Transatlantic Practice Exchange Day Five: Strengths Based Training

For the next two weeks I’m in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as part of the Transatlantic Practice Exchange, find me on twitter @ruthfranciszka and follow #homelesslearning



Dwelling on consumer’s pasts and hardships promotes “an image of themselves as helpless in the past which becomes the basis for fault-finding and continued helplessness in the future” (Wolin and Wolin 1993)

When I started on the exchange I wanted to learn how to take the idea of Strengths Based Case Management beyond an ethos and set of values and translate it into practice that makes a real difference and truly values the autonomy, self-determination and assets of the people we work alongside.

There could be no more fitting placement to learn this than Community Rebuilders. For them being strengths based is a way of life. I was lucky enough to attend some Strength’s Based refresher training with their longest serving staff.

I was struck by the fact that even the way the training was organised was strength’s based. Having recognised that there had been a lot of growth and an influx of new staff into the organisation, the directors saw an opportunity to utilise the strengths of established team members; to bring them together to congratulate them on their service to the organisation and empower them to positively influence and lead new team members.

We split into groups and discussed the principles of Strength’s Based Case Management; Rachel and I focussed on:

“Trauma, abuse, illness and struggle may be injurious, but they may also be sources of challenge and opportunity”

 …we discussed the actions that promote it:

“When consumers are struggling to meet life’s challenges you are able to point out competencies, resilient and resourcefulness”

…we discussed the ‘detours’ that workers can find themselves taking that stop work with a client from being strengths based:

“I see ineffective and unhealthy behaviours and use these to determine needs”

…and most importantly the practical tools that make it possible, his made me realise that many of the practical tools we need are already at hand: training we’ve received, rapport building, solution focussed techniques, like asking the customer what would be useful for them to get out of the session, action planning, goals setting, and the strengths of the people around us.

The training was a forum for open discussion, a chance for staff to honestly discuss the practicalities and difficulties of remaining strengths based, Challenge and discussion was actively encouraged, but it’s evident that the team work hard to ensure their commitment to the model never wavers.

As Executive Director, Vera Beech told me this week:

“Being strengths based is something you have to practice every day”.

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*Me and some of the Community Rebuilders Team having just completed our strengths based refresher training