1. The principles of strength based practice include the recognition of the strengths that exist in every individual, group, family, and community. It involves reframing the commonly adopted practice of noticing deficits within those entities and altering the way we conceptualize challenges, recognizing that however difficult they appear they also present opportunities for change. The individuals’ viewpoints and aspirations need to be accounted for and respected. They greatly benefit from collaborative relationships as well. The environment is connected to the individuals, and within the environment there are many resources and systems of support; including individuals, families, and groups (Long, Tice, & Morrison, 2006). Through the application …show more content…
In the strengths based approach the social work practitioner helps the consumer help themselves, working collectively in a partnership where the client is the expert in their lives. As opposed to the problem solving approach, in which the social work practitioner has more of an authoritative role where they educate the consumer on the various approaches to problem solving and creating change, as opposed to the strengths perspective which involves working collectively, discovering creative options together, with consumer taking the lead and the social work practitioner remain flexible, allowing for innovation to take place as the needs of the consumers change. The strengths approach, differs from the problem centered approach which focuses on deficiencies, and instead focuses on harnessing the strengths of the consumer and community as well as viewing problems as opportunities for growth. The dialogs that take place between the consumer from a problem centered approach address the problems, whereas from a strengths based perspective focus on the many strengths of the consumer. The problem solving approach follows a more formalized method for treating clients, where the strengths approach focuses on mobilizing internal and external resources to enhance