Communicating with ClientsChapter 6By: Terence Sanderfur & Hannah Isom

Basic Skills

•Values and Attitudes▫Empathy, nonjudgmental attitude,

acceptance, genuineness, respect, warmth, patience, open-mindedness, rejection of stereotypes, an a positive view of human nature.

▫Stereotyping, judging, rejecting attitudes, closed-mindedness, phoniness, impatience, and negative views about the human capacity for change.

Self Awareness

•Awareness is the first step in dealing with reactions responsibly and professionally.▫Reflecting▫Understanding

•“Owning” your feelings•Talking with your supervisor, faculty

supervisor, or classmate

Active Listening

•Non-verbal, fully engaged and focused, concentrating on the speaker.▫Body Language▫Eye contact

•Minimal verbal responses

Client Interviewing

•NOT a question and answer session

•Beginning•Middle•End

Client Interviewing• Beginning

▫ Initial rapport is established▫ “establishing a contract”

• Middle▫ Thorough exploration of the client’s concerns, followed by

consideration of how those concerns might be addressed.▫ Ensure that and adequate understanding of the client’s

situation and concerns has been developed and that preliminary plans for assistance are underway. Plans for positive change Infuse the process with a sense of hope and direction Provide momentum for the actions that need to be taken in

order for issues to be resolved

Client Interviewing

•End▫Summary of important points▫Write down any specific commitments

either party has made▫Conducting the end of the interview well is

quite important in establishing follow-through and future contact with the client

Exploration Skills

•These types of skills will help you explore and understand the client’s concerns more thoroughly.

▫Probing▫Clarification▫Interpreting▫Confronting▫Summarizing

Action Skills

•Informing •Suggesting •Referring

Working with Reluctant Clients

•Continue to use all of the same procedures and skills▫Learning to adapt

•Having respect and empathy for the client’s perspective

Working with Reluctant Clients

•Starting where the client is▫Talk with clients about their reluctance

•Effects on the worker▫May trigger strong, negative emotions

•Questioning is not the best approach

•These things take time

Case Management and Advocacy•Coordinates multiple services for the client

to ensure quality and continuity of care•Case managers often must assume an

advocacy role for clients▫Proper communication skills▫Skills and values▫Skills in listening and relationship building▫Getting to know the missions of various

organizations in your community and the services they provide.

Case Management and Advocacy•The Ultimate Goal

▫For clients to be self-directed, not needing professional assistance “Do with” rather than “Do for”

•Constructing the service plan▫Monitor the plan’s implementation▫Say in touch with the client as well as the

service providers

General Guidelines for Leading Case Management Discussion• 1. Develop a clear set of desired outcomes for the meeting and state them

at the beginning of the discussion for focus and direction.• 2. Raise questions and encourage brainstorming of alternatives.• 3. Engage each and every person in the discussion.• 4. Listen carefully and practice active listening to ensure that messages

are being delivered and heard accurately• 5. Engage group members with one another, not just with you.• 6. Engage the group in decision making as appropriate by exploring and

weighing various options.• 7. Stay out of the middle of conflicts or differences in perspectives while

striving to resolve them by clarifying communication and finding common ground.

• 8. Try to ensure that people are hearing what is really being said as opposed to hearing what they want to hear or hearing what they fear they will hear.

• 9. Summarize and clarify decisions verbally, recording important information in writing.

Working with Families • Programs for children have a strong emphasis on families • Family work can be challenging • Form relationships with each member of the family • Family-centered Practice

The family determines who is in the family and who should be present for a family intervention.

Students who are beginning to work with families may a have difficult time at first.

• Too anxious • Ill-prepared • Trouble adjusting to a different family structure

Keep in mind some general principles to follow in working with families can help you approach the family interview with greater confidence.

