This subject matter can be quite difficult to talk about and embarrassing to the individual in need.
While at a family function, I was able to approach my family member in a private manner and talk
about their situation. We agreed to speak further about the situation at my home the following day.
At the time, I had an extra bedroom available in my home. The family member came over the
following day and we discussed what exactly they felt they needed to become successful and what I
could offer to help them succeed. We agreed on an overall goal, a maximum amount of stay, discussed
the rules of the house as well as how they would contribute to the household, and a plan to reach the
goal within the agreed amount of time. They moved in a little under a week after the agreement was
made as they were temporarily staying with a friend. Things were a bit awkward at first, but soon after
move-in, things got settled and normalcy was established. The family member turned out to be an
incredible help around the house when not working their two jobs to save up and move out.
Eventually, they were able to find a roommate and move into an apartment earlier than the agreed-
upon maximum stay.
Our reading describes the different phases of the helping process as 1. preparation, 2. the client
arrives, 3. exploring the problem, 4. intervention strategies, and 5. ending client services (Woodside &
McClam, 2018). I find it fascinating that the situation of my family member moving into my home
aligns with the phases of the helping process without me even being aware of them 15 years ago.
Many years ago I had a friend call me because she couldn’t get her car started. I came to her location
with some jumper cables to see if the battery was the issue. After attempting to get the battery charged,
the car still did not start. So her car wouldn’t still be sitting there I asked her if she wanted me to get it
towed to a shop or to her home. My friend made the decision to get it towed to her house and I called
my AAA services to tow it to her house.
My book states that the helping process consists of preparing, the client arriving, exploring the
problem, intervention strategies, and ending client services. I’m my situation I prepared to face the
problem by bringing jumper cables. However, the client did not arrive, I drove to her. We explored the
problem by trying to see if the battery was the issue once we used the cables, but it did not work. The
issues was more serious. The intervention methods used were getting her car from the parking lot to
prevent it from being towed by a 3rd party and costing even more money, trying to get it to a shop to
have a professional look at it, or tow it to her house where she was going to have her mechanic look at
it. The services ended once her car was towed to the location.
Dealing with a lot of family issues lately. My parents live together in an apartment with my adult
sister. There is a lot of stress in the household, and it has put a lot of strain on everyone’s relationships
with each other. My father got hurt at work about three years ago and ultimately received a settlement
from a legal fight with the company he worked for, he doesn’t work. My mother is unemployed but is
the primary caretaker of one of my adult brothers who is partially paralyzed from drug use. My sister
that lives with my parents does not work and is often stirring the pot of issues between my parents.
Recently, my father has reached out to me and my partner about renting our basement. We have a split
level and currently, nobody uses the living space downstairs aside from the woodstove. Naturally, we
decided this could work if we could separate the two living spaces (I need a separate main living space
from my parents to maintain my own sanity). We’ve scheduled multiple meeting times to discuss how
to go about this transition, yet my parents have cancelled every single time. I’ve assumed that maybe
they’ve changed their minds, but recently my mom told me that my father and sister were packing for
the move and leaving her out of the loop. It appears my father is refusing to come up and talk to us,
with my mother, about this potential transition.
A couple of days ago, my mother reached out to me about how stressed out she is about possibly
moving. She is typically a person who doesn’t approach anybody about her feelings, so I treaded
carefully, asking her about what was causing her the most stress about it. She informed me that she
was scared about the drive. Since she helps my brother almost daily, she would have to travel from my
house to Manchester almost daily, which is about a 30–40-minute drive, one way. I acknowledged her
feelings and expressed that I understood why she would be nervous, especially with the upcoming
winter months. She seemed to feel as if I validated her concerns and continued to chat with me about
what was worrying her about a possible move up to my place.
Our textbook outlines five different stages in the helping process. These are preparation, arrival of the
client, exploring the problem, intervention strategies, and ending client services. (Woodside &
McClam, 2018) I had several conversations with my mother about moving in prior to this one
conversation, so I feel as though I had ample time to prepare for it. When she decided to approach me
with her anxiety, this told me she was willing to talk about it. Knowing my mother and how defensive
she can get and how quickly she can shut down, I was careful in choosing my words and tone. This
helped her feel comfortable enough to continue sharing with me. We brainstormed some ideas
together about how to go about this transition and though we have not made a complete break through
things have settled for the time being until her and my father come up to talk.
I had a relative struggle with alcohol abuse their appearance changed drastically and we wanted to
help them. Here are the steps my family and I took to solve their problem:
Preparation: We talked with a counsellor to figure out ways to address my relative’s alcohol problem,
and came up with ways to ease into the topic when we had the meeting.
The Client Arrives: When they arrived, we made sure we treated as a regular family occasion, so they
didn't feel uneasy. We made sure there was no alcohol present to prevent temptation, played games,
and caught up with how everyone is doing.
Exploring the Problem: As we got deeper into the conversation, some people left making things more
intimate. Then we asked if they are struggling with anything mentally, emotionally, or physically, and
what they do to cope. They expressed how they had been drinking heavily to go about their day.
Intervention Strategies: We came up with better solutions to ease the mental strain such as reading,
meditating, exercising, watching light-hearted movies, being surrounded by loved ones, finding a
hobby, and simply going to a counsellor or journaling everything. Every time they think about having
a drink, they can call one of us and talk about how they are feeling.
Ending Client Services: After the meeting, they felt a lot better about coming to us to talk, and they
have been going to AA meetings as well to talk about their bad habits. Since the meeting, they started
to come around more, became active, and started a new job. I'm glad we could help them during this
hard time and help them find better ways to cope.
References:
Woodside, M. R., & McClam, T. (2018). An Introduction to Human Services (9th ed.). Cengage
Learning US. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781337671262
Woodside, M. R., & McClam, T. (2019). An introduction to human services(9th ed.). Cengage
Learning.
Woodside, M. R., McClam, T. c (2018). An Introduction to Human Services, 9th Edition. [[VitalSource
Bookshelf version]]. c Retrieved from vbk://9781337671262
