Lecture Eight Identifying Strengths and Assessing Resource Capabilities

1. Lecture Eight Identifying Strengths and Assessing Resource Capabilities

2. Identifying Strengths Forming partnership based on trust, respect, empowerment� Incorporating strength perspectives, future orientation, focus on solutions in articulation Motivate the client to plan and act Assessment of resources capabilities

3. Functions of identifying strengths Acknowledge strengths to build partnership Recognize strengths as a general intervention Identify strengths as a motivational tool

4. Balance between strengths & challenges Clients need to unload their difficulties before opening their eyes to more positive views When clients have exhausted their stories about their problems and begin to repeat information, workers move on.

5. Example: Mei Fong Mei Fong, a woman in her mid-20s, lives with her family and was involved in a sheltered workshop doing various kinds of �jobs�. She is a warm woman who loves little children. Staff of the sheltered workshop began bringing her to the local day nursery where the director was willing to see if Mei Fong could help out. At the beginning, the staff went with her each time; now Mei Fong goes by herself twice a week. She is called �Miss Mei Fong� by the children and staff. As any day care worker knows, little children need a lot of hugs (which sometimes the worker may be too busy or harassed to give). Miss Mei Fong is the one the children one the children go to for comfort and affection; she is never too busy for a hug. The children understand that Miss Mei Fong is different in some ways from the other teachers � she is the one adult the children sometimes have to help. But the children enjoy being able to help adults. Being around the children and being partly responsible for them has helped Mei Fong become more personally assertive and independent.

6. Applications of Strengths perspective in communities Asset-based community development residents, associational, institutional base Internally focused primacy of local definition, investment, creativity, hope and control. Relationship driven

7. Solution oriented dialogues Solutions attempted Observations, examples Exceptions Hopes/Future/Miracle

8. Solutions attempted So what have you been doing to try to solve this? What works, even for a little while? So you want everybody on both ides of this blended family to talk openly about how they think things should be organized. I�ve noticed that everyone has done that her today. Could we talk about how that happened so that we might help it continue?

9. Exceptions Are there ever times when things just seem to be going better for no apparent reason (exceptions) Do you remember a time when this problem didn�t exist? Tell me what was going on then.

10. Hopes/Future/Miracle What is the first thing you will notice when things are getting better? Does that ever happen now? So, when you wake up tomorrow morning, what will be different that will tell that a miracle has happened and the problem which brought here is solved?

11. From problem to solutions Examples 1 I am a construction worker. I have very little work to do recently and cannot support my family. I am old (55) and contractor will prefer younger workers. I have kids and wife to take care of. I am useless now. Strength and future orientation Want to have employment Need to have secure financial resources

12. Example 2 I have failed the HKCEE. Most of my friends promote to F.6 and I have to repeat F.5. I am very depressed and feel that I am useless. I tried to work harder but there is little progress. I hurt my parents. Strength and future orientation Want to have a better result in public examination Want to have a good relationship with her parents

13. Assessing Resource capabilities Purpose: clarify the unique capacities, skills, motivations, and potentialities; clarify the characteristics of the impinging environment that influence his or her coping and adaptive patterns; and clarify what needs to be changed in the person and/or the environment

14. Assessment tools ROPES (Graybeal, C., 2001) Modified Social Assessment Tools Community and Neighborhood Assessment Social network maps

15. ROPES

16. Modified Social Assessment Tools Traditional Assessment Modified Assessment

17. Community and Neighborhood Assessment Neighborhood Needs Map (problem orientation) Community Assets Map

18. Assessment of Social Supportive Network Social support : different ways in which people render assistance to one another: emotional encouragement, advice, information, guidance, tangible aid, or concrete assistance. Social network structure and quantity of a set of interconnected relationships. Social support network a set of relationships that provide nurturance and reinforcement for coping with life on a daily basis

19. Social Network Map Social Network Grid

20. Goals Goals are broad, general statements of what clients want to accomplish. The express the desired outcomes, ideal conditions, or long-term aims of the helping relationship.

21. Examples of goals: To become independent, to be more mature To develop a sound financial condition To be successful and outstanding To develop sense of belonging among the residents To raise consciousness among the members

22. Objectives: Explicit statements of concrete changes desired by clients in their behaviors or situations. They are readily observable and measurable and are the smaller, incremental achievements required to reach goals.

23. Examples of objectives: To leave family and leave alone next year To pay up all the debts in 3 years� time To get a 2A upon graduation To increase the number of community newspaper subscribers to 500.