Introducing Strength Cards Unlimited!

Introducing the latest edition to our suite of strengths-based tools and resources—Strength Cards Unlimited! 

Everyone has strengths. But did you know that strengths are more than just personal qualities? They also include your relationships, culture, health, community, the natural world and access to supports.

Every day, we see people drawing on their strengths. We may hear inspiring stories of people overcoming adversity or doing great things. Or we may notice people using their strengths in quiet, small ways.

They may use individual strengths or they may combine their strengths. Sometimes they borrow strengths from others.

While the types of strengths people have is almost endless, they all have something in common. Noticing and drawing on our strengths, and the strengths of others, creates a sense of hope and possibility.

Strength Cards Unlimited expands the notion of what a strength is, enabling us to talk about strengths in more nuanced, yet expansive ways.  These 40 visually-engaging cards are perfect for talking about the vast range of different strengths people can draw on to overcome challenges, reconnect with others and imagine a positive future.

Why talk about strengths?

There are many benefits of talking to people about their strengths, capacities, resources and skills.

While everyone has strengths, when people are feeling disempowered, they may not recognise these strengths in themselves. This is why it can be valuable to encourage people to notice their strengths and resources.

Additionally, many services and support are designed around deficits (as this is often how funding is allocated)—family violence, mental health, homelessness, drug and alcohol, sexual abuse, etc. As a result, services often spend a lot of time focusing on what isn’t working rather than what is which can feel overwhelming and disempowering for the people accessing these services.

By shifting our focus to what we can do, rather than what we can’t, we help create a space for new possibilities to emerge. When we decide to notice our strengths, resources, skills, and the strengths of the people around us, we are more likely to see a way forward and imagine a more positive future.

People may already have a number of resources they are drawing on, including friends and family, services, community groups, sports clubs, online networks and groups, religious communities and workplaces. These resources may provide material, emotional or spiritual support. Sometimes people may feel very alone as they haven’t noticed the number of people who are happy to offer support. It can be useful for them to name these resources or supports.

Use the cards to encourage people to:

• notice, name and celebrate all their different strengths
• appreciate the people who support and care about them
• focus on the positive things in their lives
• explore how they can build, borrow and choose different strengths
• grow new strengths, skills, capacities, connections and resources.

Encouraging people to identify strengths and resources can be an important step in realising that they have useful tools to draw on. They can then consciously mobilise these strengths and resources from different parts of their lives to help them address other issues. This can also feel much more motivating and hopeful, which helps create the conditions for sustainable change.

Strength Cards Unlimited are perfect for social workers, psychologists, teachers, counsellors and parents for use with adults and young people in one-on-one, group or classroom settings.

Our suite of strengths-based products includes the original Strength Cards, Strength Cards for Kids, Choosing Strengths, The Nature of Strengths, The Strengths Approach book and Strengths Approach to Practice online course.