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Being: From Amelioration to Transformation in Human Services Professor Isaac Prilleltensky, PhD Dean, School of Education University of Miami [email protected] www.education.miami.edu/isaac
Promoting Well-Being:From Amelioration to
Transformation in Human Services
Professor Isaac Prilleltensky, PhDDean, School of Education
University of [email protected]
www.education.miami.edu/isaac
Tale of two paradigms AMELIORATION
Treatment Symptoms In the office Charity Individualistic Passive victim Single level of intervention Neglects Power
TRANSFORMATION
Prevention Root causes In natural setting Justice Communitarian Agents of change Ecological Attends to Power
Why Do We Need A New Paradigm?FROM AMELIORATION
• Deficits
• Reaction
• Detachment
• Individual solutions
TO TRANSFORMATIONStrengths
Prevention
Empowerment
Community Conditions
The SPEC Approach
S – Strengths: Celebrating strengths and building on existing competencies is better than pitying individuals and focusing on deficits
P -- Prevention is better than cureE – Empowerment: Offering voice and choice to
community members is more empowering than telling them what to do and how to change
C – Community conditions: Changing community conditions is more powerful than trying to change individuals
The P and C of SPEC9/7/1854…Removing the Handle
Getting To The Bottom Of It…. No mass disorder, afflicting humankind, has
ever been eliminated, or brought under control, by treating the affected individual
HIV/AIDS, poverty, child abuse, powerlessness are not eliminated one person at a time.
It has been proven that there will never be enough workers to help those who require assistance
Strategies: Time and Place
Collective
Individual
Reactive ProactiveX
Quadrant IIIExamples:Crisis work, therapy, medications, symptom containment, case management
Quadrant IExamples:Community development, affordable housing policy, recreational opportunities, high quality schools and health services
Quadrant IIExamples:Skill building, emotional literacy, fitness programs, personal improvement plans, resistance to peer pressure in drug and alcohol use
Quadrant IVExamples:Food banks, shelters for homeless people, charities, prison industrial complex
Collective
Proactive
Individual
Reactive
Strategies: Time and Place
Wellness Promotion TreatmentPrevention
99%1%
CONTINUUM OF SERVICES
BUDGET ALLOCATION
Too Little, Too Late
Prevention Saves Money
Strategies: Abilities and Participation
Strengths
Deficits
Detachment EmpowermentX
Quadrant IExamples:Voice and choice in celebrating and building competencies, recognition of personal and collective resilience
Quadrant IIExamples:Voice and choice in deficit reduction approaches, participation in decisions how to treat affective disorders or physical disorders
Strength
Empowerment
Deficit
Detachment
Strategies: Ability and Participation
Quadrant IIIExamples:Labeling and diagnosis, “patienthood” and clienthood,” citizens in passive role
Quadrant IVExamples:Just say no! You can do it! Cheerleading approaches, Make nice approaches
Three more SPEC examplesHeart and Crime…..more than meets the eye
MRFIT and Heart Disease $ 100 million invested 6000 people 6 years No results
Crime in Camden Changing conditions? Changing people?
Camden, NJ
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
CCOP held over 800 conversations with members and residents about community concerns.
Crime citywide was down 8.4%, however this dip is consistent with regional and national trends
BlocksUnder 1 Boardup2 or More Boardups
CAMDEN HOUSING CAMPAIGN IMPACTS
When examining those blocks in which two or more vacant houses were boarded up (the major focus of the housing campaign) drug crime dropped 56%.
Community Work in Chicago:Changing community conditions
Compared to children who moved within the city, children who moved to the suburbs were much more likely to graduate from high school (86% vs. 33%), attend college (54% vs. 21%), attend 4-year college (27% vs. 4%), be employed if not in school (75% vs. 41%), and receive higher salaries and benefits.
New SPECs Three-year action research project
Oasis Center
Bethlehem Center
MarthaO’BryanCenter
UNHS
Action Research SPECS
Strengths Build on community strengths
Prevention Act proactively to prevent problems
Empowerment Promote voice and choice in workers and community
Community Change community conditions that lead to problems
Action Research ContributionsProcesses Outcomes
Consultation Create effective and inclusive processes that achieve SPEC
Help in identifying and achieving SPEC goals for each organization
Research Document best practices for SPEC approach
Measure SPEC outcomes at various levels
SPEC Work & Support Measures Dependent Variables Strengths
Regardless of why this may be the case; to what extent does your work reflect a strength-based orientation as opposed to a deficit-based orientation?
