Ability or Disability? Strengths-Based Practice in the Area of Traumatic Brain Injury

Strengths-based approaches to working with individuals with traumatic brain injury are rare. Perhaps this is partly because of severe cognitive impairment, but medicalized approaches that highlight deficits are also influential. The article describes Circles of Support, an community-based intervention based that works from a position of strength. This article argues that Circles of Support fall clearly into strengths-based approaches, as supported by reference to the work of Saleebey, de Shazer, and McKnight, as well as literature on empowerment approaches to disability. Selected findings of a 3-year evaluation study illustrate the included conceptual arguments.