Blog 4: Strengths-Based Counseling

The discussion of the benefits of strengths-based counseling strategies in Galassi, Griffin, and Akos (2008) made a lot of sense to me, as it is almost always more inspiring for clients to focus on capitalizing on their strengths, rather than ruminating about their weaknesses and problems. By using this model in schools, counselors are reaching a large percentage of students through a variety of academic, social, and career programming, rather than trying to provide triage to a small percentage of low-functioning students when it already may be too late to have an impact. The foundation of this theory reminds me of a number of the tenets of the solution-focused counseling model we use in all of our theory courses, which focuses on identifying exceptions and solutions to problems instead of focusing on the problem itself. Some aspects of this strength-based model, such as the importance of context-based development, are also reminiscent of a number of the concepts we’re currently covering in my Multicultural Counseling course, which is a class that has opened my eyes to the importance of viewing issues through a cultural lens. All students like to feel as if they matter and are significant, and an important part of recognizing this is to acknowledge the various racial/ethnic identities of the student population and choose strategies and programs based on these unique needs and backgrounds . This model also emphasizes interventions that are supported by strong evidence, which has been a major focus of most of our discussions in this class thus far. We have elaborated on our future roles as researchers and collectors of data, which will help us identify the specific needs of our students and choose the programs that will most effectively address these needs. We also need to be informed consumers of products, as some national models may be also effective in our schools if we ensure that these programs are replicated with fidelity and consistency. The strengths-based counseling model is just one example of an evidence-based practice that has resulted in students gains over time. Although these descriptions all sound great in theory, I wondered how they might actually translate in practice, and I appreciated that specific examples were provided later in the article. For instance, some recommendations for a strength-based approach to IEP meetings included “observing what students can do and describing the context when a student succeeds in order to provide a holistic picture of the student” (Galassi, Griffin, and Akos, 2008, p. 180). Parents and teachers can then try to replicate these circumstances in other situations to increase opportunities for student success. Galassi, J., Griffin, D., and Akos, P. (2008). Strengths-Based school counseling and the ASCA National Model. Professional School Counseling, 12(2), 176-181.