Primary Prevention What percentage of work time do you engage in primary prevention of
problems such as child abuse, obesity, teenage pregnancy, poverty, burn-out, crime, or school drop-out?
Empowerment Regardless of why this may be the case; to what extent does your work give
co-workers voice and choice in decision-making processes at the organization?
Regardless of why this may be the case; to what extent does your work give clients and community members voice and choice in decision-making processes at the organization?
Changing Community Conditions What percentage of work time do you engage in changing community
conditions such as pollution, access to health care, lack of transportation, affordable day care, living wage, and others?
SPEC Work & Support MeasuresIndependent Variables
Strengths As much as I would like to promote a strength-based orientation in my
work, there are a lot of pressures on me to continue to concentrate on problems.
Most of the time I spend with community members we talk about their strengths, successes, resilience, and strategies for coping and thriving
I feel I have adequate preparation and skills to work from a strength-based perspective.
I have adequate organizational support to promote a strength-based perspective
Primary Prevention I feel I have enough opportunities in my job to engage in primary
prevention I feel I have adequate time to engage in primary prevention activities. I feel I have adequate preparation and skills to engage in primary
prevention activities. I have adequate organizational support to engage in primary prevention.
SPEC Work & Support MeasuresIndependent Variables
Empowerment I feel I have enough opportunities in my job to give co-workers voice and
choice. I feel I have adequate time to give co-workers voice and choice. I feel I have adequate preparation and skills to give co-workers voice and
choice. I have adequate organizational support to give co-workers voice and
choice. **Same items were asked regarding empowering clients and community
members Changing Community Conditions
I feel I have enough opportunities in my job to work on changing the conditions that affect our clients and communities
I feel I have adequate time to engage in work to change community conditions
I feel I have adequate preparation and skills to engage in community change activities
I have adequate organizational support to engage in community change activities
Results: Predictors of Strengths, Primary Prevention and Changing Community Conditions Orientations
Predictors of a strengths-based orientation
Time Preparation and skills Organizational support
Predictors of Changing Community Conditions Opportunity Time Preparation & skills Organizational Support
Predictors of Primary Prevention Opportunities Time Preparation and skills Organizational support Organizational
cohesiveness Organizational climate Learning from action Organizational skills Change in organizational
learning.
Results: Predictors of Empowerment
Predictors of Empowerment at the Co-worker level Opportunity Time Preparation & skills Organizational Support Client/Community member
voice & choice Organizational cohesiveness Organizational climate Learning from action Organizational skills Change in organizational
learning.
Predictors of Empowerment at the Client/Community member level Co-worker voice & choice Opportunity Organizational Support Time Preparation & skills Organizational skills Change in organizational
learning.
Assessing the “SPECiness” of 166 programs: Strength-Based Programs
5
112
48
10
20
40
60
80
100
120
CommunitySB
IndividualSB
Not SB Unknow n
Total Programs
Prevention vs. Treatment
11
39 42
73
10
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Universal Selective IndicatedTreatmentUnkown
Total Programs
EmpowermentBy Number of Programs
5
132
2720
20406080
100120140
CommunityE
Individual E Not E Unknown
TotalPrograms
Changing Community ConditionsBy Number of Programs
4 13
149
00
50
100
150
CCC Changing I & C
Individual Unknown
TotalPrograms
Little funding for community change
$0$1$2$3$4$5$6$7
Millions
CCC ChangingC & I
Individual Unknown
Funding Amount
New SPECs action research approach Structures
T-Team Councils Affiliation groups Forums Workshops and training Task Forces
Principles Participation Power sharing Ownership Meaning
Messages Meaning of SPEC Meaning of change
process personally and professionally
Outcomes of NEW SPECS PROJECT New mission statements New outreach programs More youth and client involvement Assessment of projects in light of SPEC More prevention efforts Empowered counselors Blending of therapy with social change
In every act, in every interaction, in every social action,we hold each other accountable to promote
People’s dignity, safety, hope and growth
Relationships based on caring, compassion and respectSocieties based on justice, communion and equality
We are all better when these values are in balance
To put these values into action, we will:
Share our power
Be proactive and not just reactiveTransform the conditions that create problems for youth
Encourage youth and families to promote a caring communityNurture visions that make the impossible, possible
We commit to uphold these values with
Youth and their Families
Our EmployeesOur OrganizationOur Community
This is a living document. We invite you to discuss it, to critique it, to live it
