LCSW and Mandatory Client- initial meeting

This is a video of a mandatory client and a social worker meeting for the first time. The first skill the social worker uses is telling the client about her confidentiality obligations, as well as clarifying expectations. She says she wants them to work together, and she wants to help him, but she needs to get to know him first. She also says she wants to hear his story even though she heard it from the court system. This shows him that she isn’t part of the legal system in terms of punishment, but she wants to get to know him. The social worker uses verbal following skills by nodding, saying yes, maintaining eye contact. She also repeats his statements back to him to make sure she is hearing him correctly and to show him she wants to learn about him. This empathic communication helps build trust and rapport between her and the client. She asks both open ended and close-ended questions when necessary. At the end, she summarized the situation and encourages him to come back, showing that she knows he may choose not to but she hopes he will. She also recognizes his opposing feelings about his kids going to school and him working. However, at one point, the social worker says “I’m sorry” which is something we should avoid saying. I hope this video demonstrates some communication skills to you!

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