A strength-based approach in social work primarily focuses on what?

• A. Problems and deficits
• B. External policies
• C. Client resources and capacities
• D. Financial constraints

Answer: (C)

A strength-based approach in social work centers on identifying and leveraging the client’s resources, skills, and capacities. This perspective treats people as capable agents who have existing supports and abilities to draw from, and it aims to build on what they can do and what reaches around them to address challenges. That focus makes it the best fit because interventions are designed to mobilize strengths—talents, coping strategies, relationships, and community supports—rather than fixating on what’s wrong. By comparison, concentrating on problems and deficits reflects a deficit- or pathology-focused model, which isn’t the aim of this approach. External policies or financial constraints may shape the context, but they aren’t the central focus; the core work is leveraging the client’s assets to create change.