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How could you apply a strengths perspective to your social work practice
Personal strengths and weaknesses assessment
Personal strengths and weaknesses assessment
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Working From a Strengths Perspective The field of Human Services is undeniably broad. Case in point, consider the range of occupations among helping professionals. Psychologists, social workers, case managers, substance abuse counselors, nurses, community outreach workers, and parole officers are just a few of the professional titles that fall under the umbrella of Human Services. Of course, no matter the title, all human service workers share the same goal, helping clients overcome adversity and improve the quality of their lives. In order to attain this goal and meet the needs of clients, helping professionals rely on proven theoretical perspectives to guide their practice. These theories are important not just because they offer an explanation …show more content…
With the strengths perspective, the helping professional’s focus does not lie in assessing what is going wrong in one’s life, but rather what is going right. In doing this, helping professionals can step away from the negativity that is associated with the traditional problem-focused approach to helping, such as client blaming (Mirick, 2016). The strengths perspective challenges the helplessness and hopelessness that clients express without labeling, demoralizing, alienating or stigmatizing them (Laursen, 2003). Thus, a strengths-based approach uses the client’s skills, knowledge, experiences and resources to their benefit, empowering them in the process. The strengths perspective allows helping professionals to view clients as resilient instead of flawed. This by no means equates to the problem or the incurred adversity being ignored. A strengths-based approach simply does not spend time trying to understand the problem and instead focuses on finding a solution. This is accomplished by “identifying, embellishing, exploring, exploiting, and maximising individual and system coping mechanisms, demonstrated successes, and natural and informal support systems” (Sabalauskas, Ortolani, & McCall, 2014, p. …show more content…
As one’s strengths are integral to developing solutions, the first step is to actually identify the client’s strengths, resources, and capabilities. This is done through “strength-seeking conversations, observations of strengths, and formal assessment of strengths” (Laursen, 2003, p. 14-16). The helping professional should utilize open-ended probing questions, so that conversations can develop as opposed to just “yes” or “no” answers (Laursen, 2003). When working with children and youth, this involves asking about things such as school or interests (Laursen, 2003). Just observing a client’s behavior can also aid in the identification of one’s positive qualities (Laursen, 2003). Of course, there are also formal assessment tools that helping professionals can utilize. For instance, a strengths questionnaire can solicit information, the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS) can assess and evaluate strengths, and eco mapping can identify resources, such as relationships “that foster resilience and positive coping” (Laursen, 2003, p.
The person-in-environment approach views a client’s problems by how they react to the environmental contexts within their environment and how they occur. According to Gordon and Richmond, it has been stated that the person-in-environment approach is the “cornerstone” of social work practice. (as cited in Rogers, 2016, p.24). A clients’ systems are the interrelated aspects of a clients’ lives where all parts come together to function. Social workers utilize and focus on a clients’ systems when applying the person-in-environment. A clients’ system is anything that they interact with and hold roles in their lives. These systems can be on a micro level which is the individual and their biology, personality, and genetics. The individuals’ mezzo level would include their immediate environment, family, school, friends, or work. A macro level would include the larger social aspects of a clients’ life such as government policies, discrimination, oppression, or social class. Social workers incorporate these interactions and how they impact clients’ and their presenting problems. This theory and approach are beneficial as it allows a social worker to find out what resources are available to the client during their time with the worker (Rodgers,
This method is grounded in the strengths perspective, a perspective in which the worker center’s their sessions around the clients’ abilities, gifts, and strengths (Shulman, 2016). Instead of focusing on what is wrong with the client, the worker highlights what is right with the client building on their strengths instead of emphasizing their deficits: the client already has what they need to get better or solve their problem (Corcoran, 2008). The role of the worker in this model is to help the client recognize their potential, recognize what resources they already have, and discuss what is going well for the client and what they have been able to accomplish already (Shulman, 2016). Techniques commonly used in this model, although they are not exclusive to this model, include an emphasis on pre- and between-session change, exception questions, the miracle question, scaling questions, and coping questions (Shulman, 2016). These questions are used for many reasons: for example, the miracle question is used because “sometimes asking clients to envision a brighter future may help them be clearer on what they want or to see a path to problem-solving.” (Corcoran, 2008, p. 434) while coping questions are used to allow the client to see what they are already accomplishing, rather than what they are transgressing (Corcoran, 2008). All
Identifying and understanding your own personal strengths is key to being a successful leader. Knowing your strengths means you can focus your efforts to maximize results, in yourself and in others. Strengths Finder 2.0 is designed to uncover your strengths and utilize these strengths to your advantage (Rath, 2007). Identifying and applying these strengths to your leadership style, will enhance your effectiveness as a transformational leader.
