Category: Social Work Category: Social Work (show less) Other: Virginia Other: Virginia (show less)

We’ve all encountered resistance and noncompliance in our therapeutic work with clients, receiving the proverbial “middle finger.” Most theories of counseling and social work acknowledge the presence of resistance and noncompliance as common therapeutic experiences and client responses. We might say their presence is more the rule than the exception. As such, social workers must recognize and address these dynamics in the therapeutic process in order to build credibility, trust, and engagement with the client. This session explores the etiology of resistant and noncompliant behaviors. It offers strategies to assess, challenge, and resolve these client responses based on the premise that these behaviors are “signals” to us that we need to respond differently.