resources > featured discussions > featured discussion 17

Featured Discussion 17

Strengths, Assets, and Evidence: Do Positive Strategies "Work"?

Positive strategies are practices that are intended to build individual and/or family strengths, assets, or competencies; resilience; and empowerment or self-determination. Numerous lists of assets, strengths, or competencies have been proposed; however, the entries on the various lists tend to overlap to a great extent. Individual-level assets typically include psychological (e.g., positive self-regard, self-efficacy, optimism; clarity of values, purpose, and identity) and interpersonal dimensions (e.g., social competence and social connectedness), as well as the ability to become engaged in activities in a manner that provides feelings of competence, pride, and/or mastery.

Positive strategies focus on building assets. What is more, positive strategies seek to do so in a way that also harnesses the therapeutic and development-enhancing power of positive emotional states such as optimism, hope, joy, efficacy, and accomplishment. The outcomes associated with positive strategies tend to be highly valued by parents and by young people themselves. Don't we all want our children to be strong, competent, and joyful?

Yet when children are struggling with emotional and behavioral difficulties, attention is usually on problems and how to get them fixed. Presumably, the development of assets and talents and the experience of positive emotions will be enabled by, and thus await, the resolution of problems. Positive strategies may play a role in treatment, but usually that role is minor. Could mental health treatment and services be equally or even more effective if this were reversed and positive strategies played the "starring" role? Would challenges resolve more easily if positive development and positive experiences were the center of attention?

Accumulating evidence shows that children and youth in general, as well as those who experience adversity and risk, tend to exhibit more thriving behaviors, more positive outcomes, and fewer problem behaviors when they have greater numbers of assets or competencies. Extensive research also links positive outcomes for youth (e.g., better school performance, less high-risk behavior, etc.) with specific assets such as connectedness to positive adults, peers, and organizations; perceptions of self-efficacy; and development of particular skills and competencies. Children and youth who possess more assets tend to do well. But will increasing the assets and competencies of children who are struggling help them do better?

Within children's mental health, strengths-based practice is a positive approach that has exerted a good deal of influence and appeal. Yet knowledge about strengths-based practices is still rudimentary. We know little about exactly what strengths-based practice is, whether or not it "works," and if so, how. More generally, there is little evidence about the extent to which positive capacities can be developed or drawn on as part of the healing or ongoing developmental process for children and youth who are experiencing significant emotional and behavioral difficulties.

On the other hand, there is emerging evidence that supports the idea that positive strategies can have great value within children's mental health. For example, new evidence suggests that children and youth with significant impairment still possess considerable strengths that can be built on. Research with adults has shown that positive strategies can be pursued successfully even when psychiatric symptoms have not remitted. New evidence shows that the experience of positive emotions promotes thinking that is pro-social, creative, and flexible, and that leads to improved problem solving. Positive affect also appears to "short circuit" negative thought spirals and can thus help avoid the excessive rumination that can lead to or exacerbate depression. The experience of positive events and situations also appears to buffer people who do experience stress from the negative consequences of difficult situations. Being hopeful and optimistic, and being able to make meaning out of chronically stressful situation also appears to be important in managing situations of chronic stress. These and other relevant findings can be used productively to inform positive strategies for children and youth and, importantly, for the families who care for them.

Existing research evidence also tells us quite a bit about the characteristics of relationships, programs, interventions, and experiences that promote and/or support the acquisition of assets. Again, what we know less about is how successfully these same approaches will work with children with emotional and behavioral disorders. But given what we do know, it appears that the field is well poised to increase knowledge about, and use of positive strategies.

As always, we are interested in your opinions and ideas on this topic, and we encourage you to post your comments. The questions below provide some possible starting points.

Are you familiar with positive strategies?
How do you recognize strengths-based or other positive approaches?
Do you think positive strategies are effective? In what way? For whom?
Can positive strategies be the focus of treatment for children and youth who experience difficulties?
Are you familiar with research results or program evaluations that provide evidence of the usefulness (or lack of usefulness) of positive strategies?

Your thoughts…

Comments:

The issue of being strength-based is misunderstood. We do not identify and build on strengths in order to ignore problems, but we do it because it is part of the solution! When a kid is struggling, sometimes the most meaningful thing to do is to find out what he does well, and find a way for him to use that skill to help others. It goes back to the basic needs of humankind. We highly underestimate the power of being needed! Posted Friday, February 24, 2006 at 12:53 PM

We use Positive Behavior Supports in our school system along with the 40
assessts. PBS is research based. Check the U. of Oregon with Horner and
Sugai. If punishment worked, why do we keep building prisions?

