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Introduction Historically, when it comes to assessment, direct
service providers have largely been trained to identify deficits and pathologies for
specialized services. Problem focused assessment often leads to a laundry list of the
things that are considered to be "wrong" or dysfunctional with children and
their families. Unfortunately, practitioners can become stuck in their view of the child
and family because they have too much information about the problem and not enough
information about strengths and solutions. According to Berg (1994), once we feel
overwhelmed by the difficulties a child and his or her family presents, we tend to
rationalize the failure of our professional efforts by describing children and their
families as "unmotivated," "resistive," "lacking insight,"
and/or "not ready" for change. More importantly, when we become too discouraged,
we run the risk of communicating this to the child and his or her family.
In response to the limitations associated with a problem or deficit-oriented approach
to assessment, practitioners in social work, mental health, family services and education
have expressed a heightened interest in strength-based assessment (e.g., Dunst, Trivette,
& Deal, 1994; Nelson & Pearson, 1991). Strength-based assessment has been defined
as, "the measurement of those emotional and behavioral skills, competencies, and
characteristics that create a sense of personal accomplishment; contribute to satisfying
relationships with family members, peers, and adults; enhance one’s ability to deal
with adversity and stress; and promote one’s personal, social, and academic
development" (Epstein & Sharma, 1998, p. 3). As such, strength-based assessment
offers a strategy for empowering children and their families by building on the personal
strengths and resources that are frequently overlooked or given minimal attention in more
problem oriented approaches to assessment.
A strength-based assessment approach provides several advantages for practitioners and
those individuals they serve. First, focusing on strengths allows practitioners to involve
children and their families in service planning in a positive way by underscoring what is
going well in a child’s life. Second, strength-based assessment provides a method for
documenting a child’s strengths and competencies and offers a way for establishing
positive expectations for the child. Third, through strength-based assessment family
members are empowered to take responsibility for the decisions that will effect their
child’s life (Johnson & Friedman, 1991; Saleebey, 1992).
Strength-based assessment is founded on four important assumptions.
- Every child, regardless of his or her personal and family situation, has
strengths that are unique to the individual.
- Children are influenced and motivated by the way significant people in
their lives respond to them.
- Rather than viewing a child who does not demonstrate a strength as
deficient, it is assumed the child has not had the opportunities that are essential to
learning, developing, and mastering the skill.
- When treatment and service planning are based on strengths rather than
deficits and pathologies, children and families are more likely to become involved in the
therapeutic process and to use their strengths and resources.
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