Caption: Women bored in
class
URL: https://pixabay.com/en/women-university-you-bored-young-1687852/
URL: https://pixabay.com/en/women-university-you-bored-young-1687852/
What does a counselor do
when he or she has a client who does not want to be in counseling? This can be a very difficult place to be in,
because unless there is a desire to change, there will essentially be no change
and likely, both the counselor and the client will become frustrated at the
waste of time.
For individuals who
commit crimes against the community or family, counseling or therapy has become
an alternative to incarceration in hopes of rehabilitation rather than just
punishment (Waldman, 1999). These crimes
include crimes of sexual abuse, abusive or neglectful parents, and domestic
violence (Waldman, 1999). Shearer (2003)
makes the point that a counselor is “an agent of social control rather than an
agent of change” when dealing with parents who are at risk of losing their
children due to neglect or abuse. The
parents will go through counseling, not necessarily because of a desire to
change, but to avoid the potential consequences, therefore counseling becomes
more “political than therapeutic” (Shearer, 2003).
How then does the
counselor help the client set goals to correct the bad behavior—in regards to
court-ordered or parental/familial referred counseling—if the client does not
want to? Young (2017) writes that the
counselor is to develop the client/counselor relationship and work on other
goals that are important to the client in hopes of the client eventually
opening up and being willing to deal with the issue that brought them to
counseling. It is through connecting
with the client in other ways that the relationship could foster. This shows the importance of building rapport
with a client, no matter the offense, as well as being able to not be biased or
let personal values or countertransference get in the way or the therapeutic relationship.
References
Shearer, R. A. (2003,
Fall). Court ordered counseling: an ethical minefield for psychotherapists.
Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association, 6(3), 8+. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=vic_liberty&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA110807184&sid=summon&asid=20d5164fb67e67b4bc4853e9896dbef0
Waldman, F. (1999).
Violence or discipline? working with multicultural court-ordered clients.
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 25(4), 503-15. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/220971202?accountid=12085
Young, M. E. (2017).
Learning the art of helping: building blocks and techniques (6th ed.). Boston:
Pearson.
Julian,
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing on this topic. I, too, have wondering how to counsel people who are court-ordered. I often wonder, "How will someone get something out of the session, if they don't feel remorse or desire to change their behavior?" It is evident that this mandate of forced counseling isn't just a passive decision- people have seen the benefits and decided to implement it. Young continually reiterates the importance of building rapport and maintaining safe, welcoming, therapeutic relationship. It is incredible how someone who did not want to attend counseling can end up getting so much out of it when they are able to connect with the counselor's empathy. I hope one day I can be that kind of counselor who makes someone go from "I hate this" to "I love this, thank you."
Julian,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. I was wondering what I would do in a situation when my client is mandated to do counseling but refuses to take part in a session. You provide me with some insight and understanding on how I should handle this situation. It is important to make counseling about the client. Furthermore, avoiding your own biases and opinions that may influence the view of the client to provide a therapeutic relationship that promotes growth. Hopefully treating the client with respect will increase their desire to continue counseling and provide them with the help that is desired.
Julian, Your post opens up a very important topic of discussion: What does a counselor do when the client is forced into therapy? This is not an uncommon situation, especially when the court systems are trying to rehabilitate and not just incarcerate. This is where the therapeutic relationship can be a game changer. An individual who feels accepted by a therapist first may be more receptive to engaging in the therapeutic process. This is a reminder to counselors that the most powerful tool in the therapeutic environment is you.
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