in therapy. Washington, DC: APA, p. 101.

Quote

“All humans, somewhere within, have the urge to be heroic; to transcend circumstances, to develop one’s powers, to overcome adversity, to stand up and be counted.”

Dennis Saleebey
Workshop on practicing the strengths perspective, 2005.