A Strengths Based Model of Practice

Dennis Saleebey (2006) talks about how  the strength based approach is more of a perspective when working with clients, as opposed to being specific model of working with clients. A perspective he argues, is a position we take when looking or trying to understand any experienced phenomena. In the latest edition of his book, he identifies 5 main principles that guide the standpoint of the strengths perspective: 

1. Every individual, group, family, and community has strengths
2. Difficult and traumatic experiences can cause injury and pain, but they may create new opportunities and challenges
3. Work from the assumption that we can never know the full capacity of the ability to grow and change, and take the aspirations of individuals, groups and communities seriously
4. We should collaborate with clients towards helping them achieve their goals 
5. Every environment has resources that can be tapped upon
6. Understand the context of behaviours and situations to draw strengths; and caring takes precedence over technique when working with people. 

Interestingly, in various conversations, I hear people asking me about how the strengths perspective could be directly translated into a model of practice. A common discussion is how perspectives are still too high in the sky a conception, and we need specific information in how to practice it clinically. 

A brief review of the literature suggests that there are various models that we can use in clinical practice. The one by Bonnie Benard (2002) is one I usually adhere to. She identifies the following steps: 

1. Listen to our client's stories
2. Acknowledge their experiences and their pain
3. Look for strengths in the stories they share
4. Ask questions about survival, support, positive times, interests, dreams, goals and pride
5. Point out and validate the strengths
6. Link strengths to client's goal and dreams
7. Find opportunities for client to be a teacher/paraprofessional (i.e. share their stories to other clients who experienced similar difficulties)

 

Kim Anderson (2006) adds on to this framework utilising the 2 components of assessment first suggested by social work pioneer Mary Richmond (1917):

Component 1: Define the problematic situation

This is where we seek to understand the reasons why the client has sought our assistance, and her desired outcome from the helping relationship.

Component 2: Strength based assessment

For this component, Anderson proposed a framework that looks at both strengths and obstacles within the environment, as well as that experienced by the helpseeker. This is divided into 4 main assessment components.

1. Obstacles within the environment

The social worker would look at common statistics for clients who face a certain issue (for example family violence) and how social structures may perpetuate the experience of oppression, and inequality. 

2. Obstacles experienced by the helpseeker

In this component, we look at how the oppression described earlier affects and traumatises individuals, and how clients may be rendered powerless. We also look at individual ways of coping that may perceived to be self destructing, and also attempt to understand the unique issues faced by the help seeker that would make it difficult to overcome the difficulties faced. 

3.Strengths in the environment

in this component we look at the available resources that can be tapped upon to facilitate our clients' ability to overcome the difficulties faced, within their immediate environment and also in available formal resources. We share these strengths with our clients to support the synergistic interaction with their own individual strengths

4. Personal strengths

In this component, we look at clients' attempts to resist the oppression experienced. We identify stories in component 2, which may initially be seen as obstacles, but can in fact be strengths, as they represent an act of defiance against the oppression. A person's fear of strangers after being previously assaulted by a family friend, may be seen as a way to resist the oppression previously experienced. 

At this level, the social worker can  assess strengths in cognition, emotion, motivation, and coping.