Working with Children and Youth: Identifying and Building on Strengths Talon Greeff, LPC Director of Residential Care Utah Youth Village This training and additional resources can be found at

Overview Introduction Why Strength-based rather than problem- based approach to care? Assessment Starts with First Meeting Child’s First Week in the Home Developing Strengths into Skills Troubleshooting Conclusion

Introduction Statement of Purpose: It is my job to make you better foster parents. What are some of the difficulties and challenges you have had in doing foster care? What is it about the way you provide foster care that is so stressful? What is the worst mistake you have made so far as a foster parent? Please describe the most embarrassing experience you or your family have had, professionally or personally.

Why Strength-based rather than problem-based approach to care? Helps your home be more pleasant, relaxed and fun Much more fun to praise behavior than address negative behavior Skills help address negative or problematic behavior Seems like more work with the youth but saves time in the long run Produces better results for the children and youth in our care

Identifying Strengths Every child or youth has strengths Survival skills are often strengths Strengths may be hidden in negative behaviors What is the youth doing that would be positive if viewed by another person or in another environment? Negative behavior – “telling you no” Positive use of this behavior - resisting peer pressure What are they doing now? How could it be worse? Example - Youth late home from school Could be worse if youth did not come home at all

Starts with your First Meeting Starts with intake Avoid arguing, demanding – “What is your problem?” Avoiding power struggles Discussion of strengths Ask parents, previous foster parents, case worker Be careful about what they report Use this information to help you find out strengths Ask about strengths in different environments: home, school, church, social groups, with peers, with family and with friends Ask youth What do you like? We usually like what we do well

Child’s First Week in the Home Have special meal and family activity Ask youth what they would like to eat or what they would like to do You can guide the choice to make it reasonable Talk with the youth and get to know them What kind of music do like? What activities, hobbies do you like? When you have free time what do you like to do? Do activities with your youth Talk with the youth about your home and expectations Observe the youth with others, school and home Each of these things helps with an assessment of youth strengths

Building on Strengths Work with child to find “niche” for youth in home A niche is the thing that the youth is better at than anyone else living there Reinforce what they do well with specific descriptions “What can we reinforce?” Data shows that typical parents reinforce behavior 1:17 Youth behavior improves with 4:1 ratios Set timer for 15 minute intervals and find something to praise Sandwich positive interactions between negative interactions Avoid negative spiral Forces you to find and reward strength or positive behavior

Building on Strengths You can address problem behavior with strengths Praise and reward the strengths or positive behavior that is opposite of the behavior you are concerned about Develop strengths to address problem behavior “Map” over success and strengths onto problem behavior Example: If your youth has grades that are an A and a D ask “What works for you in the class with the A you can use in the class with a D to improve the grade? “You get along great with Billy. What do you do with him that can help you get along with Sally?” Help youth figure this out and help them develop it

Strength-based Exercise Name behaviors that foster children may exhibit when placed: Skipping school Disruptive in school Yelling Hitting Refusing to do chores Refusing to follow laws

Skills to Teach and Reinforce Problem behaviors Skipping school Disruptive in school Yelling Hitting Refusing to do chores Refusing to follow rules Skills to teach or reinforce Social interactions with peers Able to be on task with reading or drawing Assertiveness Concern for others Taking care of their room Rules the youth do follow or suggested rules

Develop Skills Based on Strengths Identify the strengths that the youth have List what strengths they identify Others identify What you see while they are in your home List the skills that you want the youth to learn or they identify that they want to learn Take the strengths that you see and add the other strengths or steps that the youth need to learn a skill that helps them Focus on the strengths that will have the most impact Shape and develop strengths into skills Skills can be used to help address negative or problematic behavior

Example: Skill#: : Staying Calm Behavior- identifying ABC’s Behavior- deep breathing Behavior- counting to 10 Behavior- leaving situation Behavior- voice/body check Behavior- Skill#: : Following Instructions Behavior- maintain eye contact Behavior- calm facial expressions Behavior- calm voice tone Behavior- acknowledgement Behavior- completion of tasks immediately Behavior- checking back Behavior- asking to help

Focused Teaching Skill #1 Once this skill is taught, then reinforce the use of the whole skill Skill #2 When beginning to teach the second skill, stay FOCUSED on this skill Begin to intermittently reinforce the first skill Once the second skill is taught, then reinforce the use of the whole skill Skill #3 When teaching the third skill, stay FOCUSED on this skill Intermittently reinforce the skills that have already been taught

Trouble Shooting Positive behavioral contracting or charting with “super reinforcers” Chaining Shaping Chunk it down

Charting or Behavioral Contracting Use a “super reinforcer” or reward Don’t just focus on the negative consequences Setup contract for youth to stretch, not generate a new behavior Stretching positive behavior or a strength is much more likely to lead to success Jumping to a new skill or behavior, especially if it is difficult, is much less likely to be successful Avoid language that a dead person can do i.e. Don’t yell, don’t swear.

Shaping – reward small changes toward what you want the youth to do Identify what the youth is currently doing Identify what you want youth to do Use specific steps so you can measure progress Identify some “in-between” goals Explain what you want the youth to do based on the first “in-between” goal which should have some steps that the youth can already partially do When the youth meets the first “in-between” goal and can do it for a week, depending on the behavior, explain the new “in-between” goal Keep doing this until the youth is doing what you want

Shaping – Following Instructions Follow instructions Eye contact Say ok Forget to do task Intermediate goal Look down Mumble Do task poorly Check back Intermediate goal Look down Say ok Do task Check back Follow Instructions Eye contact Say ok Do task immediately Check back Praise and reward intermediate goals— building on a strength

Chaining – building the behavior you want by adding behaviors to a strength Identify what the youth is currently doing Identify what you want the youth to do Identify the specific steps that you want the youth to follow Start with a step or strength the youth already does or is easily learned Add steps to the skill or behavior one at a time Don’t add another step until the youth has demonstrated they can consistently do the series of steps without prompting Keep adding steps until the skill or behavior has been learned

Chaining – Following Instructions Follow instructions Do task Intermediate goal Say ok Do task Intermediate goal Eye contact Say ok Do task Follow Instructions Eye contact Say ok Do task immediately Check back Praise and reward intermediate goals— building on a strength

Chunk it Down If your youth or child is having difficulty doing a task, even if they have been successful in the past “chunk it down” Chunking it down means dividing the task into parts that the youth or child can do They may be frustrated, overwhelmed or unable to do the task, chunking it down makes it possible Chunk the task down to pieces that play to youth skills and strengths

Conclusion Creates a more enjoyable foster care experience Produces a more pleasant home environment More effective results for children and youth This training and additional resources can be found at