This is a clinical example of how the humanistic approach can give hope to staff, even if the patient appears to give back only negative confirmations. The case is from “Motivational Work Part 1: Values and Theory” page 23.
The Case Study
The staff at a psychiatric unit have undergone several years of supervisory support and training in motivational work. The unit houses a young schizophrenic woman, Pat, who’s very aggressive and is known to have assaulted the staff on more than one occasion.
Her attacks are impulsive and violently frenetic. She has already tried to poke out a staff member’s eye, for instance, and has poured scalding hot coffee over another. She makes regular verbal threats and has repeatedly tried to take her own life.
On one occasion she managed to come across some scissors in the kitchen with which she immediately tried to stab herself in the abdomen, and would have succeeded if she had not been restrained by a vigilant member of staff.
Despite all this, the personnel feels increasingly determined to help Pat, as they can see a point in still trying to motivate her. Pat is a common topic during supervision sessions, during which the staff gives vent to their feelings of hopelessness and despair.
Nevertheless, they are always able to recover their humanistic approach to Pat and see purpose in continuing their efforts to help her. Eventually, the supervisor no longer needs to raise the issue of humanism as the staff are able to deal with their feelings of hopelessness directly and unprompted.
Their desire to see Pat transferred gradually subsides as their unwillingness to abandon her grows stronger. The hopelessness and despair do not disappear as such, they simply fade as their humanism shines brighter.
Conclusion
As already mentioned, a humanistic approach is not enough on its own to motivate the motivators. What it does provide is a rock upon which to build a basic sense of optimism around Pat. The personnel must also be equipped with sound methods of handling Pat’s aggressive behaviour so that they can help her boost her own motivation and quell her anti-social tendencies.
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