In Search of Positive Practice

Chris Raven and Steve Morgan have started this site out of a mutual concern about the difficulty many practitioners are experiencing in trying to work ethically, positively and effectively in a truly service user focused way. The predominant culture that undermines this effort is that of risk avoidance, performance monitoring and service-led structures focused more on attaining targets… the quantity rather than quality conundrum. Such a climate is driven more by the fear of things going wrong than it is by the pursuit of the possibility for things to go right. This will be extremely frustrating for practitioners, but we would also like to open up the discussion for service users to contribute their thoughts and ideas about ‘what is and what should be’.

Professor Charlie Rapp and colleagues at the University of Kansas offered a beacon of light to anyone finding themselves ground down by the negativity and demoralisation that can creep into areas of mental health work, particularly where progress and change are not easily seen. They established the ‘Personal Strengths Model of Case Management’ in the early 1980’s in order to re-balance attention from a preoccupation with pathology and disability to one of potential and ability. Indeed it was Professor Charlie Rapp and Walter Kisthardt who introduced the model to a group of practitioners in the UK in 1991. From then a few people have continued to promote its way of thinking and working as ‘A Strengths Approach’.

As an ‘approach’ it recognises the fundamental influence of personal values and guiding principles on everything we do. It should be a way of thinking and being, not a set of tasks that there isn’t time for because of everything else demanded of you. It offers the possibility for service users to say and achieve the things that are important to them. It is also a way for practitioners to feel energised by a more rewarding way of working.

We invite you, whoever you are and wherever you are, to contribute your thoughts, ideas, experiences and questions relating to working in a strengths way. We don’t pretend to have all the answers but do hope this can become a place for sharing and developing positive practice.

To start, we would like to hear about your experiences or concerns regarding Strengths focused practice, and invite you to leave comments in responce to the following questions:

1. What role does strengths play in your own approach to your work?
2. What difficulties do you encounter in trying to practice the concept of a 'strengths approach' in your work?
3. What place do you think 'strengths' has in the current fashion for calling everything 'recovery'?

Please see 'The Rules' above before submitting comments.