Empowerment (充權)

One main source of power is resource. One reason for people needing help from the social worker is because of the lack of resources for dealing with a given problem. Such resources may be

• internal (i.e. belongs to the person) or external (i.e. outside the person, say family and friends)
• tangible (e.g. financial) or intangible (e.g. knowledge)
• accessible (i.e. the client is eligible and able to obtain) or inaccessible (i.e. the client is illegible, not aware of, or denied access)

• Obtaining information - providing information by the social worker
• Developing knowledge - understanding methods and concepts
• Building new behaviour pattern (repertoire) -

Behavioural theories (e.g. behavioural modification theories) - providing reinforcement (note: intermittent reinforcement is often found to be more effective), shaping behaviour, successive approximation.

Social Learning/Cognitive Theory - modeling (vicarious learning), rehearsal (both cognitive and behavioural),

• Irrational beliefs

Rational Emotive Therapy states that our beliefs affected our emotions when reacting to an event, and subsequently our behaviour. To change our behaviour or our emotive response, we may have to work with the belief-system.

• Emotional response - reframing can alter the way we look at things and subsequently emotional response.

• Lack of Self-awareness - reduction of the blind zone.

• Communication skills and sensitivity - many problems faced by our clients are related to inter-personal relationship such as marital relationship, peer relationship, parent-child relationship, etc. Apart from the development of communication skills and the enhancement of sensitivity is also crucial to the development of healthy interpersonal relationship.
• Self-defense - such as denial and repression. Careful and skillful use of feedback and confrontation is important.

• Making decisions and taking risks - When making decision or choosing among alternatives, we do not complete information. Furthermore, we can always think twice, three times or even more. We can also endlessly seeking more information before making decision. Yet, we can never be sure about the results. Decision making always involving an element of risk. Reduction of risk has always a cost, e.g. the more information we obtain, the less risk that we have to take. Yet, there is a diminishing rate of return in terms on further investing in seeking more information.
• Self-disclosure of social worker
• Honesty, integrity and openness
• Meaning in life - spirituality, existential issues