Counselling Difficult Clients

Counselors and other mental health professionals will inevitably encounter clients who are difficult to work with because they do not conform with the basic requirements of forming a trusting relationship and accepting help or advice. Such clients can place enormous strain on those who are trying to help them and this book sets out a range of practical guidelines for the management of these difficult, disturbed, or disturbing clients. The authors concentrate on the everyday difficulties of the transaction between practitioner and client in their respective social contexts, rather than locating the problems solely within the client and indicate ways in which these difficulties can be successfully overcome. Complementing rather than competing with practitioners own treatment styles, Working with Difficult Clients acknowledges that not all professionals have access to team-based resources. Providing practical advice backed up by carefully chosen examples and with a sound theoretical base, this book will be an invaluable resource for counselors, probation officers, social workers, and other mental health professionals.