Posted Thursday, October 27, 2005 by Iowa, 2005 at 06:07 AM

My experience is two-fold and, perhaps as you might expect, my belief about how this issue should be dealt with has changed over the course of time. It began when my 2 older sons not only had issues with mental health, but became involved with drugs and alcohol and later with the juvenile justice system. At that time I believed that as long as I paid the bills I had a right to know and a need and right to be in charge. What I learned through much pain and heartache is that control is only smoke and mirrors and I never really was able to be in charge anyway. I thoght if I set more limits and was more firm then my boys would learn to listen to me and do what I thought was best. There were many episodes along the way, but the one which taught me that I really didn't have control was the one in which my then 15 yo son became so intoxicated on one of his runaways that the police came to my door to tell me the hospital needed me to sign papers for my son because there had been a small problem. It turned out that the "small problem" was that he had run head first into a brick wall, passed out cold and almost died from hypothermia, was backboarded and intubated and about to be transferred to our local pediatric intensive care unit. I realized then that 1) I couldn't keep him from running away. 2) Whether he was at home or on a run away I couldn't force him to make good, safe choices. 3)All my yelling at him and asking him how he could be so stupid was not helping him to listen to what I said. 4)Maybe other people were right and I would be smarter to treat him like another adult that would do what I wanted and tell him how much I loved him, why I was so worried about him, how much I was hurt by the choices he was making, and that although I would not support his poor choices I would not disappear from his life or scream and yell at him and call him names when we disagreed.

I can tell you that son is now 24 and a very responsible adult who is about to become a husband and father and who I now talk to the way I wish had then.

My oldest son disappeared from our life before I completely learned my lesson. We have not heard from him in 5 years and have no idea where he is or if he is alive or dead. He left after one of his rages when his father and I told him that his fiancee (she was 20 years older than him and also had her own mental health issues) would never again be welcome in our home although he was welcome any time. Let me say that after 5 years I can attest to the fact that 5 years is a long time and I hope I never have to get to forever.

Finally, my youngest son is 17 and has severe learning challenges along with his mental health needs. We did things differently with him. We were able to start young and to use the new skills I learned with him. He is a very fine young man. He is not involved in drugs or alcohol. He doesn't always make perfect choices, but he knows that he can talk to us about anything and we will listen and assist him. ISN'T THAT WHAT WE REALLY WANT?

I took a parenting class called Systematic Training for Effective Parenting of Teens. Later I became a trainer which helped me even more. It is all about helping your pre-teen or teen to learn to make good decisions, to accept responsbility for whatever decisions they make and to seek and covet a positive, respectful relationship with your teen. It works. I am living proof and so are some of the families that have been in my class. I would recommend it to any parent (p.s. - it can also help with your relationship with your partner, your boss, or your friends).

At this point in my life I believe that kids have to be involved in making the decisions about their lives, their hopes, their dreams and their beliefs. My viewpoint is different then it used to be, but at least for me and mine, it is the only thing I found that works.

Posted Wednesday, April 20, 2005 by Debbie Bartlett, Director of B at 11:27 AM

Positive approaches is a strategy that I have undestood since my first undergrad course in experimental psychology over 30 years ago. Successive approximations is the only way one could teach a rat to bar press. Posted Monday, March 21, 2005 at 05:28 AM

Well, is it cheaper to deliver? Is it easier than working/finding solutions to those inconvenient problems that bog people down? Does it make providers happier and feeling more satisfied to work with strengths rather than "working through"problems? Is there a place for rigorous discussion and examination of "strength based" philosophy? What becomes of the human conditions of, say, sadness, grief, loneliness, disappointment, betrayal, feelings of abandonment, etc.? How is the human condition fully recognized and respected focusing only on strengths? Do we simply by-pass what's "broke" and go on to what ain't? Is this delightful way of looking at life the true wave of the future or simply a correction to a way of thinking which has been too long and too singularly embedded in finding and fixing?
"When everyone is thinking alike, nobody is thinking." Ben Franklin Posted Monday, November 29, 2004 by curmudgeon in the north woods at 11:02 PM

