Problem:
Respond to colleagues:
Provide a suggestion for dealing with the negative feelings that can occur with terminating client relationships.
Identify a social work skill, and provide a specific example of how your colleague might use this skill to address challenges in termination.
Colleague Response:
When is it time to terminate service
As a social worker there will come a time to terminate service. It is always necessary to evaluate your accomplishments during the time you worked with your client. A social worker can use a method called target -problem scaling as it evaluates change over time. It is a process where a problem is identified, a plan is implemented, and changes in target problems are measured to determine if the problem has changed in severity or seriousness (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018). It is good to monitor change and once the evaluations show positive outcome and the client is ready the social worker should look to terminate services.
A professional relationship may end before a client achieves their goals
A relationship between a social worker and a client may end when a client refuses to answer the phone or schedule a meeting time with the social worker. If the social worker can'[t access their client and set a time and place over a long period of time, these actions may force the social worker to terminate.
In certain situations, clients may feel angry or disappointed depending on why the case was terminated and if they had control to turn the situation around.
Social workers feelings when they have to plan a termination and when there is an unplanned termination
In life we all are faced with situations that we have time to plan and process and some situations that happen abruptly and we have no control of the outcome. When there are positive end goals and a social worker can experience those accomplishments, it brings a time of happiness. If the relationship has to end before the social worker and client have a chance to end services. They can cause a sense of loss or abandonment. The social worker can feel disappointed and especially if the client makes the request. The social worker should try to maintain professionalism and should seek guidance and support from management and staff (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018).
Potential positive and one potential negative feeling a client might feel regarding both a planned and an unplanned termination of a therapeutic relationship.
A client may feel stressed and disappointed when therapeutic services end. A client may feel like they don't know where to turn if they feel they have so much more to accomplish.
If a client needed assistance with completing housing applications and they find housing and then their services are terminated the client would feel happy and content.
If a client meets with their therapist weekly but the therapist has to leave due to a family emergency and the therapist and the client have formed a bond. This will cause the therapist to slowly starts to end services weekly and move to monthly and then quarter due to termination of services. This may cause the client to feel confused and betrayed.
Clients' Feelings About Termination of Therapeutic Relationships
Clients may experience a variety of emotions when therapeutic services come to an end. These feelings often depend on the client's initial needs and whether those needs have been fulfilled. For example, clients who sought assistance with obtaining stable housing or enrolling in food assistance programs may feel grateful and satisfied upon reaching their goals, resulting in greater confidence about the termination of services. Alternatively, clients struggling with anxiety or depression, who engage in frequent and intensive sessions to build coping skills, may develop a deeper relationship with their worker. For these clients, ending the therapeutic relationship can lead to a sense of loss (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018). Need Assignment Help?
References:
Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H. Jr., (2018). Empowerment Series: Understanding Generalist Practice, 8th Edition. Cengage Learning (pp. 1-53). [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from vbk://9798214342399
Marmarosh, C. L., Thompson, B., Hill, C., Hollman, S., & Megivern, M. (2017). Therapists-in-training experiences of working with transfer clients: One relationship terminates and another begins.Links to an external site. Psychotherapy, 54 (1), 102-113.