Clinical I DB. Week 5

Do you agree or disagree, and why?

Student 1. P. Cordero

Winnicott concept I find relevant within my agency practice/ population is "The Holding Environment."  I understand that in social work we encounter many clients whose earlier holding environments have let them down or "dropped" them, jeopardizing their capacity for basic trust and leading to what Winnicott (1988a) called "unbearable agonies"—feelings of falling forever, of bodily dis- integration, of depersonalization and disorientation ( Applegate, 1993). This concept is relevant because without trust or a positive "holding environment" a client is more likely to be resistant. When a client is resistant it tends to be a defense mechanism which can interrupt a clinical relationship with a client to provide services that they may benefit from.  Winnicott discussed the importance of meeting clients "where they are at" to build a trusting relationship that will be productive and healthy.  I agree with Winnicot, I think it is important to meet a client where they are at, so the client does not feel uncomfortable or resistant to the clinical relationship. I believe a productive client - clinical relationship comes with patience to be able to develop a healthy "holding environment" that makes the client feel like they have not been "dropped." 

 

Student 2. E. Rodriguez

I currently find Winnicott’s concept of Transitional Objects and Phenomena, to be one of the most interesting clinical practice that is currently relevant to my population. This concept explains how sometimes as social workers, we become a “transitional object” or “symbolic substitute” that helps “active a self-soothing capacity” in situations where they experience ambivalence (p. 9).  We are at times our client’s own security blanket. The main goal of our agency is to help our clients stabilize their medical and mental health conditions by helping them adhere to their medical and mental health needs, thus preventing any re hospitalizations/ED visits. At first, we do some “hand holding” with our clients who have multiple issues, I would accompany them to their medical appointments and call them a day before and after to “check in” on how they were doing. I would do this until we have established a way for them to be more independent and agreed on a goal on  them being able to do certain things on their own, I found that many of them resort to calling me on an almost day to day or weekly basis to “check in” after they this transition on to these goals. I would get multiple calls from them, often repeating themselves to make sure everything was correct or to double check something. I realize now how this was their way to “self sooth” in the absence of my presence. It was a way of making sure they were going to be ok with going on their own to an appointment or meeting a new provider. It also made them feel better that I was still there to guide them and provide them reassurance. For some of our clients, we will be that security blanket until they find it in themselves to be able to do it on their own.