A Strengths-based Perspective To Enhance The Self-Efficacy Of People With Physical Disabilities-A Casework Intervention For Self-Efficacy

The issue of disability has become prevalent globally,especially in the past 10 years when the number of China’s licensed disabled population has increased from10.052 million in 2009 to 36.817 million in 2019,of which the number of physically disabled people is 22.418 million,accounting for 60.89%,making it the largest group of the disabled population.Although China has introduced many relevant welfare policies for people with disabilities,such as the Law on Social Security for People with Disabilities and the Regulations on Employment of People with Disabilities,which provides a lot of social security for this group.However,the large number of disabled population in China and different standard of living and social welfare policies implemented by local institutions have caused many problems in their education,employment,psychological and social integration.Therefore it is of theoretical and practical significance to study the active use of the strengths perspective by social workers in the process of case services to enhance the self-efficacy services of physically disabled people.Due to congenital or acquired physical impairments,clients have difficulties in mobility and face challenges whether in education,marriage or employment,which is followed by a low sense of self-efficacy among people these physical disabilities.The strengths perspective turns to focus on enhancing and tapping into clients’ abilities,strengths and resources,rejecting the traditional focus on clients’ problems,impairments and pathologies.This is in line with the specificity and differences of the clients in social work with people with disabilities,and can better help clients focus on their inner strengths and their own growth,thus enhancing their self-efficacy.Sharing consistent value with social work for people with disabilities,the strengths perspective,when applied to the process of improving the self-efficacy of people with physical disabilities,can help meet the needs of the service object,solve their problems and improve their self-efficacy.During his six-month internship at L Social Work Service Centre in Hubei Province,the author found that SJ,a client with physical disabilities,has low self-efficacy in emotion regulation,interpersonal interaction and vocational decision-making due to her physical impairment.She also has a variety of needs such as emotional catharsis,parent-child relationship coordination and employment planning,which meets the basic requirements to become a client.After a professional assessment,she was finally identified as the research object of this study.Based on a strengths-based perspective,the author designed the service programme including three stages: enhancing the self-efficacy of the service recipients,namely,enhancing emotional regulation self-efficacy,interpersonal self-efficacy and career decision-making efficacy.The author intervene practically in accordance with objectives of the three levels to help the service object enhance their self-efficacy by building a social support network system,linking up with student volunteering resources,increasing successful interpersonal experiences and developing career plans.Then the author reviewed the whole service process when it was completed.From the perspective of the process evaluation and service effectiveness evaluation of the three levels of casework service work,the social work intervention was effective and the service objectives were basically achieved.The case work process proves that the strengths perspective can be used to enhance the self-efficacy of people with physical disabilities.In the final chapter of this paper,the author reflects the process of this intervention and gives some suggestions from the perspective of individuals,families and societies,in hope of contributing to solving problems faced by physical disabilities in all rounds.