The Strengths Approach

-a strength-based resource for sharing power and creating change

By Bernadette Glass, trainer and consultant in strengths-based practice

Relief and gratitude have replaced the anticipation and barracking over the many years that 'Wayne's book' has been in the making. And yet there are no surprises in Wayne McCashen's book, The Strengths Approach. It's not the latest text heralding the latest research to support the latest in therapeutic effectiveness. In his foreword David Epston has described The Strengths Approach as 'modest but remarkable'. This could not be higher praise. Most of our clients live modest but remarkable lives.

 

Having been part of the development of the strengths approach at St Luke's Anglicare (Bendigo, Australia) and having offered training in this approach with Wayne and now solo, this book is like a talisman. It is a significant reference book for anyone studying or working in human services. Dozens of people have, like Oliver Twist, asked for more at the end of training workshops because they too are hungry for what is essential nourishment for the human services practitioner. And what is that? A deep respect for human beings and a socially-just work ethic based on values and beliefs necessary for empowerment and self-determination. It's about liberation and valuing commonalities as human beings and a framework in which to apply these values.

 

The Strengths Approach will inspire confidence in those new to the human services, be a reminder to those who have strayed and be a gift to anyone who is interested in a philosophy for living that grows an environment of hope-and in which change is possible. It shows how to work with others in a way that honors an individual's uniqueness and respects their right to self-determination. It is a workbook for practice, supervision, and community development. It provides a structure for any solution-finding exercise using socially-just and client-driven practice.

 

Wayne's generosity in creating examples, tables and diagrams in the book provides an inbuilt tutor. It is an invaluable resource for every team or workgroup for learning and reflection.

 

Wayne shows us just how to 'get into the corners' of our practice in human services work. He takes us beyond current 'models' of practice to illuminate the broader constraints to change, which can involve the misuse of our privileged and power-laden roles in assisting those with less power and influence. This is reinforced powerfully in the discussion about parallel practice. He has thrown down a challenge to managers and organisations to 'walk the talk' of social justice.

 

Thank you, Wayne, for what you have given to us and to hundreds of clients and workers over a lifetime. Your book will help keep the values of respect and partnership alive. It is an immeasurable gift.

 

The Strengths Approach: sharing power and creating change

'Have you got a book that describes St Luke's approach to strengths-based practice?' This is a question we regularly receive here at Innovative Resources. We have already published two books that attempt to articulate the strengths approach as it applies to community building-they are Building Community: the Shared Action Experience by Linda Beilharz and Communities of Hope by Wayne McCashen.

 

But until now no brave soul has attempted to write a book that clearly and comprehensively articulates the principles, processes, skills and tools of the strengths approach in general. Innovative Resources is delighted to let you know that Wayne McCashen's new book called The Strengths Approach does just that. With the blessings of the fickle publishing gods, this book will be available by the end of November this year.

 

Those of you who are familiar with Wayne's previous book or with his training and consultancy services will recognise his passion, clarity and experience in this new book. You will also recognise the enormous practice wisdom of many others (both within and outside St Luke's) in developing what is now referred to as 'strengths-based practice' or 'the strengths approach'.

 

This approach to working with others challenges many assumptions and conventions in human service practice. It also challenges ways in which people often go about problem-solving in society.

 

Probably the most fundamental challenge to these things comes from the cornerstone principle of the strengths approach: the sharing of power, or 'power-with'. Power-with is about fairness, and fairness is facilitated by respect. Respect requires a high regard for people's intrinsic worth, the right to self-determination and the right to participation and inclusion. It requires a belief in people's potential; honouring and valuing their strengths and seeking to learn from them. Being respectful means believing in people's rights-the right to safety and the right to resources.

 

Respect also involves a high regard for uniqueness and diversity. Respect for uniqueness is crucial in understanding experience. Solutions to problems need to be tailored to people's specific circumstances and aspirations. While respect for uniqueness is essential so too is respect for the commonalities between people. Our common experiences enable us to connect, support and learn from each other.

 

The strengths approach recognises that it is not possible to change or empower anyone; workers are not, and don't need to be, experts on other people; they can't know the answers or solutions to people's problems; they cannot compensate for deficits-perceived or real-and be respectful of people's potential at the same time. But they can believe in people and stand by them. They can become facilitators of change. They can use frameworks and tools that help create conditions for change; conditions that enable strengths-based, self-determining plans and actions to mobilise and complement people's strengths and resources.

Over the years St Luke's training unit has provided training and consultancy services in strengths-based practice to thousands of workers and hundreds of organisations throughout Australia and New Zealand. This book gathers together the material that is explored in these trainings. It describes the ideas, values, beliefs, and frameworks that help to create respectful and just ways of working with people. It is full of anecdotes and examples of strengths-based practice in action.

 

A must for anyone who is working with others to facilitate hope and change.

 

A Socially-Just Approach

Over the years St Luke's has provided training and consultancy services in strengths-based practice to thousands of human service workers and hundreds of organisations. In The Strengths Approach principal trainer and author, Wayne McCashen, gathers together the material that is explored in these trainings. He clearly and comprehensively describes the ideas, values, beliefs, and frameworks that help create respectful and socially-just ways of working with people. This book is full of invaluable practice wisdom gathered over many years and anecdotes and examples of strengths-based practice in action.

The book explores:

• Principles, skills, tools and frameworks
• Power-with and power-over
• Labelling
• Strengths and exceptions
• Pictures of the future
• The column approach
• Client-owned recording
• Supervision
• Community building
• Organisational culture
• ...and much more.

The following is a short extract from the opening chapter:

When asked the question, 'What sort of society do you want?' most people describe qualities such as social harmony, peace, justice, respect, sharing, mutual support and purpose. When thinking about this, people often imagine a society different to the one they observe and experience. The impetus to do this comes from experiencing and observing what happens when these qualities are not present.

However, the capacity to imagine what 'could be' is made richly possible by our lived experience-people's personal experience and observation of what happens when respect, collaboration, inclusion, justice and support are present. In other words, people have aspirations that people are made possible more by their positive experiences than their negative ones. These experiences are lived every day in communities, groups, neighbourhoods, families, workplaces, schools, clubs, other organisations or institutions, as well as in random encounters, lateral ties and informal links.

The connection between people's strengths represented through real stories of lived experience and their aspirations for something better, is the key to every successful action for change. It is crucial to hope and an essential characteristic of the strengths approach.

A must for social workers, educators, governments, community groups, organisations, businesses, families, teams and anyone interested in socially-just ways of sharing power and creating change.