Speakers
Parallel Workshops
Strength-based perspectives are increasingly being incorporated into rehabilitative paradigms. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: (1) understand the scholarly foundation that underpins strength-based research, (2) recognize strengths in their clients, (3) identify evidence-based strength measures that can be used with justice impacted girls and women, (4) understand strength-based research emerging from my Gender and Crime research lab, and (5) appreciate the challenges associated with identifying strengths in higher risk clients. The research from my lab that I will highlight includes (1) strength-based assessment tools such as the Service Planning Instrument (SPIn, Orbis Partners, 2003) and the Youth Assessment Screening Instrument (YASI, Orbis, 2000), (2) meta-analyses designed to learn more about the relationship between strengths and re-offending in female and gender diverse populations, (3) our work with the Probation Service Assessment Planner (PSAP-25, Brown & Bhutta, 2023); the PSAP was developed as a culturally and gender responsive strength-based assessment protocol for women on probation in Punjab, Pakistan, and lastly, (4) research illustrating that strengths can improve program outcomes in a mixed gendered sample of youth on probation in Ontario, Canada. I will use a combination of lecturing, interactive polling strategies, and case studies to meet my learning outcomes. Ultimately, I aim to share the strength-based assessment scholarly literature in a manner that will encourage more researchers and practitioners to incorporate a strength-based lens into their daily research practices and/or interactions with justice impacted girls and women.