
In many court-ordered therapy situations, the therapist may be required to share relevant information with the court. For example, if a person is ordered to remain sober and attend therapy sessions, a therapist will be forced to tell the court if their patient admits they have not remained sober.
Full Answer
What is an intervention in social work?
The term intervention is sometimes challenged within social work because of its suggestion of doing something to others without their consent. As with counseling and therapy, it is most valuable when put together as part of an alliance between social workers and service users (Parker, 2013).
What do social workers talk about with their clients?
The social worker encourages the service user to discuss aspects of their lives that are not a source of problems, adding a note of positivity often missed when focusing on obstacles and challenging aspects of their lives (Rogers et al., 2020). 2. Miracle questions
Are involuntary and voluntary clients likely to experience coercive interventions?
The feeling of coercion seems to be dependent of various determinants, many of which depend on the quality of the relationship with the service provider, and clinicians should therefore routinely consider that involuntary and voluntary clients have the potential to experience interventions as coercive (45).
What influences the selection of methods and interventions in social work?
The selection of methods and interventions is further influenced by the social worker’s underlying belief systems, value bases, and theoretical preferences. The term intervention is sometimes challenged within social work because of its suggestion of doing something to others without their consent.

What are effective strategies when working with involuntary clients?
Strategies were identified in the literature as being aids in the engagement process with involuntary clients. These aids for engagement with involuntary clients include a client- centered approach, Motivational Interviewing, stages of change, stages of group development and relational approaches.
How do you deal with involuntary clients?
Clear communication is crucial for engagement with involuntary clients. Engagement can be improved by making clear at every contact what the purpose of the intervention is, what the client has control over and what they do not, what is going to happen next and what the likely consequences will be.
What are some of the strategies you would use for trying to overcome the ambivalence and resistance of involuntary clients in a group?
Open-ended Questions – avoid yes/no questions.Affirmations – support and encourage.Reflections – repeat and clarify.
What are treatment modalities in social work?
These modalities include risk assessments, psychosocial assessments, counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, motivational interviewing, creative arts therapy, and experiential therapy.
How do social workers deal with difficult clients?
9 Simple Strategies to Dealing with Difficult Clients: Social Work EditionStay calm.Set boundaries.Respect the person.Read their body language.Fix the problem and leave immediately.Be empathetic.Build a rapport.Get other people's point of view on the situation.More items...•
What are the challenges faced by social workers who have to deal with potential clients referred by others?
Client resistance and reluctance are considered as two major challenges faced by a social worker while engaging with an involuntary client. Reluctance is related to the client's desire of not being close to the therapist or being engaged in any form of communication with the therapist about their personal lives.
What types of interventions might be appropriate to help the client become more focused or motivated?
Any clinical strategy that enhances client motivation for change is a motivational intervention. Such interventions can include counseling, assessment, and feedback.
What are some techniques you can use to overcome client resistance?
Quick tips“Stay out of the 'expert' position,” Mitchell says. ... “Don't collude with clients' excuses,” Wubbolding says. ... “When you encounter resistance, slow the pace,” Mitchell says. ... “Don't argue,” Wubbolding says. ... “Focus on details. ... Leave blame out of it, Wubbolding says.More items...•
What are some red flags that would indicate client resistance?
Such tactics that indicate a response style resistance can include: “discounting, limit setting, thought censoring/editing, externalization, counselor stroking, seductiveness, forgetting, last minute disclosure, and false promising.” Clients exhibiting this resistant behavior use guile to avoid talking about sensitive ...
What are the 3 levels of social work intervention?
Currently, there are three widely recognized levels of social work practice: micro, mezzo (meso), and macro social work. Although these levels are often spoke of as if they are distinct, it is important to recognize that these 'different levels' occur in tandem and constantly influence the other levels.
What are evidence-based interventions in social work?
EBP is a process in which the practitioner combines well-researched interventions with clinical experience, ethics, client preferences, and culture to guide and inform the delivery of treatments and services.
What are the three levels of social work intervention?
Social work theory generally places such interactions into three levels of intervention; micro, meso and macro.
How to assess social workers?
