What to Do With Negative Clients in Your Therapy Session | ADAM ANSWERS

Welcome to Adam Answers, where we answer all of your SFBT questions. Today's topic comes from one of our SFU members, Valerie Wise, who wants to know... how do we handle negative clients in our practice?
Dr. Adam Froerer is one of the world’s leading researchers and greatest analytical minds in the Solution Focused field. His many years of expertise and accomplishments speak to his profound ability to tackle pertinent yet elusive questions related to using the Solution Focused approach. He’s also come to be known as a brilliant teacher of the approach’s most difficult and intriguing concepts. If you’ve really needed an expert opinion on variables related to doing this work effectively, Adam is your go-to.
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I am an author, lecturer and psychotherapist. I have a private practice in Southlake, TX (Dallas/Fort Worth Area) specializing in using a Solution Focused Approach to work with couples, individuals and families. I have written 4 books, "The Art of Solution Focused Therapy", "Solution Building in Couples Therapy", "The Solution Focused Marriage" and co-authored "Solution-Focused Brief Therapy with Clients Managing Trauma."
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[@katimus1865]

Hooray!! Love your stuff Adam, and the idea that therapists helping people is besides the point. The idea of simply helping a person further help themselves, to allow ourselves as clinicians to only be a magnifying glass (tool) in clarifying the best hopes and motivations that already exist within clients as amazingly complex, resilient and driven individuals (and the value of respecting the vastness of their making it to the point of our meeting, almost with the silence and reverence at significant rituals such as funerals). Inspirational, humbling, thank you.

[@afroerer]

Thank you Kathryn!

[@valeriewise104]

Adam, this was so helpful. First of all, you should have seen my face when I heard you say my name as you presented this question.
Part of what I learned from your answer today is that needing help or even wanting help is not necessarily the Desired Outcome. I am sure that I have known that but today it seemed to have special meaning. Also, I believe that in the final session, I got her DO but she was exasperated with the questions. I won't continue with other details but at the heart of my question is the view that I failed the client. Her belief is that everyone bails on her and in some way I may have done so as well. Your suggestions are so helpful. Thank you for presenting my question.

[@afroerer]

Valerie, thank you for your humble response. It takes a lot to look at the way we practice and make deliberate decision about how we want to practice going forward. Thank you for a brilliant question and for being willing to consider my answer!

[@jennynguyen2823]

This was some really good perspective! As someone who works in addiction treatment full time, I do want to also emphasize to other clinicians that we should always practice within our scope. If you are not experienced enough to treat addiction, please don't do a disservice to the clients by trying to do therapy with them when you're not equipped. Addiction is a serious illness that kills people every single day. If someone is in acute withdrawals, they should seek medical detox/inpatient treatment. People can have seizures/die during withdrawal from several substances including alcohol, benzos, and opiates. Talk therapy is not going to be sufficient for someone who is acute withdrawals. I would definitely refer my client to inpatient rehab if they needed it and then they can continue individual therapy afterwards.

[@nicolelightfoot9311]

What is the client’s preferred future is something very unhealthy like returning to a domestic violence situation? How would you structure questions knowing that the client wants something potentially very dangerous

[@TheSolutionFocusedUniverse]

Hi Nicole! This is a great question that I would like to tackle in a future video.
- Adam

[@marycreamer7935]

Hi Adam do you have any suggestion or videos on how to work with clients who are caught in negative thinking cycles. For instance "I could do that but something is going to go wrong if I try to do that" or another one "There are no good people in the world, no one can be trusted"