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Assertive Engagement Newsletter
May 2025
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Hello everyone,
Earlier this month, Multnomah County's Employees of Color employee resource group (ERG) hosted a celebration in honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (thanks to Commissioner Julia Brim Edwards and Commissioner Vance Jones-Dixon for co-sponsoring). As part of the event, Kimberely Dixon, Commissioner, Oregon Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs and mother of Commissioner Vance Jones-Dixon, spoke about her experience as a member of the Pacific Islander community in Portland and the importance of understanding your strengths. She shared that she regularly did strengths assessments with her children and herself to better understand changing interests and capabilities. Her speech is framing how I am thinking about Strength-Based Practices this month.
As our communities and workplaces change with budget cuts and harmful federal policies, how do we use our capabilities to build a new vision that works for everyone? We know the diversity in our community is our greatest strength. Each person brings something different and specific, making us stronger together. When we can celebrate the different strengths around us and allow folks to shine in their own unique ways, we will share collective abundance together.
Warm wishes,
Helen
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"We turn not older with years, but newer every day."
- Emily Dickinson
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Assertive Engagement uses a Strengths-Based Approach when working with people, whether that's a client, colleague, supervisor, or community partner. We first look to see the strengths the person brings, not the problem we are working together to solve. This ties in with Unconditional Positive Regard in that we believe the person is worthy and capable.
We teach the six principles for Strength-Based Practice and encourage you to incorporate these systematically in your program delivery models.
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Goal orientation: It is crucial and vital for the client to set goals, as they are the experts in their own lives.
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Strengths assessment: As part of our practice we identify strengths and lead with that, not by first listing the problems. This could look like asset mapping, what is working now for the person, what has worked in the past, what resources are around them.
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Resources from the environment: Connect resources in the client’s environment that can be useful or enable them to create links to these resources. The resources could be individuals, associations, institutions, or groups. See Power Map Activity
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Different methods are used first for different situations: In solution-focused therapy, clients will determine goals first and then strengths. In strengths-based case management, individuals first determine their strengths using an assessment, and connect those strengths to goal achievement.
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The relationship is hope inducing: Hope is encouraged through finding strengths and linking to connections (with other people, communities, or culture).
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Meaningful choice: Each person is an expert on their own strengths, resources, and hopes. It is the practitioner’s duty to support the choices and goals that the client makes.
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The first step in using your strengths to meet your goals is to figure out what they are. There are many different assessments you can take to discover your strengths, ranging from determining your leadership style, to discerning your personal inner strengths.
The VIA (Values in Action) Character Strengths Survey is free to take and looks at positive personality traits, grouped into six virtues. (The survey is free, but they will try to sell you reports. We are not promoting their products for purchase.)
You can use your highest ranked strengths to achieve your goals, and also to boost your resilience when facing adversity. Which strengths do you think will be your highest ranked?
WISDOM: Creativity, Curiosity, Judgment, Love of Learning, Perspective
COURAGE: Bravery, Perseverance, Honesty, Zest
HUMANITY: Love, Kindness, Social Intelligence
JUSTICE: Teamwork, Fairness, Leadership
TEMPERANCE: Forgiveness, Humility, Prudence, Self-Regulation
TRANCENDENCE: Appreciation of Beauty, Gratitude, Hope, Humor, Spirituality
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Neuroscientist Anne-Laure Cunff writes that curiosity not only leads to life-long learning, but also helps the brain manage anxiety and build resilience in times of uncertainty. She lists ways to navigate change with curiosity and ways to develop curiosity as a cognitive skill.
- Ask "what if?" instead of "what now?"
- Take field notes
- Run tiny experiments
- Embrace not knowing
- Treat failure as data
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Disaster Resource Center Training Opportunities
Strong communities are built by helping each other. When we face hot weather or other emergencies, Multnomah County responds by opening Disaster Resource Centers (DRCs) to offer shelter, emergency assistance, human services, or other kinds of care during life-threatening situations. We depend on staff and community members to support these life-saving emergency daytime centers or overnight shelters.
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DRC Info Session
Friday, June 13
9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
This is a virtual information session for people interested in learning more about Multnomah County's Disaster Resource Centers (DRCs). No RSVP necessary.