Typically, assessments are perspectives constructed at a particular time and place, and include the following elements (Parker, 2013): 1 Preparation, planning, and engagement involve working with the individual requiring support to introduce the need to perform an assessment and agree how the social worker will carry it out. 2 Collecting data and forming a picture help social workers understand the situation better. 3 Preliminary analysis includes interpreting the data and testing out “thoughts and hunches” (Parker, 2013, p. 314). 4 Deeper analysis and shared negotiation are required following testing to put together an interpretation. This can offer the client or referrer an alternative way of viewing the problem. 5 Construct an action plan collaboratively.
What is social work confronted with?
Every day social workers are confronted with people who experience “oppression, discrimination, and poverty” and must make sense of a deluge of conflicting and contradictory information (Rogers et al., 2020, p. 2). Finding appropriate methods and models can help make sense of the experiences of others.
What is group work?
Groupwork offers several different functions, including social control, social action, education, and therapy. Some groups have expected outcomes or goals, while others are more organic, allowing the purpose to develop as the group evolves.
What is group work in domestic violence?
Group work can offer a forum for groups of people who have experienced domestic violence. However, the facilitator must ensure that no one individual asserts power over the group and that there are no barriers to inclusion or participation (Rogers et al., 2020).
How can self awareness help with domestic violence?
Self-awareness can help manage conflict between social workers and service users in cases of domestic abuse. Being aware of personal feelings and beliefs, maintaining focus, and being clear and direct can help when tensions rise (Edmondson & Ashworth, 2020). Domestic violence is extremely damaging.
What is the framework of social work?
A framework that offers a clear process for social workers to engage with service users and implement appropriate interventions is, however, vital. As a result, social work has combined various interdisciplinary concepts and social work theories with firsthand, experiential knowledge to develop an evidence base for social workers’ decisions.
Is collaborative practice best practice?
Assumptions should not be made regarding the individual’s capacity to grow and change. Collaborative practice is best practice. Every environment is rich in resources. “Social work is about care, care-taking and hope” (Rogers et al., 2020, p. 244).
What is court ordered therapy?
Court-ordered therapy is meant to be a catalyst for change, for an individual or family who, is at any time, involved in the legal system and subsequently ordered by a judge or magistrate to participate in therapy with a mental health provider.
What are the guidelines for a therapist?
Here is the list of guideline topics, created by The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, for all court-involved and court-ordered therapists to follow: 1 Assessing Levels of Court Involvement 2 Professional Responsibilities 3 Competence 4 Multiple Relationships 5 Fee Arrangement 6 Informed Consent 7 Privacy, Confidentiality, and Privilege 8 Methods and Procedures 9 Documentation 10 Professional Communication
Can a clinician be subpoenaed?
This is an important factor in choosing the right clinician, as it is likely that the clinician may be subpoenaed in court to test ify as a fact witness. The clinician should be a mental health professional who should be aware of, and following, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) guidelines for Court Involved Therapy.
What is the most basic form of court-ordered treatment?
The intensity required is dictated in part by the level of offense and a person’s previous legal involvement. 1. Educational Programs. The most basic form of court-ordered treatment is educational programming. Drug education programs are often favored for their ease of accessibility and cost-effectiveness.
What is court ordered rehab?
Court-ordered treatment for substance use disorders is often given as a consequence for drug-related offenses. While court-ordered rehab is sometimes viewed as a “free pass,” it has many requirements and consequences for non-compliance.
What is an outpatient program?
Outpatient programs include both group and individual counseling. Court-ordered outpatient treatment programs provide a more in-depth level of care. In many cases, an intensive outpatient program (IOP) may be required. IOP consists of attending group counseling multiple days each week for several hours at a time in addition to receiving individual counseling and psychiatric services.
How long does it take to get treatment in a residential program?
Residential programs remove a person from the community for an average of 28 days to receive full-time treatment, though there are many options that provide shorter or longer-term care.
What is community based drug rehab?
Community-based drug rehabilitation programs may be mandat ed for offenders who have been arrested multiple times, those on house arrest, or during re-entry from long-term incarceration. Community-based programs may consist of daily services and often are provided within the setting of a halfway house.
What is a drug court?
Drug court is a program run by the judicial system aimed at reducing future criminal activities while alleviating the burden and cost of incarcerating non-violence offenders. Drug court is an opportunity to receive treatment and education that requires complete abstinence from substances, including alcohol.
