Introduction
Social work insinuates that a strength-based approach is a form of work practice theory that focuses on a person’s self-determination and strength. The approach enables an individual to build their strengths into a resilient and resourceful condition. Each person has their strengths, and they can be used to influence others. Change happens when people know how to handle their capacities, rights, similarities, and attitudes based on their dignity (Malka & Moshe-Grodofsky, 2021). The strength-based approach poses positivity because my ideologies can be used as an influencer of change. I have provided the right environment deemed fit for controlling change, and due to the influence, others have followed suit. The theoretical framework is highly dependent on the ideological process and emotional information linked by the processing framework. When an organization advocates for a strength-based approach, I can identify their value and assemble their capacities to enable the workforce to be goal-oriented.
The approach allows a habitable condition for everyone to see themselves as the best version of what they bring to the vicinity. Self-worth improves the workers’ self-esteem, which makes an individual capitalize on their strengths and assume negative characteristics. The strength-based theory examines both the individual and their environment (Malka & Moshe-Grodofsky, 2021). For instance, the approach scrutinizes the system set up and then equalizes power output between the social work and the people it serves. The theory identifies constraints that are prone to hold back individualistic growth. The constraints can be when a person is confused between personal issues and social issues in an organization. When the two instances cannot be balanced fairly, it creates an imbalance in the ideological ontology.
A strength-based approach is guided by goal-oriented idealism and the vitality for a person’s outlook. When guided by their own goals, they find a strength within them that can go beyond normal humanistic ventures. When motivated by goal orientations, I find more energy than other people might think I am overworking. Equally, when someone assesses their strengths and finds them incoherent, they are productive in everything they do (Zhang et al., 2017). Unlike in solution-focused therapy, where clients determine goals then strength, strength-based theory ensures that individuals determine their strengths first through strength assessment criteria.
Strength-Based Approach Principles
First, the approach is unique and enables every individual to evolve with potentiality, strengths, and capabilities. Then it moves to attention focus, whereby the client strives for reality from eventuality. In social work, everyone must be careful with words and language because it creates reality. The third principle is that everyone should accept change in their lives because the world is constantly evolving (Zhang et al., 2017). When I am stationed to work in a given place, I am always open to change because having dynamism enables me to appreciate where I am going and the places I have transferred from. The fourth principle is to support others authentically since a deeper relationship creates a meaningful environment for everyone to thrive (Zhang et al., 2017). The last principle is to be collaborative because it creates adaptability. When people synchronize their ideologies, they value differences and focus on the bigger picture of attaining the bigger goal.
Support for Strength-Based Approach
In social work, the strength-based approach values empowerment of people seeking services and advocates for a collaborative relationship instead of an authority. Many principles concur with my ideological outlook. A strength-based approach can be used to attain empowerment and resilience. When an individual has collaboration and self-determination, it brings personal and professional knowledge to find solutions. The centrality of wellbeing contributes to the understanding of ventures whenever help is needed. Whenever someone has strength, it is assumed that they are driven by the hope of seeing something going through as they deem fit. Therefore, personal strength plays a critical role in ensuring that emotional resilience prevails and promotes positive feedback.
The principles of the strength-based approach lead people to live an independent life and maximize their freedom. Many people like it when their decisions are core initiatives that play a consultative backbone of various ventures (Zhang et al., 2017). For instance, when there is an occasion, and my ideology is materialized, I feel motivated, which makes me feel strengthened to give more insights. I can overwork if it is physical work so long as my ideological contribution to the project backs the practice. Anyone feels motivated whenever their idea is implemented because they have a sense of self-worth. The strength-based theory posits that positive risks enable positive risk enablement and the capacity to identify key dimensions. The key dimension of good quality of life makes anyone at peace with themselves, hence participating in activities that boost their morale. According to Mental Health Foundation, having a good relationship influenced by a strength-based approach enables an individual to be mentally fit
When an individual lacks a strength-based approach, they risk doing nothing, while people who like advocating for services have the highest risk of losing their form of independence (Di Fabio & Svicher, 2021). People should be optimistic about retaining their independence because it is a key component of attaining mental wellbeing. However, it is hard to distinguish distinct interventions whose effectiveness is coherent to other approaches. The effectiveness of a strength-based approach can improve mental outcomes, but the rationality is not certain in interpersonal outcomes.