Google Meet: meet.google.com/eks-chuv-xen
DRC General Staff Training
Friday, June 13
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
This is a virtual training and refresher for people interested in working as General Staff in Disaster Resource Centers (DRCs) during severe weather sheltering events.
Please RSVP using the interest form.
| | May Is Mental Health Awareness Month | | | |
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
In-person
June 2-3
9am-5pm both days
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Most people thinking about suicide don’t actually want to die, but they need help to stay alive. You don’t need any prior training to attend ASIST, just a willingness to make a difference. ASIST is a two-day interactive workshop that teaches you how to recognize when someone might be having thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. Participants receive a workbook and wallet card that summarizes the training as well as a list of community resources.
ASIST is a resource for the whole community. It helps people apply suicide first-aid in many settings: with family, friends, co-workers, and teammates as well as more formal counseling and caregiving roles. This training is ideal for those that work in the fields of child welfare, education, counseling, community justice, domestic violence, healthcare, senior services, other social service providers, as well as concerned community members who want to learn more.
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Finding Strength in Art
Imani McGee-Stafford is a professional basketball player, abuse survivor, mental health advocate, and poet. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Accounting from The McCombs School of Business. In college, she stumbled across her life purpose: providing a voice to the silenced. She now takes every opportunity she can to live in her truth and hopefully provide light to those going through or who have been through the same struggles.
| | | | Length 7 minutes. Content warning: Suicide, Sexual Assault | | |
This April we had the chance to get out in the community and do our first ever in-person Skills Practice and Demonstration sessions with the Portland Parks and Recreation SUN staff and Latino Network's Economic Justice staff. It was such a wonderful opportunity to hear rooms buzzing with discussion and being able to do partner activities in the spring sunshine. We are planning to offer more opportunities to certify organization staff in person later this year.
| | Explore local Juneteenth celebrations around Oregon, commemorating the end of American enslavement and honoring the contribution of members of the Black community. From the Clara Peoples Freedom Trail Parade in Portland, which honors the local community organizer and activist, to the Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo, there are many ways to honor and celebrate Freedom Day. | | | |
Question(s) of the Month
Can you name the strengths of your friends and family? What strengths are important for the people in your life to have?
Share your ideas with us at aeinfo@multco.us!
| | What would you say is your greatest strength? | |
April Poll Results
Last month we asked what resources has worked best to help you heal and here is what you told us:
Faith/Spirituality 18%
Community 16%
Medical Professional 16%
Friends 15%
Nature 14%
Online Resource 13%
Books 10%
The path to healing looks different for each one of us. Identify what works best for you and get started. If something isn't working for you, try something else or add another resource.
Thanks to everyone who completed our poll last month!
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Community of Ongoing Practice
(COOP)
Self-Care can be challenging when there are so many things competing for our attention. To be present for our communities, family and friends it's essential to take the time to nurture ourselves. Join us at the June COOP to explore ways we can show ourselves the care we need and deserve.
June Virtual COOP Session
Self-Care
June 26
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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What is a Community of Ongoing Practice?
A group of people who share a common interest and interact often to learn from each other and advance their work. It is open to all, but is most valuable to folks who have already completed the Assertive Engagement 101 training and are seeking ongoing refreshers of the curriculum, supplemental training to deepen their understanding of AE core concepts, and community building with AE practitioners.
Sign up to join our community of practice email list and get updates on future programming and events.
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AE Blended
Learning Course
| | | | Assertive Engagement certification is now available to contracted community partners via our Blended Learning Video Series | | |
Community partners are able to register for six self-paced video learning modules to watch when and where it works for you.
After successful completion of the e-learning modules, you'll enroll in a four-hour Skills Practice & Demonstration Workshop where you'll actively practice Assertive Engagement skills in community with other AE learners. Upon successful completion of the workshop and e-learning modules, you'll become AE certified!
We hope by offering training in this format we can better meet the needs of our learning community. Thank you all for your patience as we've developed and launched this training series!
For now we are offering the training to community partners who contract with Multnomah County's Department of Human Services (DCHS) and the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS). If you work with one of our contracted partners, please visit our website to register.
Upcoming Skills Practice and Demonstration Session dates:
Thursday, June 5th, 1pm-5pm
Tuesday, June 17th, 8:30am-12:30pm
(CEUs offered for this training)
We will post all new training opportunities in this newsletter.
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