Strengths Perspective
What’s The Big Deal?
Introduction
 Thank You
Introduction
Challenge for
SWP in SG
A
Applicability
Limitations
B
Introduction
 Does it always help?
 Is it practical?
 Is it not fake if I just cannot see the positives and
strengths in the situation?
 What if someone has no strengths at all?
 Do I have to be a optimist?
 What if my agency context challenges the SP?
Introduction
Challenge for
SWP in SG
A
Applicability
Limitations
B
Introduction
 Communities
 Principles In Practice
Saleebey’s Principles
 Every Individual, Group, Family and Community Has Strengths
 Trauma and Abuse, Illness and Struggle May Be Injurious, but
They May also Be Sources of Challenge and Opportunity
 Assume That You Do Not Know the Upper Limits of the Capacity
to Grow and Change and Take Individual, Group, and
Community Aspirations Seriously
 We Best Serve Clients by Collaborating with Them
 Every Environment is Full of Resources
 Caring, Caretaking and Context
Communities
 SP in Management & Agency Culture
 SP in Supervision
 SP with Clients
Introduction
Using the Principles reflect on the following
How have you seen or experienced the SP
operationalized in your practice/context?
If not yet operationalized, how do you see it being done.
Your ideas, suggestions, thoughts, dreams…
Flourishing of Strengths
Strengths Perspective Theory
Philosophical Inventory
 Do you believe that positive change is possible with the
most “difficult” and “challenging” people?
 What do you do to promote change?
 How do you work with others with the belief that they
cannot change?
 If you do not believe that the people with whom you
work can change, what keeps you in the field?
Why the struggle?
 Consequences to challenging current paradigm
 Exigencies of getting work done
 Sense of Powerlessness (Learned Helplessness)
What is it?
The Strengths Perspective offers a set of guiding
principles that shape the lens for viewing human
behaviour in a very different way. The fundamental
premise is that individuals will do better in the long run
when they are helped to identify, recognize and use the
strengths and resources in themselves and their
environment.
What is it?
The Strengths Model “allows us to see possibilities rather
than problems, options rather than constraints,
wellness rather than sickness. And after being seen,
achievement can occur”.
(pg 34, Rapp & Goscha, 2006)
Conditions for Change
 Feeling safe and confident
 A sense of ownership and responsibility
 Validation of people’s feelings and experience
 Recognition of and emphasis on people’s strengths
and capabilities
 A sense of hope
 Sufficient motivation
 Openness to other truths, meanings and possibilities
What are strengths?
Almost anything can be considered a strength under
certain circumstances
Dennis Saleebey, 2006.
What are strengths?
 What people have learned about themselves and others
 Personal qualities, traits and virtues
 What people know about the world around them
 Talents people have
 Cultural and personal stories and lore
 Pride
 The Community
 Spirituality
STheory
What is it?
The Strengths Perspective is about HOPE
Strengths Perspective
Practice
Tool 1 Strength Cards
Tool 2 5 Column Approach
Tool 3 Ecomaps with Strengths
Tool 4 Own Attitude
Tool 5 Life’s Impossible Challenges
Strengths Perspective
Practice Reflections
SP in Professional & Agency Setting
What Prevents?
What Promotes?
Introduction
malgudi@me.com
Challenge for
SWP in SG
A
Applicability
B
Limitations
Contribute to
the literature of
SP