Topic: client engagement and motivation

Repeat DUI/DWI offenders can pose tough challenges for treatment programs and counselors. The needs of the client and the demands of the legal system don’t always work together.

But if the client also conveys a strong desire to get a degree or a worthwhile job, or start a family or get out of debt – these also constitute motivators for success.

If Bob gets a job, his mom will ask him to move out of the basement, and he’ll have to get a roommate, which he doesn’t want, so better to remain unemployed.

It’s not just what you present to your client — it’s how you present it. By following a few simple rules, you get better results. It’s not a perfect system, by any means. But it should improve outcomes.

Clients will test boundaries just to see what will happen when they do. If you’re prepared for such tests, and can avoid some predictable errors in response, you’ll find that the course of treatment runs smoother.

Call it a bribe, call it an incentive, call it a clever idea… Giving a reluctant client a reason to comply can help treatment along.

Crisis motivates addicts to seek treatment. But the addict’s motivation to remain in treatment decreases as he feels better.

First, they don’t understand why they’re in treatment, or how it could possibly benefit them. Second, they’re ticked off about having been coerced.

It’s not so much that the client is unable to grasp the info as he or she is easily discouraged based on a fund of previous negative experiences in school.

We want to make sure the alcoholic person learns the right lesson from experience.