Critical Perspectives
The first criticism of the strength-based approach is the status of the approach used to summarize intervention models to state ideological perspectives in social practices. In response to the criticism, the approach is based on the practice model’s ideological position. There is little information about service delivery, but the strength-based approach diversifies the principles that are hard to operationalize. Secondly, the approach is thought to lack accountability to clients’ reality characterized by serious problems (Di Fabio & Svicher, 2021). Therefore, it is close to neo-liberal notions and self-responsibility. However, overly optimism of community development and social capital calls for empirical evidence and effectiveness.
Strength-based approaches are optimized to meet empirical evidence that impacts society. It raised the concerns as a panacea to solve various challenges facing social work. I can ideally posit that the approach offers more care for lesser impact. For example, when there is social work somewhere, a strength-based approach initiates the process and makes the workforce work cohesively by looking for solutions without causing commotions. Personalized care makes it less costly and influences working conditions (Di Fabio & Svicher, 2021). The cultural implications of the approaches require a shift in attitude and value. The systems also change social care by providing creativity and flexibility essential for successfully implementing any social work. The proponents of the strength-based approach focus on service designs and address the problems. The proponents make people be passive recipients in a manner that renders them active agents in improving other peoples’ lives.
Application of Strength-Based Approaches
My sister applies the strength-based theory in autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) since it is part of an embodiment that is fundamental in thinking activities. Naturalist behavior aims at decreasing repetitive behaviors and ensuring ASD patients have restricted strengths that can be synthesized into cognitive strengths (Bozic et al., 2017). My sister uses the strength to ensure that child psychiatry allows every affected individual to achieve happiness and personal accomplishments. Social integration, regardless of the modes used to achieve it, favors a strength-based approach.
Conclusion
Randomized control trials (RCTs) provide inherent evaluations that delineate defined channels in an individual’s strengths. When the strength-based approach is assessed, the evaluation enables a short-term understanding of the impacts associated with its practical value. People are strengthened with ideological conception because they direct their stronghold to either have its efficacy or uniqueness. A strength-based approach forms a modality of hope, purpose, healing, and meaning that can be implemented in various interventions. When the energy is harnessed properly, it can turn out positivity, but when channeled inappropriately, the whole venture can be chronic because it will create a metric vector. Outcomes-based accountability (OBA) appreciated the theoretical framework because it forms an open-source that defines people’s outcomes. According to developmental evaluation, social innovation relies on strengths that generate network mapping, modeling, and appreciative inquiry.
A holistic viewpoint adopts a viewpoint such as the person-centered perspective that is paramount in identifying key questions to be addressed. People respond effectively when they know the exact route to take while specifying their mode of thinking. The distinctive manner in which orientation is evaluated should meet the social care threshold and oblige statutory duties. Strength-based approaches have enabled the globe to have multi-dimensional models and harness complexity through social care expectations to claim connectivity. When people are confident, their work becomes improved in a manner that everyone can embed their ideologies. Having one accord ensures a globe is a group of people motivated to ensure their generations find a better place to exercise their potential. All these can be affected by strength-based social work.
Reference
Bozic, N., Lawthom, R., & Murray, J. (2017). Exploring the context of strengths – a new approach to strength-based assessment. Educational Psychology in Practice, 34(1), 26-40. Web.
Di Fabio, A., & Svicher, A. (2021). The Psychology of sustainability and sustainable development: advancing decent work, inclusivity, and positive strength-based primary preventive interventions for vulnerable workers. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. Web.
Malka, M., & Moshe-Grodofsky, M. (2021). Social-work students’ perspectives on their learning process following the implementation of community based participatory research in a community practice course. Social Work Education, 1-20. Web.
Zhang, A., Franklin, C., Currin-McCulloch, J., Park, S., & Kim, J. (2017). The effectiveness of strength-based, solution-focused brief therapy in medical settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 41(2), 139-151. Web.