The challenges that the social worker identified and the impact the abuse could have on Brandon include the trauma and abuse, illness and struggle may be injurious, but they may also be sources of challenge and opportunity. Every environment is full of resources. Resources can provide great strengths. One of social workers’ major roles is to link clients with the resources they need to empower them to improve their lives (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman,
Human Service professionals are responsible for many tasks over a course of one’s position as a professional. One part of what is required of a Human Service worker would be the understanding of the individual, family and community that they are serving, respecting the diversity that would be amount us, and being able to make professional judgments whenever one is needed to.
Introduction to human services has given me a glimpse of what the human services professions do, the task are not always easy. They are committed to helping clients become empowered, by helping them to grow to becoming whole, and functional.
A human service profession can be defined as a holistic and wellness approach that attempts to understand the individuals within the context of their career, love, and relationships, and group interaction from the counseling profession. According to Woodside &McClam(2015, p. 5), human service is derived from six perspectives such as the themes and purpose of human service, the interdisciplinary nature of human service, the helping relationship, management principles, professional and professional activities. These all six aspects are unique needs of individuals, families and communities. In human service work, social workers need to specialized body of knowledge and skill for each practice setting, each special population group, and each psychosocial issue. According to Clubok (As cited in Ed Neukrug, 2000, p. 33) human service knowledge base is derived as much from psychology, guidance, and counseling, nursing. Field learning can be organized along fields of practice. The field concerns with a range of disabilities including speech and languages
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.
Human services professionals are those who facilitate and empower those in society who require assistance in meeting their basic human needs both emotionally, mentally, and physically. Human services professionals work with diverse cultures in many different settings to provide prevention, education, and resources for individuals, families, groups and communities. Some of the populations served are, children and families, adolescents, and the homeless. To support groups in crisis human services professionals must be committed, patient, possess listening skills, and have an ability to be empathetic without reducing one’s ability to be empowered (Martin, 2011).
The generalist model in the social work profession was drawn from a social system’s theory in the late 1960 's due to the complexities of problems and challenges faced by human beings. It was needed to assist social workers in assessing and interviewing clients. Rather than make the client fit the model, the generalist model seeks to find the approach that best fits the client, as well as emphasizing respect for client self-determination and the use of client strengths with empowerment as an expected client system outcome. A generalist practice model is used in all areas of social work field in ethical and effective helping based on the eco-systems perspective using problem-solving strategies and practice skills requiring a strengths perspective
Define the term “the whole person” and explain why this is important in human services and explain the components of “the whole person”. When a client comes in for help, they come in as individuals that have a multifaceted perspective that includes psychological, biological, cultural, social, financial, educational, vocational, and spiritual components (Woodside & McClam, 2015). All these components encompass life experiences that they have been through with family, friends, their health, school, work, their legal status, residency, their safety and security, their finances, their well-being, and their accomplishments (Woodside & McClam, 2015). The perspective is integrated with the individual which forms the whole person (Woodside & McClam, 2015). The term the whole person is important in human services because when a client comes in they are not coming in with just a single problem and as human service professionals we have to look at the issue and address it as a whole instead of a single issue (Woodside & McClam, 2015).
This class, Social Work Theory & Practice was made to be able to introduce me to social work theories, ideas, and skills needed to work in the social work profession. This class main tool used was a book called A Brief Introduction of Social Work Theory by David Howe which discusses social work theories in a compressive and explainable way. This class is important to my higher learning because it break down the theories that I will need to use during my practice and a...
In this part of the assignment, I will be reviewing the strengths and weaknesses that were shown when I was using counselling skills on my client. I believe that there were more strengths when I was showing counselling skills compared to the weaknesses that there were.
Promoting positive psychology, positive leadership, and master resilience training, SGMs can create healthy work environments, positive culture in organizations, and foster camaraderie that will enhance organizational readiness. Positive Psychology as define by the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, “Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. Personal Character Strengths are “The Backbone of Positive Psychology”. Finally, SGMs through empowering Master Resilience Trainers and Resilience Training Assistants can spread positive psychology by training, practicing, and refining personnel psychological strengths.
Weick, A., Rapp, C., Sullivan, W., & Kisthardt, W. (1989). A Strengths Perspective for Social Work Practice. Social Work, 34(4), 350-354.