Working with Clients Who See Only Negativity
By William A. Howatt Ph.D., Ed.D., ICADC Post Doc UCLA School of Medicine

Jim is a 42-year-old alcoholic who has gambled all his money – his wife has left him; he has lost his job; and because of his alcoholic behavior, he has lost all his friends.

Clients like Jim challenge a counselor's ability to be positive. People need to think positive in order to act positive. Counselors are no different when helping a person whose life is turned upside down and who appears to have no resources.

Counselors need to stay positive and have the energy and commitment to look for potential in every client, regardless of their situation. This may be difficult and even unrealistic to do all the time, but a counselor should not accept or buy into a client's negativity. A counselor who takes care of their thinking has more energy, resources, and creativity to explore different strategies and solutions. If they do not constantly monitor their own thinking when working with negative people day in and day out, counselors may be influenced to think negatively.

It can be difficult for a counselor to maintain a positive frame of reference with challenging clients. I am referring to the ability to see a positive outcome and good opportunities for a client whenever and wherever it can be found, and to be able to express this positively when faced with one who sees only negativity, dismay, and no hope for the future. Counseling clients who are in a negative place can negatively impact a counselor's thinking. The counselor must strive to see more positives in challenging situations where the average lay person would say there is no hope or potential.

Carl Rogers taught the importance of believing in the potential of a client to do what needs to be done to live a quality life. As a counselor working with high-risk clients for nearly 20 years, it is a challenge to combine theory with reality and to find potential in clients. I try not to not buy into a client's negative model of the world or that of other professionals who may say the case is hopeless.

There are days when it would be much easier for me to not care, become detached to protect myself, and say there is nothing I can do because the client is in denial or is not motivated. But somehow, I have learned from brilliant mentors like William Glasser, the author of choice theory, that it is not my job to make excuses. Clients are pros at this.

My job is to assist the client to find a path to healthier choices and learn new behaviors. It is ultimately the client's responsibility, but as a counselor, I must never give up.

What can you do as a counselor to evaluate your current thinking? First, evaluate how you stay positive. Secondly, assess how positive your thinking is about your client's potential in general.

To do this, write down your thinking so you can analyze it without filtering it. Keep a log of your internal thinking for two weeks to define your thinking and perceptions about the client's potential. If you are not as positive as you want to be, accept this as your first win. This is important, as you have defined what you want as opposed to what you have.

Now you are ready to start to develop or implement strategies to stay positive, and to see the potential in clients regardless of their situation. These strategies include: evaluating your current life management plan to determine if it is working; assessing your professional development plan to see if you are expanding your skills as a counselor on a yearly basis; and discussing tough cases with a mentor.

William A. Howatt, PhD, EdD, ICADC, a postdoc at the UCLA School of Medicine, serves on the faculty of Nova Scotia Community College and is co-editor of the Wiley Book series on Treating Addictions.