Help the Client tell

her/his story
Learn to work with all kinds of story telling
• Individual styles- some people really have very few words to say, while others have a
million
• Cultural stories- some cultures may prohibit openness, or have a style different to
what you are used to. EG- a child might only respond to closed questions, or one
word answers
• Telling stories with reluctance- some clients may be reluctant to divulge information
that is vital for the case- do not pressurize them
• Some clients may only talk about the negative, while others may only focus on the
positive
 Identifying issues of concern
• Start where the client starts
• ASSESS THE SEVERITY OF THE CLIENT’S PROBLEMS- help the
client put the problem in perspective or to teach him or her how to
distinguish between degrees of problem severity.
• HELP CLIENTS CLARIFY KEY ISSUES
• HELP CLIENTS DISCUSS THE CONTEXT OF THEIR CONCERNS
 Help clients tell their story
• HELP CLIENTS SPOT UNUSED OPPORTUNITIES
• AS CLIENTS TELL THEIR STORIES, HELP THEM BEGIN TO SEARCH FOR
UNUSED RESOURCES
• HELP CLIENTS SEE EVERY PROBLEM AS AN OPPORTUNITY- lessons
learnt
• HELP CLIENTS USE THE TIME BETWEEN SESSIONS PRODUCTIVELY
• HELP CLIENTS TALK PRODUCTIVELY ABOUT THE PAST- make sense,
reconcile, build on their successes
 Help clients tell their story
• Use a mix of tuning in, listening, empathy, probing, and summarizing, to
help clients tell their stories, share their points of view, discuss their
decisions, and talk through what they want to do as concretely as possible.
• Use probes when clients get stuck, wander about, or lack clarity.
• Understand blocks to client self-disclosure and provide support for clients
having difficulty talking about themselves.
• Invite clients to reframe their stories and develop new perspectives.
 help clients to work on issues that add
value to their lives
• Helping clients set goals that make a difference…
• help clients formulate strategies and plans for constructive change
• Help clients to brainstorm a range of strategies for accomplishing their goals
• help clients choose action strategies that best fit their needs and resources
• help clients draw up a plan – step by step towards accomplishing their goal
• don’t force clients to come up with solutions/ Take decisions, but rather provide choice
structure
• Help clients build on their successes