Toward Building a Culture of Strengths in U.S. MSW Programs

Linda Plitt Donaldson,Barbara P Early,Min-Ling Wang

doi:10.18060/230

Abstract

Social work has embraced the strengths perspective as a vital part of micro, mezzo, and macro practice. Yet the authors’ experience suggests that the medical model of deficits, disease, and disorder remains the dominant paradigm. This exploratory study sought to determine how and to what extent strengths-based practice is integrated into the MSW practice curriculum. Forty-four (44) of 181 programs responded to a 12-item web-based survey. Quantitative and qualitative responses indicate an almost universal awareness of and attention to integrating strengths-based content. However, a smaller number of programs appear to be looking beyond curriculum content towards the creation of a broader culture of strengths. Even so, challenges remain toward overcoming a pathological orientation in social work practice curricula.

Highlights

Since the publication of Saleebey’s first edition of The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice (1992), the social work profession has embraced the strengths perspective as a vital part of the foundation of practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels
This paper reports the findings of a preliminary study of Master of Social Work (MSW) programs in the United States
Is a discussion of how programs create a culture of strengths, including the language used to connote strengths and the characteristics that reflected an integration of strengths into their programs, i.e., the artifacts (Schein, 2004) of a strengths-based culture

Summary

Introduction

Since the publication of Saleebey’s first edition of The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice (1992), the social work profession has embraced the strengths perspective as a vital part of the foundation of practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Less than half of our field agencies report using a “theory base” that includes a focus on strengths and empowerment. For those that do, they typically identify strengthsbased methods as one in a long list of models they use that could be applied from a strengths-perspective or not. While agency policy and individual social workers use the language of strengths, there is a parallel and competing focus on pathology and problems. Everything you do as a social worker will be predicated, in some way, on helping to discover and embellish, explore and exploit clients’ strengths and resources in the service of assisting them to achieve their goals, Linda Plitt Donaldson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor, Barbara P. Ph.D., is an associate professor and Min-Ling Wang is a doctoral candidate, all in the National Catholic School of Social Service at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC

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Conclusion