What this resource explains
A deficit lens begins with what is wrong and how to fix it. An asset-based lens asks what is already working, what strength the person is using, and how that capacity can support movement.
This shift does not deny harm, barriers, or accountability. It changes the starting point so the intervention can build on usable strengths instead of reducing a person to their problems.
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Here is an example to work through. The linked source explains the idea or guest account. The next move is ICM guidance.
- Where it shows up
- An intake form collects risks and deficits but never asks about existing skills, relationships, or successes.
- A useful move
- Identify an asset the person recognizes and connect it to a reachable next step while still addressing immediate harm and barriers.
- What this does not prove
- An asset-based lens must not be used to deny hardship, resources, or accountability.
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- The deficit lens asks: what's wrong, and how do we fix it?
- The asset-based lens asks: what's right with this person?
- Identify strengths, build on them, and move toward a better space.
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Social Determinants of Health
The conditions in which people live, learn, work, and age that shape health and exposure to violence.
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Resource & Evidence
Define the type of harm and place, inspect the data, and check what research can and cannot establish.
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Protective Factors Action Card
Protective factors are relationships, skills, and conditions associated with a lower risk of harm. See what they look like in a community and turn one into a testable commitment.
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