The theory that will be discussed and reviewed is the Strengths Perspective, however, prior to describing the strengths perspective, social workers must first understand the term strength in order to implement the theory successfully. According to Greene and Lee (2002, p. 182) a strength involves, “The capacity to cope with difficulties, to maintain functioning in the face of stress, to bounce back in the face of significant trauma, to use external challenges as a stimulus for growth, and to use social supports as a source of resilience”. Saleebey (2006, pp. 82-84) explains that a strength has the potential to stimulate solutions and growth, and can involve any environmental or personal attribute, which can be within the community where the …show more content…
Building capacity and building potential with access to the appropriate resources, it has a lot of resonance with empowerment as it is a way of reaching the empowerment stage with clients (Wendt, 2015). It also challenges social workers need to ‘help’ or ‘rescue’ as it focuses on the strengths and resilience of clients and is not about coming in and rescuing people, or helping people. It is about reinforcing something different, or growing the alternative stories, which makes it a very active theory (Wendt, 2015). Strengths theory recognizes the power of optimism in people’s lives, the belief in optimism and the power optimism can have in motivating people to change or do things differently (Wendt, 2015). Strengths theory can also be used with other theories, it can serve as a foundation for social workers and can assist in engaging other theories with it, so it does not necessarily have to stand alone (Wendt, …show more content…
As it is geared towards respecting the dignity and worth of every human being, regardless of their current situation, focusing on problems, limitations or diagnoses diminishes a person to a problem-saturated label, which is antithetical to the values of social work. Secondly, the diagnostically driven system which places the social worker in a position of power over the client; social workers determine what is wrong with the client and then determine how best to fix the client’s problems. Strengths-based practice was developed to bring the profession of social work back to its foundation of valuing and collaborating with the client. The strengths perspective continues to be explored and researched today, specifically through the work of the Strengths Institute at the University of
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.
College of social Work . (2013). The Professional Capabilities Framework . Available: http://www.tcsw.org.uk/home/. Last accessed 1/12/13.
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 NASW (2008) states that primary mission of the social work profession incorporates, empowering people who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in poverty. East & Roll (2015) indicates the empowerment theory is efficient in
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.
In the generalist social work practice, a social worker is a change agent due to the expansive and complex umbrella of social and human services and roles. A change agent works to promote positive changes for the well-being of an individual, family, group, organization or community. In order to fulfill the tasks of a social worker, one should be trained and equipped with a wide variety of skills: such as setting appropriate boundaries, possessing and utilizing self-awareness and the ability to counsel or advocate for clients. In addition to many skills, the generalist social work practice includes a surplus of methods to either prevent or intervene when necessary. A method often utilized by social workers is the person-in-environment conceptualization. The person-in-environment perspective considers factors, such as familial or economic, beyond the individual to better understand the client’s behaviors or situation. Another method is the strengths perspective. The strength-based perspective focuses on the client’s or client system’s positive qualities to build upon those capabilities. And the recognition of strengths helps to achieve goals in a more client-led approach. Generalist practitioners are professionals with a wide range of knowledge and a repertoire of diverse skills in order to enhance the social functioning of all within society.
Saleebey, D. (1996). The strengths perspective in social work practice: Extensions and cautions. Social work, 41(3),
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
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.
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.
Empowerment and a strengths perspective which support the development of innate abilities and recognize differences in a positive manner are also helping social workers increase the individual client’s capacity to learn to use his or her own systems constructively
The strength based approach is a groundbreaking concept that has changed the paradigm of problem solving within Social Work. Instead of focusing on the trials, problems and adversity that face a consumer. We acknowledge the difficulty, we do not underestimate it or belittle it, yet we try and change the focus of the situation and outlook of the individual to focus on their skills, achievements, qualities, gifts and strengths.
Another theory in line with my practice is strengths perspective. I feel that it is
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).