The approach toward the unmotivated is the opposite, which means seeing the contact rebus
The approach toward the unmotivated is the opposite of that one takes toward the motivated. If one treats an unmotivated client as if he is motivated, his highly transmuted contact rebus will remain unsolved, and he will receive negative feedback.
Conversely, if we see the motivated client as unmotivated, he receives negative feedback, which, at worst, can be tantamount to abuse. Judging whether the client is unmotivated or motivated is part of the conscious interpretation that the motivational worker performs and the first stage of this process (Motivational Work: Values and Theory, Part 1, pages 629 – 669).
Case Study
A Very Unmotivated Client
Daniel, 45, has been abusing drugs for many years and has been in sporadic contact with the social welfare office’s drug group. Two months ago, he had his flat decontaminated as it was in such a filthy state. The toilet was broken, and the client was using the bathtub instead while he had thrown his household waste into a corner of his sitting room.
Paying Him a Visit
Once his flat has been cleaned up, he fails to contact the drug group, so a social worker, Annette, visits him and finds him lying on his mattress drunk.
Refuses Help
Daniel has a cut on his leg, which seems badly infected, and his flat is just as bad a state as before. Annette believes he might have advanced blood poisoning and calls a doctor, who soon arrives at the flat.
However, he refuses to be examined, and the doctor says he cannot do anything as Daniel does not want help. After a brief discussion, the doctor leaves. Annette is very concerned about her client and feels she cannot leave him alone, so she calls an ambulance.
Needs Immediate Help
When it arrives, he refuses to be taken to the hospital and begs them to buy him some beers. The paramedics call the hospital, which dispatches a doctor. He establishes that Daniel is in a severe state and requires immediate medical help.
The Approach toward the Unmotivated is Opposite
At the same time, he judges that Daniel is in no condition to look after himself and starts arranging for him to be removed to the hospital following the law (regarding enforced hospitalization due to mental illness). Annette continues to motivate him to receive help. In the end, Daniel willingly departs for the hospital.
Discussion
Contact Rebus
Here, the social worker decides that the client’s refusal to accept treatment is a contact rebus and that he wants help. Legally, however, she is required to respect his wishes, just like the first doctor. Yet she is unable to leave him to his fate. The contact rebus she has to deal with is very difficult, for she feels responsible for Daniel’s life.
If, instead, she interpreted his wishes as genuine, she would have been leaving him to die. At the same time, Annette would have experienced despair and hopelessness.
The Approach toward the Unmotivated is Opposite
Because she understands that, deep down, he wants help, she finds the situation meaningful and inspiring. Seeing Daniel’s indirect cry for aid keeps Annette committed and hinders her loose hope. On the contrary, she can communicate her engagement and hope to her client, strengthening his motivation. In the end, Daniel agrees to go to the hospital while still concealing his positive desire behind the threat of enforced treatment.
Summary
The client can have varying degrees of demotivation. Knowledge of these stages (Motivational Work, Part One, pages 626 – 670) improves the motivational worker’s ability to recognize insufficient motivation and see changes as his work progresses.
The Approach toward the Unmotivated is the Opposite
The very unmotivated client can be likened to a drowning man. In his desperation, he shouts for help but can only do so in an indirect way. The more he risks sinking, the louder and more obscurely he calls, as his communication attempts become more indirect and destructive.
Typically, he loudly refuses to be helped. The client is in a demotivational process that he cannot stop, and as he loses life energy, the danger of his drowning grows ever more real.
Protection and Commitment
If you can see his indirect cry for help, you can recognize meaning and hope in the situation. The approach to the unmotivated is the opposite of how you meet the motivated client. You do not listen to what he is communicating on the surface but concentrate on the indirect message. In this way, you both protect yourself from being burnt out and can continue being committed.
