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Strengths-based approaches in education, psychology, and social work center on positive and practical goals, focussing on solutions and strengths rather than problems. Strengths-based practitioners ask about what is going well for a student and family, and their unique strengths, talents, and triumphs, rather than focussing primarily on difficulties. These approaches emphasize building gratitude, savoring joy and pleasure, and connecting with others. The goal is to focus and build on strengths, rather than simmering in the problem!
The guiding principles of a strengths based approach are (Hammond, 2010):
- Everyone possesses a uniqueness that helps them evolve and move along their journey. These characteristics include strengths and capabilities.
- What receives attention or focus becomes what the student or client strives for and, eventually, a reality.
- Be careful with your words and language. Our language creates our reality.
- Accept change. Life and our world are ever evolving; don’t resist.
- Support others as authentically as you can. You will see that your relationships are deeper and more meaningful.
- The student or client is the storyteller of their own story.
- Build upon what you know and experience to dream of the future.
- Capacity building has multiple facets and organizations. Be flexible.
- Be collaborative. Be adaptive and value differences.
Strength-based approaches in education have been linked to increased engagement, perseverance, and academic achievement (Waters et al., 2018). Moreover, brief solutions-focussed therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment for a range of concerns (Neipp & Beyebach, 2024). Strengths based approaches can help to promote resiliency, self-esteem, and self-reliance.
If you are interested in how strengths-based approaches might be implemented in school, here are a few examples:
- If a student excels in art, they might be asked to illustrate concepts for a science project or design posters for a class presentation.
- Instead of saying "You need to improve in writing," a teacher could say "I really appreciate how clearly you organized your thoughts in this essay. In particular, I like how you used a very strong topic sentence in the first paragraph. Can you add another strong topic sentence to the second paragraph?"
- If a student needs counseling to work on study skills, the counselor might start by asking the family, “what skills does this student already have? When are they already successful?” instead of starting by asking about what they need to improve.
Some point out that there could be a couple of drawbacks to a purely strengths-based approach. First, challenges are real! It can be helpful to reflect on problems, especially when they are interfering with our lives. Similarly, the wellness/happiness industry can sometimes feel materialistic, and a “toxic positivity” approach can feel dismissive or invalidating of genuine challenges or negative emotions. Despite these potential drawbacks, taking a strength-based approach does not mean we must fall into these traps. Accepting challenges and focusing on authentic solutions and strengths can lead to deeper and more fulfilling use of these strategies.
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