Strength-based practice (social work)
Strength-based practice in social work is an approach that emphasizes the strengths and resources of individuals and families rather than focusing solely on their problems. This method marks a significant shift from traditional practices that often highlighted deficits, leading to one-size-fits-all solutions that could perpetuate feelings of inadequacy in those seeking assistance. Originating from concepts in psychology, particularly the work of Donald O. Clifton, strength-based practices aim to help individuals recognize their capabilities and resilience, fostering a sense of empowerment and promoting healing.
This approach engages affected individuals in the problem-solving process, encouraging them to identify their strengths and potential solutions. For example, instead of merely providing food assistance to low-income families, strength-based practice might focus on increasing access to healthy foods in the home and educating families about nutrition and budgeting. By using inclusive language and recognizing the multifaceted nature of social issues, strength-based practices seek to avoid stigma and enhance participation.
Despite being a relatively new framework, strength-based practices show promise across various social welfare scenarios, including work with children, families, and individuals facing mental health or substance abuse challenges. Overall, this method is believed to lead to more sustainable outcomes by fostering collaboration and recognizing the inherent dignity and capabilities of those being supported.
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Strength-based practice (social work)
Strength-based practice is a concept used in social work and some other fields that focuses on helping people by emphasizing their strengths. For some time, addressing the situations of individuals and families who needed the assistance of social workers and public welfare systems focused solely on the problems they were facing. The solutions were often based on the problems associated with the individual or the family. Strength-based practice looks at the individuals and the families or other units they are a part of and identifies the strengths and resources they have. Incorporating this individualized approach and emphasizing strengths instead of shortcomings has been found to encourage better participation by those affected and improves overall results.
Background
The strength-based practice concept has its origins in a similar principle used in psychology. American psychologist Donald O. Clifton became known as the father of strengths psychology after he developed the concept of learning what was positive about people and using that to help them overcome what they felt was lacking. For instance, if a person was the victim of childhood abuse, the psychologist would help the person investigate how he or she coped with the abuse. They might discuss the steps the person took to avoid the abuser or how the person managed to continue to function despite the abuse. Clifton believed emphasizing these elements—the good and positive things the person did despite the challenge—helped the abused person see themselves as strong and capable instead of as a victim, and this facilitated healing.
Overview
Clifton’s concepts were adapted for use in social work in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Other fields adapted the concept, especially those who attempt to improve the health and well-being of people in various ways. In addition to being used in social welfare situations, strength-based principles are also often used by medical practitioners attempting to help people modify behavior to improve health outcomes. For instance, a nutritionist might suggest using a person’s love of pizza as a strength by suggesting the addition of vegetables as toppings as a means of improving the person’s overall nutrition.
Strength-based practice was a departure from the methods social workers and others used in the past. Previously, social workers in particular focused on negative aspects of an individual or the things that were missing in a family situation. They might focus on a person’s substance abuse problem or the absence of a father in the family, for example, without looking at any other aspects of the situation. This led to one-size-fits-all approaches to helping people resolve their problems.
It also assumed that the people or families were defective in some way. As a result, the solutions that were provided could cause the person or family embarrassment by calling attention to their situation. For example, a child whose family could not afford to provide lunch during the school year would be given a free lunch ticket that was a different color from those given to other children who paid for their lunch, making the child receiving the benefit stand out. The assumption was that the family was lacking in resources and providing resources would help, but no consideration was given to the way the solution was implemented. Practices like this had the effect of reducing desire to comply with requirements of receiving help or even avoiding seeking help at all.
Strength-based practices give more consideration to the people being helped as individuals. They also focus on the abilities and potential of those being helped, using the thing they are lacking or the problem they are facing as a jumping off point only. These practices also involve the person or group in determining the best solution. For example, in attempting to help low-income children get a healthy lunch, an alternative solution might be to increase access to healthy foods at home so the parents could send lunch to school with their child. Strength-based practices also utilize inclusive language that does not label people or limit the conversation to the problems that are being addressed.
These practices also recognize that many social problems are not one dimensional. For example, in the case of lunches for low-income children, lack of finances may not be the only challenge. Insufficient information about how to budget and the nutritional value of different foods could be factors, or it could be that families live in a food desert with limited or no access to grocery stores that sell healthy foods. In these cases, offering education about budgeting and nutrition or providing better access to grocery stores might be a better solution.
The use of strength-based practices helps to identify these alternatives because the person or persons affected are involved in the solution. They are seen as people who lack resources to solve a problem, not simply as people who have a problem. Experts say that including people in the resolution of their own problems improves their engagement in the solution and increases the likelihood of a lasting positive outcome.
Although the use of strength-based practices is relatively new and still under study, it is believed that they can be applied in a variety of social welfare situations. The practices are used with children, family units, and elderly persons. The principles are also utilized with people who have mental health and substance abuse issues. In all of these cases, indications are that strength-based practices can improve the situations of individuals and strengthen the relationships among family units.
Bibliography
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