In contrast to the dominant approach to professional practice that focuses on problem identification and treatment, Saleebey supports a paradigm shift in which professional practice concentrates on the strengths of the people social workers serve.
Central to the strengths-based approach to practice is the principle of empowerment, emphasizing the discovery and use of resources that are within the individual, group, family, or community and those resources that exist within their environments. Social workers assist clients in identifying such resources through collaborative methods that validate and assist the client in harnessing these resources toward their goals.
Soine, L. (2013, July 1). Warrior Canine Connection - Puppy Training Program Tackles PTSD and TBI. Retrieved October 13, 2015, from http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/070813p16.shtmlApplication: When entering a community as a community developer, it is important to take a strengths-based approach in order to see the assets a community possesses and what are some positive aspects of the community to build upon. As opposed to just pointing out the issues or problems within a community, the strengths-based approach provides valuable feedback for community members that often enables then to feel empowered and have the desire to build upon these strengths. The strengths based approach also takes the focus off the community organizer as the expert and places it back in the hands of the community by giving them an opportunity to showcase their assets.
Adaptation: The strengths-based theory can also be applied to the academic setting. The grading system within many classrooms is based on highlighting what students have done wrong in order to derive their grade. A quantitative grade reflects errors or mistakes made in an assignment explaining how the student did not achieve a complete 100%. However, it is in the feedback, more qualitative, whether on an assignment, at parent teacher conferences or on a report card that the teacher is able to take a more strengths-based approach.
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