title: Strength-based assessment in clinical practice.
abstract: Strength-based assessment can enhance clinical clarity, improve the range of information, and provide a more complete picture of clients and their circumstances. Deficit-oriented assessment has improved the assessment and treatment of a number of disorders but, at the same time, has created a negative bias, considered strengths as clinical peripheries or by-products, tended to reduce clients to diagnostic categories, and created a power differential, which could be counterproductive to clinical efficacy. Strength-based assessment explores weaknesses as well as strengths to effectively deal with problems. We present a number of strength-based strategies for use in clinical practice. These strategies, we hope, will help clinicians to operationalize how strengths and weaknesses reverberate and contribute to a client's psychological status, which is comprehensive and guards against negative bias.
authors.affiliation: Psychological Services, Toronto District School Board, South-West, 1 Civic Centre Court, Toronto, Ontario. tayyab.rashid@tdsb.on.ca
authors.forename: Tayyab
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rashid
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Ostermann
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011586:Psychology, Clinical / Q000379:methods*; D011599:Psychopathology / Q000379:methods; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012649:Self Concept