Strengths Perspective Of Social Work

Strengths-based case management (SBCM) is based on six principles that are the governing laws, values, or tenets on which the methods are based (Rapp & Goscha, 2006). These principles are the transition between the theory that seeks to explain people succeeding in life and the specific methods for assisting people toward that end (Rapp & Goscha, 2006) which is to, identify, secure and sustain resources that are both external (i.e., social relations, opportunities, resources) and internal (i.e., aspirations, competencies, confidence) rather than a focus on just external resources (active ingredient). The principles go as followed:

Saleebey, D. (1996). The strengths perspective in social work practice: Extensions and cautions. Social work, 41(3),

Shanell Bathersfield conducted a self-assessment. She initially determined that the systems theory was one that she was not comfortable with. Through the last few course weeks, she was able to gain an in-depth perspective on several theories that are impactful in the social work field. The coursework and utilizing Juana and Adelina as case studies, truly gave an exclusive insight on how theories are used to understand the client’s circumstances and improve their well-being.

This is clearly a different approach from the other approaches that doctors and nurses take because it looks at the outside factors that can be affecting the person and not just looking at the person themselves. Social workers believe that by looking at a person’s environment, it can help with preparing or fixing issues that may come up. This is especially true in healthcare settings where looking at the kind of environment a person is living in can help social workers help make the patient’s life more comfortable (Borst, 2010). The strengths perspective focuses on the positive and essentially the strengths that a patient has to better help empower them (Borst, 2010). Social workers use the strengths perspective to do just that and actively look for patient strengths to better help empower the person. The healthcare setting itself is typically seen as a very negative thing. Many patients may feel like they are “broken”, and for many they may be currently at their lowest and don’t see the strengths they have (Borst, 2010). By doing this, social workers not only can help patients through a difficult time of health, but they do so by taking care of the social and emotional needs of the person while doctors and nurses focus on the biological (Borst, 2010). The strengths perspective also links back to the idea that social workers are a guide for people trying to navigate the

College of social Work . (2013). The Professional Capabilities Framework . Available: http://www.tcsw.org.uk/home/. Last accessed 1/12/13.

Social work exists to provide effective social services to individuals, families, groups, communities and society so that social functioning may be enhanced and the quality of life improved. (Zastrow, 2013) Assessing my strengths and weaknesses as a social worker helps me see what I must maintain, and what I must improve on to become the kind of social worker that educates and inspires. The skills I identify with in my practice are; empathy, identifying strengths, and respect. These skill sets are vitally important to ensure clients receive the best possible outcome.

One must wonder how a person with Steve’s shocking childhood could grow into a man who is successful, not only in his career but in his personal life as well. Resilience theory is a possible explanation as to why Steve survived, despite the odds that were stacked against him. Resilience theory is a strength based approach which provides a framework that focuses on positive outcomes and not just the negative ones. The idea is that it promotes what works best while de-emphasizing psychopathology. Resilience theory defines resilience and possesses several key terms, which include protective/risk factors. Research on resilience has been valuable in directing attention toward youth who succeed in spite of high levels of stress and economic instability, as it identifies factors that can serve as protective functions which foster competence.

Strength is that part of your intellect or nervous system that is more effective and productive than other parts. Throughout your experience of life, your actions or reactions drive different thoughts, behavior and emotion in your brain. The requests that are processed more efficiently and rapidly are known as your strengths. Nowadays, strengths-based approaches to work and life are gaining a lot of popularity and often they are used to improve leadership and create more productive and efficient work teams.

The other theory that I selected was the strengths perspective theory. The strengths perspective and strengths-based approaches offer service providers ways of working that focus on strengths, abilities and potential rather than problems, deficits and pathologies (Stuart and →, 2017). The strength perspective teaches us that we should recognize the human capacity and self determination to work hard to achieve their goals. In this perspective the social worker helps the client find their own abilities to deal with their current situations.

Another theory in line with my practice is strengths perspective. I feel that it is

284). Then the patient with the help of the therapist explores a broad range of areas of competence that correlates with and may serve as a foundation to the desired quality (resilience). Seven areas of competence to explore for resilience might be: (1) good health, (2) basic trust, (3) the ability to recruit help, (4) cognitive competence, (5) emotional competence, (6) the ability to contribute to others, (7) holding faith having “a moral sense of connection to others” (Padesky & Mooney, 2012, p. 285). The understanding that people can work through obstacles when highly committed or when they experience enjoyment from an activity is the basic implication for strength-based therapy. Therefore, it is best to search for hidden strengths within common day experiences. The strengths discovered in untroubled areas are likely adaptive and not associated with maladaptive behavior.

One of the most important skill to have as a social worker is to identify your client’s strengths. All social workers should have knowledge of an effective leader that are identified by their strengths or limitations in order to improve the one’s they identify. There are several evidence-based assessments that help identify the strengths and limitations of any individual. Thus, it is also necessary to obtain other perspective based on your leadership strengths or limitations in order to improve or strengthen those qualities. The self-assessments used through this paper will help me develop a plan that points out my challenges, help expand and improve on my strengths (Human Services Guide, 2015).

Utilizing strengths based perspective with clients enables social workers to focus on the client and family strengths and abilities instead of focusing on the client and family’s problems, bad behaviors and pathologies. The strengths based perspective applies six principles that guide the social worker professional in assisting client’s with the strengths based model; we all have areas of strength, but sometimes it takes an unbiased third party to notice and help others clearly see what they are capable of achieving, even in the midst of their crisis.

This has provided me with an added insight into what interventions may be beneficial when working with clients. My aptitude for ¨thinking outside the box¨ has facilitated effective problem solving in situations that had no single or clear-cut solution. I hope to enhance this attribute during my time in field placement by refining my critical thinking skills and increasing my knowledge of community resources, so that I can gain a strengthened awareness of how to best advocate for and support clients. My ability to integrate personal goals, values, culture and socioeconomic background into treatment planning and in the treatment process has allowed me to develop realistic and attainable goals that are relevant to each individual. This strength stems from the steadfast belief that cultural relevance is essential to provide effective services. My social work experience has refined my organization and planning skills and I have fine-tuned my ability to manage a chaotic schedule. When I have encountered challenges in the field, I have overcome them by seeking supervision and consulting with more experienced colleagues. I also dedicate extra time to learning about cultures, concepts, and practices that I may have a difficult time understanding or am not familiar with. A final strength I believe will be an asset when working as a professional social worker is my dedication to the social work mission and

Social work is very diverse, there is not one sole solution, or strength metaphor which can cover all fields. However, there are assessments which can be applied to certain situations, given the practitioners beliefs. “Accessing Clients Strengths: Clinical Assessment for Client Empowerment” is an article written by Charles D. Cowger, and is based on a mainstream contextual understanding that the primary goal of social work is to assist individuals with their relationship to others, and to institutions in a way to promote social and economic justice with regards to the importance of a client strengths perspective for assessment, which, proposes 12 practice guidelines to foster a strengths perspective(Cowger, 1994, p.262).Theory of strengths assessment focuses on two aspects of empowerment, personal empowerment and social empowerment. Personal empowerment dynamic recognizes the uniqueness of each client and their ability to take charge and control of their lives and their own betterment process. The social empowerment dynamic states that personal empowerment is related to opportunity and that individuals behaviors are derived from society. Through social empowerment, the individual plays a key role in shaping their surrounding and vise versa by having various opportunities and access to certain resources.