Podcast 1st Phase of Treatment

Abstract

The podcast that will be discussed in this paper will look at the first phase of treatment also known as the helping process. The first phase of treatment is usually the initial meeting with the client and involves resolving the client’s problems and promoting their clients problem solving skills. The main areas of concern in the first phase of treatment include exploring the client’s problem, establishing rapport and enhancing motivation, formulating a multi-dimensional assessment, mutually negotiating goals and formulating a contract, and finally making referrals.

Introduction

In the first phase of treatment or the helping process, is established at the beginning of the treatment phase, and focuses on the clients presenting problems. If the client I’m working with has been mandated by the courts, the primary concern would be to first focus on their specific legal issue. The next step in this process would be to place emphasis on any serious health and safety concerns that may require immediate attention.  An example of this would include if the client is a danger to themselves or others. Assessing if the client is a clinical risk should be established in the first meeting.

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During the first meeting with the client which is also known as the intake process, the main objective is to establish the clients presenting problems. The presenting problem is the client’s true understanding of why he or she needs help. In most cases the client does not understand the full capacity of all of their problems; therefore we must understand that the issue that the clients have come in for may in fact be an underlying problem and not the actual presenting problem. In trying to decipher the true presenting problem the social worker should ask open-ended questions, which allows the client to describe the event and closed-ended questions for more detailed response. The social worker should keep in mind that assess pieces of information the client discloses as well as observe their interactions and body language.

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Another key concept in the first phase of treatment is to build substantial rapport with the client.  In order for the worker to establish rapport the worker should be sure to attend during the interviewing process which allows the client to see that he is listening and trying to relates to the issues at hand.  The first meeting with the client is the most important because it can determine the willingness to disclose information to the worker.

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The worker should also try self-disclosure to show the client how well they can relate, while remembering not to disclose too much information. Next the worker should demonstrate a commitment to the confidentiality agreement as well as the client’s right to self determination. Self determination allows the worker to work with the client on making a treatment plan while allowing the client to making the overall decision to what they would like to happen.  The worker should also demonstrate signs of empathy, which will promote trust and understanding with the client, therefore the worker should always be conscious of verbal as well as non-verbal response.

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A multi-dimensional assessment allows the worker to gather and formulate relevant information which helps develop an image of the clients and their circumstances. The importance of the intake process is so that the social worker is able to generate a Biopsychosocial. The Biopsychosocial is short for biological, psychological, and social factors which all play a role in the initiation and maintenance of a problem. The clients culture is important to keep in mind if the clients have a mental disorder due to some mental disorders are specifically relevant to certain cultures. Mental capacity and substance abuse issues can attribute to the client providing unreliable information.

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Another concept that is important in the treatment phase is the assessment. The assessment is used to identify the needs and wants of the client. Needs are defined as the universal necessities, such as adequate nutrition, housing, and health care, while wants refer to the strong desire that motivates behavior and enhances the clients sense of well-being. An assessment should be documented after each interview with the client. All assessments must be validated.

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Anything that a social worker does for the client is known as intervention. Intervention must be based on an accurate and complete assessment of the problem.  The worker must always remember to take in account the clients a review, regarding what is the best solution to resolve his problem and allow him to participate on choosing the intervention. As mentioned before this is also a part of the self-determination process

. What is most interesting about this podcast?

The most interesting portion of the podcast occurred with the discussion over self- determination. This emphasized that as a worker we must keep in mind we are working with the client to help resolve all issues at hand. I would share with others that the first phase of the treatment plan is the most important because it is the initial contact with the client and will detriment the entire relationship you have with the client.

What can you share with other students about this podcast?

In conclusion I Believe that as workers we must keep in mind that not all clients know the true extent of their problems and it is up to us to help discover these issues and find out what works best with the client.