Changing the culture of the treatment setting, has been my unit's biggest challenge! Strenghts and positive strategies certainly appears to be one of the best anitidotes to improving services and care for our youth and a clarity of values for our staff. I look forward to reading more on this practice. Posted Monday, November 22, 2004 at 09:22 AM

Our collaborative system leadership team discussed enhancing our data system today to include strengths elements of each wraparound team, to identify the assets available to the children involved with wraparound teams. We plan to track specific performance elements per child. We may then be able to compare and identify influential factors that support child strengths in our communities. This is very primitive, but a significant step for this county in making the asset concepts real. Posted Monday, November 22, 2004 by Waupaca County Wisconsin at 09:21 AM

Among the comments here, I do not see any mention of Search Institutes research and information on the 40 Developmental Assets. Here in Westmoreland County, PA our agency employs a community outreach coordinator who uses the 40 Assets philosophy to help collaboratives, neighborhoods and organizations develop programs that give youth opportunities to add assets to their lives. Several highly successful programs have grown from this approach and we are seeing improvement in the lives of youth who have been in trouble. Google Search Institute for more information. Also, Nan Henderson is doing resiliency training for groups all over the country. And go to samgoldstein.com for great ideas on addressing how to look at each child from a strengths-based perspective. Posted Wednesday, November 17, 2004 by ME at ParentWISE at 11:54 AM

If so little is known about these approaches, why isn't someone trying to find out more? With so many people wanting to use strengts-based or asset/resilience-building strategies, surely there is some money somewhere for research! Posted Monday, November 8, 2004 at 08:38 AM

It's interesteing to me that the characteristics of asset-enhancing or resiliance-building youth programs are virtually the same as the characteristics of effective parenting. Both are built around an authorative style , which has clear expectations and structure coupled with loving support, safety, and good role modeling (and fun!). The authorative style is in contrast to a permissive style (little to no clear structure or expectations) on the one hand and an authoritarian style (rigid structure, little warmth) on the other. More generally, various fields are "discovering" that people respond better to positive reinforcement than to criticism, and perform better across a range of situations when they feel comfortable about themselves and their environment. Posted Friday, October 22, 2004 at 09:43 AM

I applaud your work and a emphasis on evidence based outcomes. We have lots of work ahead of us. As a social worker with a strengths based philosophy, entrenched in a system that is rigid, problem focused/funded I spend a great deal of time with my teams staying focused on strengths, capacities, human dignity and keeping my teams from isolating themselves and their families from "not like minded" resources. There is a lot of good wrap around strength based initiatives out there now (just not in NE PA)and I just fund another one here. Posted Wednesday, October 20, 2004 by Keep up the good work at 10:04 AM

It seems like it is beginning to dawn on us that positive strategies and strengths-based practice "work" for everyone. People respond better and are willing to take on the challenges of life--big or small--when they feel supported, hopeful, and confident. People--children and adults, disabled or "typical"--do better when they are offered opportunities to make meaningful choices; to take on valued roles in family, community, and society; and to use their talents and assets to find joy, build relationships, and contribute to creating better communities. Posted Wednesday, October 20, 2004 by Fan of Carl Rogers at 08:34 AM

The strengths perspective is a serious shift in how we see the world. It changes the very way we look out at the world and how we interact with that world. It is a way of thinking beyond the problem to what resiliency, potentials and capacities already exist alongside the "problem." As Dennis Saleebey states, it is remarkable how, given the resources available, people do well. Even though they have pain and hurt and scares they keep going the best way they can at the time. Importantly, the strengths perspective is not unaware that many in our society face life under the weight of systemic societal oppression and poverty. It is important to recognize that these powerful issues need also to be addressed through social action. It is not an easy move to shift from a problem, damaged model or "at risk" way of thinking about people. I had a student whose friend told him that he had just "shot-up" drugs after a few weeks of not taking drugs. The student was initially disappoited in his friend and was angry. The student then thought about what we had been learning in class about strengths. From this perspective he shifted to ask his friend how he had stayed away from drugs for those several weeks. This initiated a two hour conversation about the friend's goals and what he had been able to do to stay away from drugs. It was a very supporive and strengths recognizing conversation. The next step was to see how the friend had done it and how that might be made to happen again. This conversation assumes potentials, strengths, possibilities and is optimistic in an encouraging way. It leads the conversation toward what in the person and what in the person's life can help make things just a little better..one step at a time. My student was using a practice model that we have started to build our strengths based practice around. We have begun to incorporate solution-focused and motivational therapy practice skills into our strengths based perspective. These skills and ways of thinking help organize our strengths based collaborative work. Solution-focused, motivational and client-directed work [scott Miller, Duncan and Hubble] have given us tools to engage people in terms of strengths and resiliency. Posted Tuesday, October 19, 2004 by Bob Blundo, UNCW at 09:51 AM