Is court ordered treatment as effective as voluntary treatment?
Thus, court-ordered treatment may be as effective as voluntary treatment.
Educational Programs
Educational programs are the most common type of court ordered treatment because they are the most accessible treatment program. In 2007, according to the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 71% of prisons in America had a program to educate and promote awareness of substance abuse and addiction.
Group Counseling Programs
After educational programming, group counseling was the second most common court ordered alcohol or drug treatment. Group counseling usually takes the form of a common 12-step model, like Alcoholics Anonymous. Many of these programs focus on developing problem-solving skills and how to cope with addiction triggers.
Residential Programs
The Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) is a treatment program that is separated from rest of the prison population. In this community, cognitive behavioral therapy is used and offenders participate in a half day of programming and the other half of the day is either work school or other vocational activities.
Outpatient Programs
Outpatient treatment is usually for reserved for those who do not qualify for the residential drug abuse program and are only serving a short sentence.
Community-Based Programs
Community based programs are often halfway houses or individuals on home confinement with the goal to help offenders when they are in a vulnerable time of transition. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has community partners that assist with social work, counseling, and other psychiatric services.
What is client centered therapy?
This approach to therapy is client-centered and utilizes tools and techniques from other approaches. Any therapist can integrate techniques from another modality. Patients are individuals and may respond to treatment in individual ways, hence the need to shift techniques to serve clients well.
What is behavioral therapy?
It works from the belief that behavior is learned and that it can be modified through interventions with a therapist.
What is a therapist's skill?
Therapists develop their skills to serve their patients best, using any of a multitude of techniques to reach each patient as an individual. Some of these techniques can, however, be used in your own life too. Some clients are comfortable just being heard by their therapist.
What is drama therapy?
Drama therapy is the use of theatrical techniques to promote positive mental health and foster personal development (Landy, 1994). Here’s another excellent article outlining drama therapy and the activities that go along with it.
Is therapy commonplace?
With stress, anxiety, and depression at epidemic levels across the world, therapy has become more commonplace. Therapy is available in schools, hospitals, and even churches. Many modalities are finding preventive therapy to be helpful in preventing high-risk behaviors (Singla, 2018). In order to help spread good therapy practice, ...
Is therapy a one size fits all approach?
Therapy is not a “one size fits all” approach to emotional healing. Finding the type of therapy that results in improvement for each individual starts with knowing what types exist.
What is court mandated treatment?
Much like the title itself, this is treatment that is ordered by the court. A client can be mandated to treatment for a number of reasons:
Do Clients Have to Participate in Court Mandated Treatment?
The title ‘court mandated’ may seem as though the client has no choice whether or not to participate. Even with court mandated clients, we still honor their right to self-determination. We cannot force clients to participate in treatment. We do want to be up front about the consequences if they do not participate.
Honoring Self-Determination with Court Mandated Clients
Self-determination can obviously be tricky when clients know the consequences of not attending. Additionally, certain information (reviewed during intake and informed consent) is required to be shared with the courts regarding progress. This can lead to client’s not always being as open and honest as they would be in traditional treatment.
ASWB Practice Question
A social worker meets for an initial session with a court mandated client. The client seems closed off and suspicious in communication and states “I’m not going to share anything until I know everything will be kept confidential between us.” What should the social worker do FIRST:
ASWB Masters and Clinical Exam Preparation
Did you answer this month’s free ASWB practice question correctly? Are you feeling ready to tackle any scenarios on court mandated clients the exam may throw your way? If you’re preparing for your LMSW or LCSW exams, TDC has programs that will get you ready to pass your exam with confidence.

What Is Court-Ordered Rehab?
Drug Courts
Reasons For Court-Ordered Treatment
Types of Court-Ordered Treatment
Effectiveness of Court-Ordered Treatment
- Research reveals that the effectiveness of court-ordered substance abuse treatment is comparable to voluntary treatment. Some studies have even shown that court-ordered participants have higher treatment completion rates than voluntary participants. Receiving treatment has the potential to increase a person’s desire to stop usingand enhance motivat...
Who Pays For Court-Ordered Treatment?
Can You Refuse Court-Ordered Treatment?
How to Choose A Court-Ordered Treatment Program