For the commitment of a motivational worker to be convincing, his actions must demonstrate that he cares. It requires more life energy to act than to merely convey the emotion, and acting can transmit more life energy (Motivational Work, Part 2: Motivational Relationship, page 23).
Case Study
25-year-old Anneli is a drug abuser. Some days after being forced into rehabilitation, her mother dies. The funeral takes place a week later. Two members of staff, Kristoffer and Nanna, accompany Anneli to the funeral to watch over her and provide support. During the funeral, Nanna, the female carer, notices how bad her client is feeling and is concerned for her. After the ceremony, Anneli tries to escape by running for a bus.
Feeling that she can’t leave her client to her own devices, Nanna rushes after Anneli but is too late. Shouting and waving she tries in vain to get the bus to stop. Refusing to give up, Nanna continues to run after the bus, which is moving slowly in the heavy traffic. She catches up with the bus and manages to make eye contact with Anneli, but then has to give up when the bus increases its speed.
Anneli goes to her flat, intending to kill herself. However, she changes her mind and rings the institution, asking them to come and fetch her. After a while, two members of staff turn up in a car and drive her back to rehab.
Discussion
Intuitively, Nanna feels that it is vital to prevent Anneli from absconding. Through her emotional commitment and actions, she demonstrates that her client has value as a person. The positive affirmation of Nanna’s actions entails providing Anneli with life force and strengthening the bond between her and Nanna and the rest of the staff. In this way, Anneli is provided with a counterweight to her own destructiveness. The injection of life energy is present when she is sitting alone in her flat and it prevents her from committing suicide. Evidence of Anneli having bonded further with the institution is that she calls them on her own initiative to ask to be taken back into enforced care.
Motivational Work is opposite to quick fix - Moitvatiojnal Work
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