The Brisbane Institute of Strengths Based Practice (Inc) was founded in 2006 to support approaches that promote resilience as opposed to dealing with deficits. We are a group of people from a range of professional backgrounds such as social work, psychology, education and quality and project management that believe, work with and advocate strengths based practices.  We recognise that the strength based movement is gaining impetus globally, with people from diverse backgrounds attracted to this inward looking practice.

Much before the modern literature on strengths based practices started appearing in Positive Psychology, Social Work, Human Services and Management utilising narrative traditions from the field of Anthropology, as being taught and learnt today, principles such as 'self reliance'  as part of home rule movement for the Indians by Gandhi the Mahatma did yield results. Practice knowledge and wisdom of 'Ubuntu' in many African nations existed.  Many seers and wise men, therapists and managers talked of inner wealth and urged individuals, groups, communities, corporate world to look within for solutions to their modern day problems, issues and dilemmas.  Nelson Mandela very passionately utilised 'ubuntu' practice in South Africa and concepts such as 'gross national happiness' were spoken by King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan in Asia.  King Jigme, now 50, suggested that nations be measured by "gross national happiness"; the rich are not always happy, after all, while the happy generally consider themselves rich.

Strengths based practices encompass all human activity today. They have become far more pervasive than what they were thought to be as more and more individuals, groups, communities and societies have started considering them as the only hope to build hope and work with hope. 

A number of examples can be given:  teachers utilising such strategies with their students; helping professionals engaging with clients to fulfill their potential and employers and HRD Managers utilising strength based performance appraisals with their employers and leaders in public sector who combine a variety of techniques including evidence based management.

The Brisbane Institute is a leading collective of strengths based front line, trainer and consultant practitioner group of people not restricted by residence to Brisbane but are present predominantly in all Austral Asian countries and the Asia Pacific region.

Our consultants today are active in the Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Indian sub continent, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. Within Australia we draw from a select pool of our consultants who have derived immense pleasure in working with us through a series of constructive collaborations with us in this initial year.

Please write to Dr Venkat Pulla President Brisbane Institute of Strengths based Practice

An email is often an easy way: dr.venkat.pulla@gmail.com

Our Inaugural Conference 2006  proceedings, papers, power point presentations are available from

http://www.strengthbasedstrategies.com