Meet Nicky: homeless, alcoholic, mentally ill.
Nicky joined the art group last year.
She told me that most of her childhood had been spent in the offices of mental health workers, who were trying to “fix” her.
When asked “What’s wrong with you?” Nicky could answer with a lengthy list.
Nicky was used to this familiar approach that her workers would use:
Identify the problem 1) Analyze the causes 2) Decide on goals to fix these causes 3) Make plans that will achieve the goals 4) Implement the plan.
Sounds like a good plan, right?
But every time, this plan led to Nicky feeling two things:
1) Powerless to solve her own problems (a reliance of professionals), and
2) Hopeless… like there was something inherently wrong with her.
That’s the problem with focusing the problem: it doesn’t get rid of the problem.
At P4Y, we use a Strength-Based Approach. Rather than focusing on the deficits of youth, we focus on their strengths (and believe me, they have TONS of strengths!) , and build on them. We and others have found that big changes occur when you focus on strengths. Rather than feeling powerless and hopeless, the youth feel empowered and hopeful.
After working with Nicky to identify the strengths she saw in herself, as well as the strengths staff and volunteers see in her, we made her a small card (pictured) for her to carry around in her wallet. The words represent her personal strengths. The idea is for Nicky to remember that she has numerous strengths that she can use when she is faced with a problem.
Nicky is now feeling motivated and empowered.
Let me reintroduce Nicky: high school grad, compassionate, empathetic, insightful, resilient.
