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Introduction
The strength-based perspective is rooted in the idea that individuals have strengths and resources that can be used to assist them in their recovery process (Climie & Mastoras, 2015). The idea behind this approach stems from notion that human beings are resilient and capable of self-determination. According to Maslow’s (1943) theory of human motivation and the hierarchy of needs model that he proposed, individuals can attain a quality of self-actualization so long as they have their lower level needs met first—such as food, shelter, security, love, friendship and esteem. Each of these lower level needs provides a support for the person as he or she climbs up the ladder of development towards self-determination. This paper will examine the issue of heroin addiction and show how a social worker can apply the strength-based perspective to help the heroin addict deal with and overcome the addiction.
The Strength-Based Perspective
Part of the way that a social worker can help a heroin addict deal with the addiction is to focus on the resources available to the addict and find ways that these can serve as supports. The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT, 1998) showed that the strength-based approach has been used in helping drug addicts in the past for a variety of reasons—“not only for its focus on resource acquisition but also because it helps clients see their own assets as a valuable part of recovery.”...
The aim of the perspective was to help social workers assist people suffering from mental illness move from institutional care to autonomous living (CSAT, 1998). The perspective rests on two principles: “(1) providing clients support for asserting direct control over their search for resources, such as housing and employment, and (2) examining clients' own strengths and assets as the vehicle for resource acquisition” (CSAT, 1998). These two principles can be applied by the social worker when assisting the heroin addict.
Heroin Addiction
Heroin addiction is a particularly strong addiction that can be very difficult for users to break. The goal for a social worker is to turn the challenge of breaking the addiction into an opportunity for the individual to grow in a new direction. Just as a company will conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis before making a decision about its future, the social worker can help the addict conduct a SWOT analysis of his or her own life.
Addiction is a major weakness, and heroin addiction is one of the worst. Overcoming this addiction depends on more than simply cutting out usage of the…
References
CSAT. (1998). Center for Substance Abuse Treatment; Comprehensive Case Management for Substance Abuse Treatment. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 27: Chapter 1 - Substance Abuse and Case Management: An Introduction. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64867/
Climie, E. A., & Mastoras, S. M. (2015). ADHD in schools: Adopting a strengths-based perspective. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 56(3), 295.
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370.
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