A Social Worker’s First Meeting with a Client: Preparing in Steps
Example: Steps of Preparation for Meeting a New Client at a theoretical community-based mental health agency called Horizons.
- Preparatory Reviewing
I would use preparatory reviewing to prepare for my meeting with Ms. Garcia by reviewing relevant material for the purpose of the meeting, such as the goal of our agency being mental health support and the needs Ms. Garcia expresses, which she indicated as getting help dealing with the loss of her nephew, as well as trouble eating and sleeping.
This could be helpful in helping me get into the right mindset to support Ms. Garcia so that I can begin planning further preparations for the first meeting. This is the time for significant information and important circumstances surrounding the client to come to light.
One challenge I might face would be a gap in information since Ms. Garcia has not been at Horizon for about 2.5 years.
2. Preparatory Exploring
I would use preparatory exploring to prepare for my meeting with Ms. Garcia by reaching out to a receptionist/first contact to learn what they know about Ms. Garcia through their initial contact with her. If Ms. Garcia was referred to Horizons, I would also want to talk to whoever referred her to gather insights about the client’s current situation. Additionally, I would refer to previous files on Ms. Garcia and reach out with questions to the person who last served her at Horizon.
This would be helpful in that service agents who have already had contact with Ms. Garcia likely have valuable information that documents cannot provide about her current state, such as how she seemed when making her appointment or specific concerns she expressed.
One thing that might be challenging with preparatory exploring would be that because Ms. Garcia has had a gap in receiving assistance from Horizon, the person who initially served her may not still be at the agency and thus I might have difficulty contacting them and asking them pertinent questions.
3. Preparatory Consulting
I would use preparatory consulting to prepare for my meeting with Ms. Garcia by talking to a social work colleague or supervisor about tips they have regarding Ms. Garcia. Additionally, I would seek information and articles about gang violence specific to the geographic area, as well as gather information about how to efficiently assist someone in mourning.
It is always helpful to look at things from multiple angles, which means getting input on a case from other social workers can be beneficial to me and the client. Additionally, having a deeper understanding of gang violence would help me better connect with the client. Lastly, it will be important in the future to help Ms. Garcia distinguish grief from depression in order to help develop a treatment plan.
One difficulty that could occur is that if I seek outside information, I would need to be careful about not revealing client information or breaking confidentiality while seeking outside resources, particularly if I choose to talk to people outside the agency (e.g. police officers).
4. Preparatory Arranging
I would use preparatory arranging to prepare for my meeting with Ms. Garcia by working out a schedule to see Ms. Garcia with an appropriate amount of time allotted for our first meeting. Moreover, part of preparatory arranging would be that I ensure that come the day of the meeting, I will be dressed appropriately and professionally. Arrangements could also include things like a sound machine by my office door to ensure confidentiality during the meeting.
Preparatory arranging helps to ensure the client will feel comfortable, accepted, and supported by the agency in general and by me specifically.
One of the biggest challenges I foresee with preparatory arrangement would be arranging the environment. There is only so much one can do with an office space. In a general mental health facility like Horizon, the office likely needs to be a “one size fits all.” While I can decorate with relevant mental health posters and the like, having a variety of furniture, appropriate colors (walls, flooring) in the office, and even lighting is largely up to the agency, not me. There are constraints on how I can prep the physical meeting place, which is certainly a challenge.
