Why am I Here? Engaging the Reluctant Client
Social work practice often presents challenging cases and resistant clients. Such cases can be difficult for interns to handle, but with the help of an experienced supervisor, they provide valuable learning experiences for the future social worker.
Why Am I Here? advises social work students to ask themselves why they entered the often challenging profession, and consider the question from the perspective of clients as well. Dr. Carol Tosone, associate professor at NYU's Ehrenkranz School of Social Work, hosts the video and supervises the students portrayed in the film. The video's two vignettes are based on actual mandated cases, and illustrate common scenarios in working with resistant clients.
The first vignette follows Jennifer, a first-year social work student meeting her very first client, Alice. Alice is a 44-year-old pregnant woman with an unstable home life and multiple psychiatric diagnoses. She is in the hospital again, for her fifth psychiatric admission in two years. An anxious Jennifer meets with Alice in the hospital, and quickly realizes that Alice is distrustful of her because she is an intern rather than a licensed social worker. Jennifer tries repeatedly to get answers to certain questions, but finds the interview challenging as Alice becomes agitated and unsatisfied with Jennifer. Jennifer ends the session abruptly and later seeks help from her supervisor for what she felt was an "awful" meeting. In supervision, Jennifer receives reassurance and learns how her countertransference impacted the direction of the session. Her supervisor helps her analyze the real messages underneath Alice's agitation—the manifest and latent content. She also draws a parallel between the anxiety Alice and Jennifer were both feeling in the session. What seemed like a disastrous first meeting culminates in an enlightening supervision which provides viewers with tremendous insight.
The second vignette follows Kim, a second-year social work student who is meeting with her first adolescent client, Anthony. Anthony is a 15-year-old high school student and graffiti artist who has been living with his aunt since his mother's arrest. While the first vignette depicted a difficult client who was agitated, this case illustrates another type of difficult client—a silent one. Anthony demonstrates his unwillingness to be in counseling by displaying angry body language and refusing to answer anything Kim says at the beginning of their session. Kim tries idea after idea to engage him, but he continues to challenge her. Although she makes some progress engaging him toward the end of the session, she returns to her supervisor with questions and frustrations. Kim's supervisor helps her see the importance of starting where the client is. She points out aspects of the session in which Kim's agenda or ideas overrode the actual message that Anthony was trying to communicate. Kim also learns how simple changes in language can make a huge difference in putting a client at ease, and the significance of latent content in working with resistant clients.
Why Am I Here? presents viewers with two of the most common types of challenging clients social workers encounter. The combination of the vignettes and the rich supervisory perspective make this video a valuable learning tool.
Why Am I Here? advises social work students to ask themselves why they entered the often challenging profession, and consider the question from the perspective of clients as well. Dr. Carol Tosone, associate professor at NYU's Ehrenkranz School of Social Work, hosts the video and supervises the students portrayed in the film. The video's two vignettes are based on actual mandated cases, and illustrate common scenarios in working with resistant clients.
The first vignette follows Jennifer, a first-year social work student meeting her very first client, Alice. Alice is a 44-year-old pregnant woman with an unstable home life and multiple psychiatric diagnoses. She is in the hospital again, for her fifth psychiatric admission in two years. An anxious Jennifer meets with Alice in the hospital, and quickly realizes that Alice is distrustful of her because she is an intern rather than a licensed social worker. Jennifer tries repeatedly to get answers to certain questions, but finds the interview challenging as Alice becomes agitated and unsatisfied with Jennifer. Jennifer ends the session abruptly and later seeks help from her supervisor for what she felt was an "awful" meeting. In supervision, Jennifer receives reassurance and learns how her countertransference impacted the direction of the session. Her supervisor helps her analyze the real messages underneath Alice's agitation—the manifest and latent content. She also draws a parallel between the anxiety Alice and Jennifer were both feeling in the session. What seemed like a disastrous first meeting culminates in an enlightening supervision which provides viewers with tremendous insight.
The second vignette follows Kim, a second-year social work student who is meeting with her first adolescent client, Anthony. Anthony is a 15-year-old high school student and graffiti artist who has been living with his aunt since his mother's arrest. While the first vignette depicted a difficult client who was agitated, this case illustrates another type of difficult client—a silent one. Anthony demonstrates his unwillingness to be in counseling by displaying angry body language and refusing to answer anything Kim says at the beginning of their session. Kim tries idea after idea to engage him, but he continues to challenge her. Although she makes some progress engaging him toward the end of the session, she returns to her supervisor with questions and frustrations. Kim's supervisor helps her see the importance of starting where the client is. She points out aspects of the session in which Kim's agenda or ideas overrode the actual message that Anthony was trying to communicate. Kim also learns how simple changes in language can make a huge difference in putting a client at ease, and the significance of latent content in working with resistant clients.
Why Am I Here? presents viewers with two of the most common types of challenging clients social workers encounter. The combination of the vignettes and the rich supervisory perspective make this video a valuable learning tool.
