The case of a delinquent hard-to-reach client shows the possibilities and limits of the strength approach in youth work with delinquent adolescents. Issues such as: "How does information about the delinquency of a client influence social workers before even have started to attend to a case?" or "What is necessary to maintain a positive attitude in morally problematic cases?" are focused in the paper. The methods of strength approach refer not only to the cognition, sensations and action of the client but to those of the professional as well. In this regard the human concept social workers have developed affects the processes and dynamics of empowerment.