Strength Perspective and Goal Setting

Question 1

Strength Based Perspective in Human Service:

Answer 1

“The strengths perspective focuses on the capacities and potentialities of service users. It concentrates on enabling individuals and communities to articulate, and work towards, their hopes for the future, rather than seeking to remedy the problems of the past or even the present” (Healy, 2005, pg152)

Question 2

Potential strength and individual may have (5):

Answer 2

• Reasoning and appraisal skills.
• Defence and coping mechanisms.
• Temperamental and dispositional factors (their character/emotion).
• Interpersonal skills and supports.
• External factors (e.g. social institutions).

Question 3

Assumptions of the strengths based perspective (4):

Answer 3

• People are resourceful and engage in problem-solving within daily life.
• People show resilience over weakness in the face of adversity.
• Service users have the ability to determine what works best for them.
• Service providers often ignore the strengths of service users, focusing more on problems presenting.

Question 4

Service practices in the strength-based approach (6):

Answer 4

1. Engagement (empathetic listening and connection building).
2. Clarification of the problem (collaborative understanding)
3. Assessment (questioning to clarify the issue )
4. Intervention (future focus/resource identification/task setting).
5. Goal setting.
6. Role of the worker (advocate for community connections; increasing resource networks; empower; “do oneself out of the job”.

Question 5

Which models does the strength-based approach appear in? (3)

Answer 5

• Psychosocial casework model.
• Task-centred casework model.
• Narrative/postmodern casework model.

Question 6

What is assessment used for?

Answer 6

Assessment is normally conducted for better clarity of the issues presented through effective questioning.

Includes regular questioning (externalise the issue);
strength and exception questions (e.g. have there been times where the problem has not affected you/what was different then?);
and identifying obstacles and resistances to the resolution to the problem (e.g. what do you think prevents the problem from being resolved?).

Question 7

Methods within intervention strategies (6):

i.e. f

Answer 7

• Use a future focus (e.g. help them imagine a future without the problem.
• Use a change focus (perceptions of the problem and its power over the person).
• Identify resources.
• Identify capacities.
• Develop achievable strength-based goals.
• Collaboration/future review/evaluation.

Question 8

Appropriate goal setting should ensure (2):

Answer 8

• Goals are owned and in control of the client (not imposed by worker).
• Framed in positive terms.

Question 9

S.M.A.R.T Goals:

Answer 9

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

Short term goes should be attainable and contribute to long term goals. Should include personal and communal resources/supports.