Pathways to Empowerment - Judith Wolf

1.2 People with a disadvantage

2013). The focus is on being able to choose relatively autonomously what you think is important (in various life areas and in care) and being able to achieve as much as possible the things that you prefer and that you wish for. We use the word ‘relatively’ here, because people are of course never totally free in their choices. People do not function in a vacuum, but in contexts that impose demands on their actions and also direct them, and, if necessary, restrict or limit their actions through pressure or coercion. Pathways to Empowerment assumes that it is only in interaction with their environment that clients can reach their full potential, develop competences and find their true selves to the best of their ability. The client is seen as a person who has a sense of belonging with others. Pathways to Empowerment therefore takes the interaction between the individual and the environment as the starting point for method-based actionand focuses stronglyon thepositionof clientswithin their social networks and society as a whole. In order to give direction and guidance to the method-based work of counsellors, an understanding is needed of the way in which people fall behind and the factors that influence this. This provides insight into the goals and intended outcomes, and offers points of reference for supporting clients. 1.2.1 Emotional, physical, social and material challenges Pathways to Empowerment is used for a variety of people who have problems – or combinations of problems – and are having difficulties participating wherever they find themselves – at home, in an institution or clinic, or on the street (Van Hemert & Wolf, 2011). Many kinds of circumstances or events can make it difficult for people to organise themselves and their lives. They may have little hold on themselves, experience problems in playing roles in society and move almost imperceptibly towards the fringes of society. In many cases, it is not exactly clear what is a cause and what is a consequence of disadvantage (Wolf, 2002). In the target group of Pathways to Empowerment, subpopulations can be distinguished in which one or more characteristics aremore pronounced, such as emotional and/or behavioural problems (fear, sadness, trouble controlling impulses), physical problems (illness and physical discomfort), social problems (relationship conflicts, parenting problems, loneliness, nuisance from neighbours) and material shortages (debts, inability to make ends meet). Intellectual or physical disabilities or mental health issues can be at the root of many problems. There can also be problems related to violence (child or parent abuse and/or violence against the partner). Age-related circumstances (e.g. becoming an adult, aging, the death of a partner, children leaving home) are sometimes too much of a challenge for clients. People with a disadvantage

1.2

25