Kisthardt, W (2006). The Opportunities and Challenges of Strengths-Based, Person-Centered Practice: Purpose, Principles and Applications in a Climate of System’s Integration. In Saleebey, D. (Ed.), The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice. Fourth Ed. (pp. 171-196). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
In order to work effectively with clients, and help them achieve the goals they desire, the social worker must understand the strengths the client can access and the obstacles they may encounter, both internally and externally. The focus of this assessment should be on the strengths, interests, abilities, capacities, and knowledge of the character in the movie that you’ve been assigned. You’ll need to examine this character’s internal strengths and challenges, his/her relationships with significant others, his/ her memberships in groups/communities that may offer access to resources, and challenges to goal attainment.
I. Character Identification
Describe the character you choose as your focus. Include race, ethnicity, age, religion, sex, marital status, living situation, educational level, internal strengths (coping mechanisms, skills, experience, ability to connect to others, resilience, determination, flexibility, commitment, loyalty, etc.).
II. Significant Relationships
Describe 2-3 significant relationships this character has to other characters in the film, both in terms of role
(e.g., mother, father, sister, friend) and in terms of the resources and/or challenges that this character offers to your focus character.
III. Community Analysis
Describe the two most significant groups/communities that your focus character belongs to and/or aspires to belong to in the film. Where appropriate, include the family as a community. What resources/supports does each of these communities offer the focus character? What barriers does each present to the focus character, in terms of fulfilling his or her goals and/or accessing resources? What supportive policies/resources do these communities have in place and what additional policies/resources do you think could be added to better serve their members?
IV. Life Domains in Person-Centered Strengths-Based Assessment
Using the Person-Centered Strengths-Based Assessment provided by Kisthardt in the Saleebey text (pp. 186-190), identify and discuss the strengths, resources and barriers of your focus character in three out of the six life domains.
You can use the questions in the reading to guide you. Identify goals/aspirations that your focus character has expressed relative to each domain, what resources they have successfully used in the past, and what resources you see available to help the character reach his/her goal in the present. Use the Person-Centered Strengths-Based Assessment form to complete this section of the assignment.