As McClam's chapter seven (2018) describes, the helping process consists of five stages. Among them
are preparation, client arrival, problem exploration, strategies for intervention, and closing the client
relationship. I am familiar with these stages from a professional perspective, having come into contact
with human service specialists during my former career. Yet, I have realized that they also play an
essential role in my daily life. Thus, my reflection draws on what I read in the textbook, the overview,
my experiences in the helping process, and meaningful interactions.
When it comes to being classified as a “best friend”, there are many benefits; depending on the
circumstances, they can take on various roles. In addition to having numerous attributes, befriending
someone can also provide a range of responsibilities. It started out when my best friend, who has a
high pain tolerance, complained about feeling pain in her breast area and felt a knot during self-
examination. Seeing her nervous and learning that she did not have mammograms annually, my
stomach sank. In that moment, I realized we had never discussed this issue personally, and I felt a
sense of guilt for that. Eventually, the thoughts of "would of, should of" passed, forcing us to face the
here and now.
As I knew her character traits, it took some finesse to convince her to make an appointment with the
doctor, sooner than later, and I offered to go with her if she requested. There is no greater sense of
conscientiousness than finding out that a person you love has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The
following stages of the helping process are compared to understanding and offering support to a friend
in crisis.
Preparation- In our reading, helpers should remember that the client has been preparing for the first
meeting as well. As part of the preparation process, barriers can often create anxiety, shame, or
curiosity among clients (Woodside & McClam, 2018). Due to my longstanding relationship with this
individual and her family, there was no need for preparation. Following our conversation with the
specialist, I reassured her that we would be able to determine a potential course of action together.
Despite not receiving the diagnosis we had hoped for, I told her it was not indicative of what God had
in store for her, which soothed her anxiety.
Client- A smile, a handshake, and an introduction establish a climate of respect and acceptance when
a client enters the office. Clients usually come to you with problems, feeling vulnerable and
sometimes experiencing pain or discomfort, thereby making the use of icebreakers or door openers
beneficial (Woodside & McClam, 2018). In my case, there was no need to break the ice since we had
a long-established friendship, and in fact, I knew what was going on the moment I spoke to my friend.
Exploring the Problem- In exploring the problem with the client, it is important to consider the client's
perspective. The concept of the whole person and the multidimensionality of problems will also guide
this phase of the helping process. After identifying the problems, we can move on to solving them
(Woodside & McClam, 2018). Initially, I was the only one my best friend confided in, and I
accompanied her to the biopsy. The first few weeks were unsettling, and it was difficult for her to
control her emotional state; she was experiencing days of hope and despair, courage and fear, anger,
and uncertainty, dealing with her adjustment stress, and feeling vulnerable. Understandably, emotions
like fear and worry are born out of anger. In spite of this, she relied on me, which made me incapable
of interpreting her actions personally. She approached me regarding the idea of me raising her
children. Despite being sympathetic to her perspective, I disagreed with her notions of morbidity,
declining her proposal, and engaging her to provide a more effective approach. By actively listening, I
enabled her to express her fears, concerns, as well as how she perceived her ethnicity contributed to
her health issue and of her circumstance.
Intervention Strategies- This stage involves setting and determining goals and the process for reaching
those goals. This time is spent focusing on client empowerment, client self-sufficiency, and
developing client strengths. The client's aspirations, desires, personal, social, and environmental
resources, strengths, and barriers must all be considered. In the intervention process, culture must be
taken into account (Woodside & McClam, 2018). We held a family meeting, and everyone
participated; my friend shared her goals, wishes, personal and economic resources, abilities, and
obstacles. It took no time for us to develop a network. We met with the clinician staff and requested
aid from support services. We were asked to assist her with her children, accompany her to medical
appointments, and listen to her doctor's treatment plans, including the full range of chemo, surgery,
and radiation. We prepared activity charts for our planning, organization, schedules, and journal
keeping. It wasn’t all business, we ensured she continued to participate in group activities or her
customary interests. Having known that she was a strong woman, the more I reassured her, the more
her confidence began to return. After exploring different treatments and consulting with her doctor,
we were comforted to know what was going on. By reading medical sites, I gained a deeper
understanding of what my friend was concerned about and how culture impacted her prognosis.
Ending Services- At the end of the helping process or at the termination of client services, the final
stage occurs. Clients and helpers may end their relationship in a variety of ways. Providing the needed
services and making both parties satisfied with the results is the most positive conclusion (Woodside
& McClam, 2018). There was no ending of services between my friend and me. Providing emotional
and physical support to her and her family has been my role in her life and hers in mine. On November
21, 2022, at 10:30 AM, surrounded by family, friends, and the cheering of clinic staff and patients, my
best friend, rang the cancer free bell, signifying her victory and a new beginning.
One time I had helped a friend and a family member out at one point of a time around the same time
and let’s say I didn’t get the help I was supposed to get from either one of them or it didn’t really hurt
me because I did a lot for them both at the same time. Things started changing for my family member.
That person ended up getting their own place and got evicted as much as I didn’t want to let that
person back, I had got a call before asking if I could do it. The type of person I am I couldn’t say no
because we were close like our bond couldn’t be broken but things change it wasn’t the same between
us until this day it’s still not the same, but I don’t judge or anything regardless of the situation because
I was always told two wrongs don’t make a right. My friend I had helped that person because that
person helped me out when I needed the help, but that person messed up everything for me and my
children and never again I had let that person come back around I kept my distance and I been feeling
like a better person because I just focus on my children and myself being positive and keeping that
negative away from me. I have come along way helping them, but I had solved the problem by staying
to myself because it’s only so much I can do to help a person and they don’t want the help sometimes
when giving it.
A few years ago, I had helped another friend because she was going through a situation that she didn’t
need to go through, and I see all the wrong things that was happening to her, but she wasn’t seeing it
herself, so I kept helping her out being a good friend. I had told her that the person she was hanging
out with was a bad influence on her and she didn’t need someone like her in her life that’s going to
keep doing things she had never done before. She was addicted to it and I really had to let her
understand she had a son that looks up to her more than anything and she is all he got besides her
family and he didn’t want anything to happen to his mom which I made her understand that so she had
made the right choice by stop talking to her and better herself because she started seeing everything I
was saying about the person she was hanging out with at the time.
There are five different stages in the helping process:
Preparation
Initial Stage/Meeting
Exploring the Problem
Intervention Strategies
Ending Client Services/ Termination
Helping can take many forms, such as gathering information from the client and other sources,
looking for assistance, deciding how to solve a problem, and talking about feelings. The best thing to
do for a person is help them, especially when they really need it if they go through a rough time. It
hurts to see our friends or loved ones go through something and sometimes it’s hard for them to help
themselves so we must do what we can to do the right thing by helping them out. I can sit here and talk
about my story of helping so many people because I have, from being a teenager to an adult, and I can
say they have really come a long way through their journey with just me being the supportive person
that I am today.
References
Woodside, M. R., & McClam, T. (2018). An Introduction to Human Services (9th ed.). Cengage
Learning US. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781337671262
