Strengths - and appreciation
The strengths model is one of the most used - and most useful - in services for people most at risk of stigma, exclusion, and marginalisation.
The UK Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) defines it as : '(focussing) on individuals’ strengths (including personal strengths and social and community networks) and not on their deficits. Strengths-based practice is holistic and multidisciplinary and works with the individual to promote their wellbeing. It is outcomes led and not services led. [1]'
The SCIE site (HERE) has many links to resources which describe how SBAs work in a variety of interventions and settings and provides information on how to enable and implement SBAs.
Strengths - and appreciation?
Why then do we here pair the strengths model with Appreciative Inquiry [2]? It is to make the point that both are in fact strengths models. One focusses on the service user, and the other on the service.
Appreciative Inquiry has been used to very good effect in precisely the kind of service where the - far better known - strengths model is used; and we have some examples in the Library
Both in fact are examples of positive psychology; and on the positive psychology website (HERE) you will find yet more examples and other resources.
[1] https://www.scie.org.uk/strengths-based-approaches
[2] Appreciative Inquiry is the only 'AI' we have much trust in......
Further background reading/listening/viewing
SCIE website : HERE
Positive psychology website : HERE
Where is reflective practice in the PIEs 2.0 framework : HERE
Library items
Where did it all go right? : HERE
Organisational Development, Appreciative Inquiry and the development of Psychologically Informed Environments (PIEs) : HERE
“Back on your feet: building resilience with hostel residents” (film): HERE
Appreciative Inquiry and CBT at King George's hostel : HERE
Banking on Time : HERE
The Big Issue as a PIE : HERE
Building recovery communities (peer support for recovery from addiction): HERE
Participatory Appraisal (exclusion-informed research): HERE