Every client requires that you learn a new language.
I’ve spent years developing frameworks around complex mental health interventions.
And one of the most important things those frameworks have taught me is when to throw
out the framework.
There is no single method that works for every person.
Two clients: same age. same gender, same cultural & socio-economic background, and the
same diagnosis will not recover the same.
A statement that creates safety for one client can feel threatening to another. A
conversation that needs to happen face-to-face in one case may need to happen by guiding
the family to adopt rigid boundaries in another. The possibilities are endless and your
agility and ability to think outside the box are crucial.
Sometimes the person in front of you is processing (or not processing) your words through
a veil of paranoia, intrusive thoughts, auditory hallucinations, complex trauma and/or
dissociation.
What you say is far less important than how your client hears you.
That means the role of the interventionist is not simply knowing what to say, it is
understanding how they hear it.
It is knowing how to build an alliance.
It is staying calm and grounded in the face of a client who is not.
It’s learning how this individual can hear not only your words but also sense your intention.
Every new case requires that you learn a new language.
Just a quick aside: If you are someone who experiences a high level of anxiety or has problems
staying grounded, this work may not be for you.
Experience gives you more tools.
It should never convince you that you already know exactly which one you’ll need.
