How do I reconcile my views about clients taking advantage of the system and not doing anything with the help that they’re getting. For example, I have clients who we provide housing for. They don’t want to get their GED don’t wanna work don’t wanna meet with their case managers and their their team they don’t wanna do anything but exist and take the benefits of the systems. Some of them are not really taking care of their children as they should be. I don’t know, these people make me feel so annoyed, so angry. Like you have everything going for you and you’re choosing not to do anything about it.
Is it wrong of me to care less about these clients than others or to not care about their outcomes because they don’t care for themselves. Can anyone help me actually understand why I feel this way?
Edit: I appreciate most of this advice, and will implement some and take others into consideration. One thing to note for those who were hostile. I asked for genuine advice and was met with some hostility. How is it that my view is “wrong” but I’m being told to quit my job immediately or drop out of school by the people who are supposed to be supporting others and helping them? Keep in mind these hostile comments did not offer advice or an alternative pov. I wonder how is it you think your better than social workers who seem to be struggling when you can’t even help a colleague.
Originally posted by u/tanjiro314 on Reddit.
Top comment by u/Glum_Philosopher328
I'm a case manager of 3 years and maybe someone else will give better advice. But I always try to remind myself a few things, especially when it comes to housing/my own perspectives on client engagement.
Our clients are often burnt out long before we get to them. They have had to navigate surviving often for months or years prior to us showing up. Workers have come and gone leaving wounds of abandonment. They already know the system poses them as a burden to the rest of society. Why prove them wrong any longer? Why care?
Our clients survival mechanisms work against them in healthy situations. Being bossy or aggressive in previous situations may have benefited them in the past. Especially in situations where they needed to advocate for themselves. I often think of clients with invisible disabilities with this one. They need you to have boundaries. Tell them no. Step away. Set out clear instructions on what they need to do. If they don't do it, you are not here to save them. But be mindful of where they are at.
The system is broken. I use this as my reminder that if a person can find a way to qualify for assistance they probably need it. Maybe they aren't in as bad a situation as other people I work with, but everyone is in a different situation. And it sucks to be alive regardless of who you are. The system doesn't even do that good of a job supporting the people who do need it. So why am I going to judge a person who finds a useful way to utilize it?
I know our field has been draining with everything going on. You joined it for a reason and I think sometimes we need to take breaks to remember that.