In the early years of my social work career, I had a large caseload of individuals from various backgrounds and needs.
Some clients were more challenging to work with than others, but I’d say I got along well with everyone I worked with.
Yet sometimes, I didn’t click with every person I worked with. However, these experiences were easier to navigate when I made the decision to focus on the client’s needs as opposed to my personal feelings towards them.
There were moments, however, where I was uncomfortable working with certain clients. Mainly male clients who disclosed (either in sessions with me or in their intake assessment with another colleague) their history of violence towards women.
I shared my feelings during supervision one day, only for my supervisor to share this with another colleague. Needless to say, this didn’t help matters. I was looking for guidance on working with clients that, based on experiences that had nothing to do with me, I didn’t want to work with due to my own personal values.
These days, I have more control over who I work with, but I want to provide some insights I learned during that time that may be useful. While you don’t have to like a client to do your job as a social worker, it’s harder to do a good job when you actively dislike them.
In your personal life, you’re more likely to go above and beyond for someone you like. It’s harder to do this for someone you don’t like.
In a professional setting, you can’t really get away with this. Sometimes, these relationships improve over time, but when you find yourself not wanting to work with a client, here’s some guidance:
Your feelings are valid, but in this case, it’s less about why you don’t want to work with someone, and more about whether you realistically feel you can provide good care despite not liking your client. Ask yourself these questions:
- Can I provide competent service despite being apathetic towards this client?
- Can I work with this client without having a visceral reaction to working with them?
- Is countertransference the reason for me feeling uncomfortable working with this client?
- If I can’t work through this, is referring the client a possibility?
Countertransference is important, and should be explored with your supervisor or a trusted colleague. In my case, I never had personal experiences with violence by a man; however, meeting women over the years who’ve had this experience caused me to create this boundary for myself. Acknowledging this to a supervisor or trusted colleague can help determine if you can still work with the client. However, I wouldn’t recommend acknowledging this to the client, as you don’t know how they’ll respond to it. BUT should you choose to go there, talked this through with your supervisor or trusted colleague before meeting with your client.
Regarding referrals: It’s easier to refer a client after one or two sessions than well into the client-worker relationship. Especially if a reason wasn’t given for the referral, and this client sees you around at the office. Do your best to refer the client in a way that isn’t damaging. One way to discuss the referral is by acknowledging that you’re having trouble giving them the therapy that you think they need, and leave it at that.
Should you choose to continue working with the client, develop a strategy for navigating this working relationship. In my case, I was able to work through working with these clients by taking breaks before and after the session to clear my head. I also shortened the amount of time I spent in session with them. Admittedly, this was easy given the nature of clinical case management, but may not work when you had to provide 45-60 minute therapeutic sessions.
Key takeaway
Navigating client relationships can be tricky. Part of our growth as social workers is acknowledging when a boundary we’ve set for ourselves may impact the client-social worker relationship. Explore this discomfort and develop a plan for navigating it.
Raise Your Voice: How do you navigate working with clients that make you uncomfortable? Share below in the comments section.
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