Family Interviews • As you begin the family interview it is important to make

contact with each family member individually. ▫ Introduce yourself to each family member ▫Ask each person a little bit about himself or herself▫Convey yourself with each person/Build rapport ▫Respond briefly to each person in an affirming manner▫Become an active listener This process leads to joining. Small-talk should be brief with

each person so that it does not drag on. Especially with larger families.

Family Interviews Cont....• As the interview continues you must be accommodating. – Engaging with a family in a manner that respects its internal

organizational structure(remember there is a chain of hierarchy in a family structure)

• ie. In most families, the parent(s) holds a position of authority and family leadership. Therefore, it is appropriate for you to introduce yourself first to the parent(s) and to seek their input first about the family concerns.

Cont….• Respect hierarchy

▫Do not be critical of the parents in front of the children ▫Arrange to give feedback at a separate time without the

children • By continuously making contact with all members for the

family, you not only gain more complete information but you also demonstrate that everyone’s perspective matters and that everyone in the family has a role in improving the situation at hand (Minuchin, 1974).

Overused Interview Method• One commonly used interviewing method in family work is

circular questioning. ▫A method of eliciting the family member’s perspectives

about events and relationships, particularly focusing on period in which there have been significant shifts in family functioning.

• “Circular” refers to its aim of identifying recurrent patterns of interaction within the family as family members comment on their perceptions of one another’s behavior in varied situations.

“Circular” Questions • “Who worries more about your daughter?”• “Who noticed the problem first?” • “How would things be different if he did this instead?” • “Who agrees with you that this is what happens?”• “Who did what then?”

Come to recognize problems• Through such questions the family can begin to recognize

cycles of interaction that are predictable and can come to recognize the circular causality of problems. As this understanding of family interaction grows, the causes of certain behaviors are no longer understood to be linear (A causes B) but as circular (A causes B, which causes C, which Causes A).

What’s important when working with Families?

•Look for •Recognize •Build upon

▫Doing these things can go a long way in producing a more positive family identity and a more positive relationship with you as the helper.

Additional Challenges • Maintaining neutrality • Assuming a nonjudgmental point of view toward all parties • Maintain flexibility to empathize with various points of view

and support various family members at different times

Working with Groups • Group interventions provide

▫A powerful medium for support ▫Change as group members experience the benefits of shared

support ▫Brainstorming/Problem solving ▫Energy and motivation to clients who feel overwhelmed and

emotionally drained by acting alone.

Major group concepts • Composition: membership of the group

• Goals: necessary in order for groups to have a common focus and direction

• Roles: are normal and predictable parts of group life– Task leaders, maintenance leaders, initiator, compromiser, challenger,

troubleshooter, mediator, energizer, tension-reliever, direction leader

More Major Group Concepts • Norms: are the rules and expectations that govern the life of a

group (necessary to bring a sense of order, safety and predictability to a group) Research has shown that groups without sufficient norms have a

greater risk for group members being hurt or harmed in the group (Schopler & Galinsky, 1981).

• Cohesion: the degree to which group members feel connected with one another through social and emotional bonds and/or through common concerns and goals.

Even More Group Concepts • Leadership: in human service groups is often two-

dimensional. 1. Professional who initiates the group, convenes the meetings, and provides

leadership for the group’s formation. 2. Professional who assumes leadership during the meetings.

• Group Development: occurs in all groups, and many theories have been developed to describe and explain this important group process. – Famous theorist Bruce Tuckman (1965) suggested that groups go through five

predictable stages: 1. Forming 2. Storming3. Norming 4. Performing 5. Adjourning

Working with Communities • Community education engages professionals in educating

citizens about issues relevant to their lives.

• To perform community education effectively, you need to be able to assess the needs and interests of the community or audience, research a topic, prepare educational materials such as handouts and visual aids, and speak before a group with confidence and comfort.

ActivityExtroversion vs. Introversion

Break into Groups of E’s and I’s

•What do you want the other group to know about your communication style and your preferences as a group member?

Slide originally created by UT Career Services