Moving Beyond Lip Service: The Clinical Reasoning Behind Practicing Strengths

Social work has a long tradition of advocating for practice from the strengths perspective. However, it is unclear whether schools are truly preparing students for strengths based practice or whether they are simply teaching them to use the vocabulary of strengths without the clinical reasoning skills to switch paradigms from deficits to strengths, moving beyond lip service to real strengths-based practice. To explore this issue, data from an exercise in an MSW course was explored using qualitative methodology. The findings support that in addition to using a strengths vocabulary, other components are necessary for true implementation of a strengths approach. First, the data revealed a strengths-oriented structural model of an ideal process of clinical reasoning for approaching a client situation. Second, the process includes recognizing client strengths, reflecting on them with the client, and encouraging repetition and reinforcement of the client’s positive attitudes and actions. Finally, true strengths based understanding requires moving from social worker in the role of expert to social worker engaged in collaborative empowerment practice. These findings have implications for social work practice and education