Life-Stage Considerations: Strengths-Based Approach
Introduction

A strengths-based approach to treatment resonates greatly with resiliency models involving patients and their families, as well as family-focused care grounded in mutually helpful practitioner-patient family therapeutic relationships. In this sort of care setting, patients and their family members actively engage in identifying concerns or issues, making decisions, and formulating steps for patient health restoration and promotion (Swartz, 2017, p. 1). In particular, Ballantyne and Gan (2016, p. 233) delineate a solutions-oriented or strengths-grounded intervention approach for families of teens suffering from severe brain damage. According to the authors, every household possesses the strength, capability, and resources for recovering from adversity. Additionally, they explain that unlike the conventional clinical model, strengths-based therapy revolves around strengths as opposed to deficiencies, promotes teamwork as against hierarchy, makes use of resources as against expert opinion, emphasizes skills and solutions as opposed to what must be resolved, and concentrates on what works as against what doesn't.

The relationship between strengths-focused care and resilience theory within the context of nursing literature has been expounded upon further by Gottlieb (2014, p. 26), whose work describes a comprehensive strengths-based nursing care approach. In simple terms, strengths-based nursing care offers an alternate model to the initial deficiencies- based one whilst collaborating with patients. It concentrates on a broad understanding of deficiencies. Nursing personnel who apply this model attempt at identifying patients and their family members' skills, capabilities, and competences. Through identification and mobilization of patient/family resources, capabilities, and fortes, nursing staff are able to further guide and promote recovery of patients in collaboration with patients and their family members, whilst simultaneously supporting resiliency. Hence, the healthcare system responds better to individual patient families' distinctive needs, empowering them to deal with their own healthcare needs.

Health Promotion

The process of health promotion entails enabling individuals to better control and improve their personal health. It is an all-encompassing political and social process that espouses actions aiming to strengthen individual capabilities and skills as well as actions targeted at effecting changes in social, economic, and environmental conditions, for lessening their influence on individual and community health. Lastly, health promotion enables individuals to improve control over health determinants, thus improving their health. Involvement proves crucial to sustaining health promotion activities (World Health Organization, 1998, p. 11).

This paper adopts a strengths-based approach as well as the health promotion concept based on a case study scenario analysis.

Discussion

This case study revolves around, Susanna, an unmarried mom of three children, who is raising them by herself while her significant other, Aaron, the father of her children, serves a prison sentence for drug use charges. One of her children, Fiona, has been brought to the emergency room for treating a foot burn that occurred a few days ago. Susanna fears the wound is now infected. The ER staff member treating Fiona's wound notes a dirty dressing that isn't well- adhered to her skin. Further, Susanna has come with both her other children as well, who are without shoes. She admits to struggling with finances and doesn't know what to do and how to handle things without Aaron. She struggles with simple grocery and rent costs and is wondering how to work things out the next month. Her relationship with Aaron's mother is strained. Further, a delayed period causes her to believe she may be expecting once again. All the above information garnered for her suggests she is psychologically exhausted, vulnerable, and utterly anxious. She cannot adequately care for her children in such a frame of mind. She may be prone to depression, and one depression theory, namely, the Hopelessness Theory of Depression,...…this formalized structure (Xie, 2013).

Susanna will be aided with strengths-based therapeutic activities through forging a meaningful, help- based relationship, characterized by cooperation, teamwork, and mutuality. She will direct this helping effort, with providers functioning in the capacity of caring consultants. Further, providers will help her inculcate more faith in herself to control her life and situations. Her desired goals in life will be determined and steps adopted for fulfilling them. Informal conversations with clients are recommended as a means of discerning their strengths. For clients who struggle with identifying their own strengths, providers must interact with them, posing general questions pertaining to their leisure activities or hobbies, or their previous means of coping with an acute disease phase. Moreover, patients may be requested to mull over their workplace, academic, or personal achievements. Using the strengths identified, providers can collaborate with patients in identifying strengths that they may apply in order to cope with their current problems. Subsequently, they can formulate a plan for the utilization of these strengths, establishing plan targets, and arriving at details in consultation with the patient.

Conclusion

To sum up, this paper describes how a strengths-based therapeutic approach can be utilized in promoting health and wellbeing in the case of Susanna. The mental health practice has mostly been influenced by a clinical model in which emphasis is given to the resolution of issues and controlling mental illness symptoms. This approach concentrates on clients' positive aspects. Identifying and taking advantage of their strengths can lead them through a successful recovery. Nurses, by adopting a patient-focused care approach, are ideally-positioned to promote this approach. The forging of a partnership between providers, community agents, and patients, besides the implementation of specific practices and policies, can help minimize or entirely overcome the challenges potentially linked to the strengths-based therapeutic approach (Xie, 2013).…