Collaborative Helping: A Strengths Framework for Home-Based Services

An interdisciplinary framework for sustainable helping through cross-system collaboration This hands-on resource provides clear, practical guidance for supportive service professionals working in a home-based environment. Drawing on best practices from a range of disciplines, this book provides a clear map for dealing with the complex and often ambiguous situations that arise with individuals and families, with applications extending to supervision and organizational change. Readers gain the advice and insight of real-world frontline helpers, as well as those who receive care, highlighting new ways to approach the work and re-think previous conceptualizations of problems and strengths. Helping efforts are organized around a shared, forward-thinking vision that anticipates obstacles and draws on existing and potential supports in developing a collaborative plan of action. The book begins with stories that illustrate core concepts and context, presenting a number of useful ideas that can reorient behavioral services while outlining a principle-based practice framework to help workers stay grounded and focused. Problems are addressed, and strength-based work is expanded into richer conversations about strengths in the context of intention and purpose, value and belief, hopes, dreams, and commitments. Topics include: Contextual guidance with helping maps Engaging people and re-thinking problems and strengths Dilemmas in home and community services Sustainable helping through collaboration and support A strong collaboration between natural networks, communities, and trained professionals across systems creates an effective helping endeavor. Ensuring sustainability may involve promoting systems change, and building institutional supports for specific supervisory, management, and organizational practices. Collaborative Helping provides a framework for organizing these efforts into a coherent whole, serving the needs of supportive services workers across sectors.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments vii Introduction xi About the Authors xix Chapter 1 Helping: What, How, and Why 1 Stories of Helping Relationships 1 Walking and Talking 8 Helping Activities—The What of Helping 9 Relational Connection—The How of Helping 12 Experience and Stories—The Why of Helping 14 Placing Collaborative Helping in a Broader Context 17 Moving Collaborative Helping into the Future 20 Chapter 2 Cornerstones of Collaborative Helping 23 Collaborative Helping as a Principle-Based Approach 23 Collaborative Helping and Relational Stance 26 Collaborative Helping and a Focus on Life Stories 33 Collaborative Helping and Inquiry 40 The Cornerstones in Plain English 46 Chapter 3 A Map to Guide Helping Efforts 49 Introducing Collaborative Helping Maps 50 The Collaborative Helping Map in Action 52 Organizing Vision and Preferred Directions in Life 53 Obstacles and Supports 58 The Plan 64 The Usefulness of a Map 68 Chapter 4 Collaborative Helping Maps in Different Contexts 69 Using Collaborative Helping Maps in Residential Programs 69 Using Collaborative Helping Maps to Enhance Conversations in Child Protective Services 78 Using Collaborative Helping Maps in the Changing World of Health Care 91 Current and Potential Uses for Collaborative Helping Maps 96 Chapter 5 Engaging People to Envision New Lives 99 Engagement—Who Are You and What Is Important to You? 99 Vision—Where Would You Like to Be Headed in Your Life? 102 Engagement Difficulties 108 Engaging a Youth with a No Problem Stance 111 Engaging a Woman with a No Control Stance 115 Difficulties Developing a Vision 118 Connecting to Build Desired Futures 123 Chapter 6 Rethinking Problems and Strengths 125 Rethinking Strengths and Needs 126 Conversations about Problems as Obstacles Separate from People 127 A Map for Externalizing Conversations about Problems 135 Conversations about Strengths as Intentional Practices of Living 139 A Map for Conversations about Strengths 142 Applications of Conversations about Strengths 144 New Conversations about Problems and Strengths 148 Chapter 7 Dilemmas in Home and Community Services 151 Concrete Help, Boundaries, and the Terrain of Home and Community Work 152 The Contribution of Family Partners to Collaborative Helping 159 Relational Stance and Advocacy Efforts 161 Power Dynamics in Working with the Larger Helping System 162 Dilemmas in Advocacy Efforts 166 Helping People More Effectively Advocate for Themselves 173 In the End, It’s Still Walking and Talking 174 Chapter 8 Sustainable Helping 177 Using Collaborative Helping Maps to Enhance Supervision 177 Building Institutional Structures that Support Collaboration 183 Building Organizational Cultures that Support Collaboration 190 A Brief Look Back 199 References 203 Index 209

About the Author :
WILLIAM MADSEN, PhD, is an internationally-renowned consultant in the fields of family therapy and social work. He is the author of Collaborative Therapy with Multi-Stressed Families, a social work text used widely by public agencies and graduate programs. In 2013, he was awarded the Distinguished Contribution to Family Therapy, Theory, and Practice award by the American Family Therapy Academy. KEVIN GILLESPIE, MHSA, RN, is the Executive Director of Integrated Services and the founding director of Blue Sky Alliance of Appalachian Ohio. He has more than 30 years of experience combining direct service, system development, and administration. His work focuses on innovative service solutions for public service systems and in alliance with therapeutic, housing, and employment professionals.