Abstract
Strengths-based clinical practices are critical for supporting the wellbeing of individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. The VIA Inventory of Strengths (‘VIA Survey’) is an assessment grounded in positive psychology that may contribute to strengths-based practices. To identify how this assessment is used in clinical practice with individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, we conducted focus groups (n = 15) with clinicians who have used this survey with this population. We also asked individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (n = 36) to comment on the process of completing the VIA Survey. We found that clinicians utilize the VIA Survey with individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disability to foster self-esteem and self-understanding, provide a framework for understanding strengths, communicate across service systems and shape strengths-based interventions. Individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities also endorsed use of the survey to increase their self-knowledge and self-esteem. Future research should address accessibility of the survey to foster greater uptake and propose standard protocols for independent survey completion.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 439-448 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Positive Psychology |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2023 |
Keywords
- Positive psychology
- developmental disability
- intellectual disability
- mental health
- patient reported outcome measures
- self-report
- strengths-based practice
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Psychology