A Client Chooses to Reject Help
Directions: The following is a brief exchange between Alice (the client) and Tim (the social worker). Tim has been working with
Alice in a program geared to help single mothers find employment. This is the sixth time they have met.
As you read the vignette, try to place yourself in the shoes of the helper. After reading the case illustration, respond to the following questions.
As with previous exercises, it may prove beneficial for you to share your responses with a colleague.
Alice: (the client): Hi. Sorry I’m late, but I got a phone call from an old friend just as I was going out the door.
Tim: (the helper): Well, Alice, we have approximately 20 minutes left in your appointment. How about we use the remainder of the session to discuss how well you did with your telephone calls?
Alice: I know I agreed to attempt to call at least three jobs for possible interviews, but this was a busy week. Plus I had a friend in town and we wanted to hang out a little. So I just kinda figured we could do it another time.
Tim: Okay, but in addition to making the calls, you also agreed to complete the interest inventory I gave you. Maybe we could review your profile. Do you have that?
Alice: Oh, the inventory … you know what, I remember you giving it to me, but I think I must have misplaced it or something. Do you have another one? I could try to complete it for next time.
Tim: Alice, I am a bit confused. We have been meeting for six weeks, and even though you stated that you really want to work on identifying a possible career path and to get back to work, you seem to have some difficulty following through on the things we discuss. Each time we have decided on some type of “homework,” such as looking at ads from the paper or social network sites, going to speak with a nurse’s aide about her experiences in that career, or the interest inventory, you have had difficulty completing the tasks.
Alice: Well, I’m sorry, but a lot of the things you suggest seem dumb. And other things are just not convenient for me to do! So what should I do now?
Now that you have read the scenario, respond to the following questions. You may want to share your ideas with a colleague:
If you were the helper in this scenario, how might you be feeling about Alice?
How might your feelings about Alice be manifested in your interchange? How may they impact your desire to work with Alice?
How would you respond to Alice’s comment that “a lot of the things you suggest seem dumb”?
At this point, how easy is it for you to remember that the client has a right to choose the degree to which he or she will follow your recommendations?
If the client called and wanted your assistance with another problem, would you be willing to help?