Strengths Perspective and Persons Facing Special Challenges

Richard C. Rapp, PhD Graduate of Universiteit Gent Doctorate of Social Work and Social Welfare Studies

Objectives Learn key principles, essential elements and practices activities that go along with Strengths Perspective, and Strengths-Based Case Management

Questions to Consider How do we determine someone’s strengths? How do we utilize someone’s strengths? How does the focus on strengths impact professionals and organizations? Why is it important to emphasize an individual’s strengths in determining Quality of Life? What is the relationship between Strengths Perspective and other models considered today?

Strengths Perspective An approach to supporting individuals and designing supportive environments that is based on interventions that help individuals: (1) identify their strengths, assets, skills, and abilities and (2) use those qualities to identify and accomplish goals.

The Strengths Perspective Broad principals – Non-negotiable Essential elements – Non-negotiable Specific practice activities - Adaptable

The Strengths Perspective is based on: Reasons to adapt specific practice activities: Specific individuals Context in which SP is implemented Implementing agency Availability of resources Others Purpose of intervention, best served by brief or long-term implementation

Principles/Essential Elements: Strengths Focus exclusively on helping individual identify their strengths, assets, skills and abilities Introduce the concept of strengths and explain how the focus on strengths can be helpful in supporting change and achieving personal goals Continually encourage and promote the value of recognizing past & present strengths; discourage discussions of pathology Assist the individual with identifying strengths embedded in their stories Encourages expansion of strengths, beyond mere mention of a strength

Principles/Essential Elements: Individual Driven Allow/encourage individual to identify the goals that are important to them and then assist them in implementing the goals Emphasize the importance of individuals making informed choices Do not attempt to direct or convince the individual to take-on any goal Help individual link their strengths with the goals they identify Be aware of, but don’t be limited by, inherent limitations

Principles/Essential Elements: Engagement Establish trusting and mutually respectful relationship Demonstrate empathy and interest in individual’s situation Treat individual as a person rather than a client Help individual to stay on task, rather than return to past Respond to the needs of the individual

Principles/Essential Elements: Assertive Outreach Use of Informal Resources

Selected Practice Activities: Adaptable Establish & maintain structure Strengths discussion Work on individual identified goals Teach an easy to understand structure for setting goals (goals, objectives & strategies) Help individual weigh pros and cons of objectives and strategies Record strengths, identified goals in words of the individual Use techniques such as reflective listening, affirmations, and summarizing

Literature Review Conducted in 2015 778 Number of published articles, reports, manuals that discussed “strengths perspective”, “strengths-based interventions” Several themes and sub-themes presented themselves 34 (73.9%) Case management was the most frequently mentioned strengths-based intervention 136 (17.5%) Publications that contained research in areas pertinent to strengths perspective; only 46 of those related to effectiveness

Table 1. Number of sources by themes and subthemes  Themes/sub-themes n (%) Research 136 (17.5)   Outcome 46 (39.3) Non-outcome 71 (60.7) Qualitative 19 (2.4) Conceptual 95 (12.2) Professionals 83 (10.7) Population Specific 464 (59.6) Adolescents/Youth 118 (25.4) 4 Families 68 (14.7) 1 Other groups/settings 58 (12.5) 7 Older adults 48 (10.3) Mental health 48 (10.3) 12 International 34 (7.3) Substance abuse 25 (5.4) 18 Violence 21 (4.5) 1 Minority 18 (3.9) LGBT 14 (3.0) Women 7 (1.5) HIV/AIDS 5 (1.1) 3 Total 778 (100.0) Note: Highlighted numbers are number of outcome studies for each population