Strengths-Based Words

What it is

The words we write follow people for years. "Defiant," "noncompliant," and "in denial" walk into the next school, the next worker, and the next meeting before the person does. This guide helps you swap labels for clear, fair, specific words, without sugarcoating anything. Better words usually make better notes, too: "Hit a peer after losing a game, calm in 10 minutes" gives the next person something to work with. "Aggressive" doesn't. Every phrase bank row has three parts: the word to retire, a fill-in sentence for the file, and a version you can say out loud to the young person or family.

What's included

• Why words matter in the file + how to use the guide
• Five rules for strengths-based writing, with a quick self-test
• 20 words to retire, and what to try instead
• 7 phrase banks (7 rows each, written + out-loud versions, plus strength words for that area): Mood & Feelings, Behavior, Social & Friends, School & Learning, Family & Caregivers, Skills & Independence, Working With Services
• The four-part sentence (Saw, Said, Strength, Next) for when you're tired and the note is due
• Before + after: a case note and a school report, rewritten
• In the team meeting: a spoken before + after and 8 sentence starters
• Naming concerns honestly: how to keep safety notes exact and clear (strengths go next to concerns, never instead of them)
• Words about people: person-first and identity-first language, and 12 swaps
• A 72-word strength bank in six groups
• Rewrite practice: 8 sentences to fix (great for supervision or a 20-minute team training) + suggested answers
• One-page desk cheat sheet (also included as its own PDF)

Great for