6. Your client just told you that their pet dog was run over
by a car. The client begins to cry. What do you do?
This would be a
tough situation for me because even though I see the client is crying I have to
remember to not comfort them in a friendly way but rather a professional way. I
do not want to have a dual relationship with my client so in this situation I have
to be very careful the way I approach it. Instead of rubbing their back and
giving them affection, I would just tell them I am very sorry for their loss
and tell them to let it all out if they need to. I am pretty bad as it is at
comforting my own friends so having to deal with a client crying would be a
whole new experience for me. I would make sure the client feels completely
comfortable and knows that I am here to listen to whatever they need to vent
about. I would make sure not to give
them too much affection, such as back rubbing etc because some people do not
like to be touched and I have to remember everyone is different with the way
they want to be comforted. Also in this
type of situation privacy is key. I would make sure that this discussion is
only between my client and me and I would not want to get my supervisor
involved because I feel like it could just make things worse. I would make sure that it is behind closed
doors and that no one else sees the client crying. Basically in this type of
situation I would make sure that the client is comfortable even though they are
in pain because the pain will go away and the comfort will stay.
I will feel the same way as you do! as much as i think that a hug or rubbing the back of the person that is crying is a natural thing to do, as human service proffesionals we have to be very careful when trying to show affection or trying to comfort the client. In this situation is really hard to comfort the client because as we can see the dog meant a lot for this client; I think that letting the patient express his/her feelings is one of the best things to do because not only he is letting all the anger or sadness out of his/her body but the client is also feeling that you care for his/her situation. it may be helpful that you show some empathy when the client is expresing his/her feelings to connect more with the client.
ReplyDeleteI Do agree with you on you're concerns. People have different beliefs, cultures and religions. Personal space is an important factor to remind ourselves to give clients space. When i see someone crying i want to comfort that person or giving them a hug. A simple hug can be a trigger for some people and cause a conflict. Expressive Arts Therapy can be an important factor when someone is going throughout a loss. Therapy can courage imagination and can unlock our inner feelings. which art has an influence on how we look at the world and ourselves.
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