I agree with the statement that "knowledge about strengths-based practices is still rudimentary." I like what has been started here-- it seems like this is calling for a better theory of strengths-based practice-- what exactly do we expect to happen from it and what are the particular things we do that lead to it. I think many people have an intuitive grasp of what strengths-based practice is-- based on the mind-set of the general idea of focusing on what works for people and empowering them. But I think a more clearly defined idea of the whole spectrum of strengths-enhancing activities would be very helpful for our field. Posted Tuesday, October 19, 2004 at 08:04 AM

I think that the SOC community generally needs to fold in "possitive asset" thinking into the larger discussion of Recovery, and Recovery Oriented Services (see the website of the American Association of Community Psychiatry). I have been working at defining a Recovery process in children in much the same terms as the author of this article. I very much appreciate the author for framing the concepts clearly.

My addition to this great discussion is that we must fold in a youth perspective to defining strengths and let go of some of the presumptions of an adult bias towards non-risk taking, better school performance, and better emotional control. It is hard to argue that such goals are not lauditory, however we must keep in mind what we hear from many youth who suffer abuse at home and who are better off "fighting back," who go to schools which do not meet their needs and may be prejudicial in their treatment of minority youth, and most of all we need to remember that it is an adolescent's role to push the envelope a bit and take some risks.

The more appropriate goal would be to seek a balance between risk taking and safety, to support better school performance balanced with support for constructive and cogent critique of our schools, and to seek balances between supporting distressed families and distressed youth who are engaged in conflict in a balanced and constructive way that enables youth and parents to hear each other and re-connect. So at times what we need to do is to identify the strengths in risk taking, speaking up about inadequate schools and youth who resist caving in to a family process that could be hurtful or styfling.

In my work with youth I find much in their troubling behavior to identify as strengths. My goal is to help them shape those strengths that may trouble adults into more constructive methods that don't backfire on the youth. Posted Tuesday, October 19, 2004 by Charley Huffine, MD, King Co. at 07:54 AM

My community has been 'using' an asset based approach for many things for a while, but it has been left mostly to wraparound to 'push' a strength based approach that actually uses people's strengths in building plans of care.
I think this focus is crucial to not only the work we do, but in being good neighbors. It gives everyone a chance to participate in caring and taking care of each other.

We still find it difficult, at times, to teach people about how to find truly 'functional' strengths, to build plans on, but the families who have been served in wraparound tell us that it gives them a sense of hope and a reminder of the parent and person they want to be when we take the time to find their strengths, and to keep talking about them.

Keep up the good work everyone!
Posted Tuesday, October 19, 2004 at 07:26 AM

The next step is in changing the culture of the treatment setting or team. In our residential program we have been striving to do that, and are slowly inching our way from focusing on the problem behaviors to reinforcing the positive behaviors. I would love to see more writing and research on how to help change the culture of a milieu and specific strategies and interventions to use with kids/families. We are re-inventing the wheel here I'm sure. Posted Tuesday, October 19, 2004 at 03:06 AM

It is good to see someone talking about the need for evidence for this type of work, and to be describing some of the evidence that already exists. Posted Friday, September 24, 2004 at 09:27 AM

I like the way this writer talks about positive strategies as a bigger concept than strengths-based, though very compatible with that. In the practice that I am familiar with, strengths based means meeting needs as defined by youth/families by using what youth and families do well as the basis for action. At the same time the goal also is always to rely on the youth/families to define the needs and to be out front in deciding what to do. I think this is very important as part of building a sense of empowerment and ability to take action to reach goals, but it has always seemed to me that there really is more to it. I really liked reading about the importance of positive emotions-- I think our work needs to recognize that more explicitly. Also what about a desire to gain assets that you don't have? That is another part that has not been emphasized in strengths based practice as I am aware of it. Posted Friday, September 24, 2004 at 09:23 AM