NEED IN 4 HRS///////Engaging Mandatory and Involuntary Clients

You walk into the waiting room to greet a client for the first time and the client begins yelling at you, “I have done nothing wrong. I do NOT need to be here”. How might you react to this behavior? During the intake session, the client exhibits classic signs of defensiveness and disengagement, such as eye-contact avoidance and folded arms across the chest. Working with clients who have not chosen to come to you for your services can be challenging at times. How might this behavior impact your feelings about this client? It likely could evoke your own sense of anxiety, frustration, or even anger. What steps would you take to engage the client? Recognizing that the interaction is not truly about you will help you maintain a professional and calm demeanor, even when you begin to feel your own emotions rise. Many social workers engage with mandated or involuntary clients—for example in child protective service agencies, correctional institutions, and sometimes psychiatric facilities. Treating these clients with respect and attending to their concerns will demonstrate your desire to assist them. Furthermore, verbalizing that you understand that they are there against their will can begin a conversation about how they got there in the first place. In these situations, an additional dose of empathy, warmth, and genuineness will help you understand the client’s position and exemplify your desire to help.

For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources, including the Hernandez Family Case Study video and the assigned pages from Chapter 2 of the Krist-Ashman & Hull (2012) text. Consider the potential challenges of working with mandatory and involuntary clients, such as the Hernandez family.

Post an explanation of the challenges you might face when working with mandatory and involuntary clients, such as the Hernandez family.

Hernandez Family Episode 1

Hernandez Family Episode 1
Program Transcript

JUAN HERNANDEZ: But we didn’t do anything wrong. That woman, that social
worker, who came to our house, I told her, me and Elena, we decide what’s best
for our boys, not her. Telling us we punish to hard. She doesn’t know anything
about us.

ELENA HERNANDEZ: We give our sons a good life. We love them very much.
It’s not fair what she said about Juan and me. We’re good parents.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Mrs. Hernandez, I understand how difficult this is for you–

JUAN HERNANDEZ: I don’t think you do. Everything that we do, we do for them,
everything. We work hard. We take care of them. And when they don’t follow the
rules, they get punished, strictly. The old fashioned way.

ELENA HERNANDEZ: Shh. Quiet. I told you.

JUAN HERNANDEZ: Sometimes I’m not strict enough with them. Look, I punish
my sons the way I see fit. That’s the only way they are going to learn. That’s how
we learned from our parents, right? Nobody took parenting classes. That’s
ridiculous.

FEMALE SPEAKER: I understand you’re angry. And you’re raising your children
the way you were brought up to do. But ACS has required that you do this.

JUAN HERNANDEZ: What if I don’t want to be required?

ELENA HERNANDEZ: I have a question.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Of course.

ELENA HERNANDEZ: If we go through with this, the things we talk about with
you, will it be private?

JUAN HERNANDEZ: But we have not agreed to do this.

ELENA HERNANDEZ: I don’t want to be here either. But I don’t want to loose our
children. Would it be private, what we talk about?

FEMALE SPEAKER: The information we share is between us. The only
exception to that is if one of you says you’re going to hurt yourself or hurt
someone else. In that case, I have to report it to the ACS worker. But everything
else is strictly confidential.

©2013 Laureate Education, Inc. 1

Hernandez Family Episode 1

So how do you think we can work together to make this a positive experience for
both of you?

JUAN HERNANDEZ: Parenting classes, really? What about the bills? I’m not
going to be able to work overtime.

ELENA HERNANDEZ: If we do what we’re supposed to do, would it be OK with
our family?

FEMALE SPEAKER: There are no guarantees. But here’s what I can say. We’ll
all work together to create a plan based on what the ACS worker has required
and recommended. Then it will be up to her what the outcome will be.

So shall we make a plan?

Hernandez Family Episode 1
Additional Content Attribution

MUSIC:
Music by Clean Cuts

Original Art and Photography Provided By:
Brian Kline and Nico Danks

©2013 Laureate Education, Inc. 2