A problematic client keeps apologizing for his whining behavior.
"I know I make you mad,” he's said on more than one occasion.
He’s wrong about making me mad because I rarely go there. And while he can be frustrating, his behavior makes my job more interesting. In fact, I look at bad behavior as job security. After all, if clients were well-adjusted and knew how to stay sober they wouldn't need us
When I tell him his behavior is pretty much what I expect from a new client, he seems puzzled and leaves my office with his head down.
But tomorrow he’ll be back with another strange idea about what he needs to make his life better or to help him stay clean. And, of course, I’ll tell him it’s another bad idea and we’ll have a few more rounds.
The positive thing about clients like him is that they still show up. If they keep showing up and coming back for more then I believe that change will happen.
According to a study by the UNC school of medicine : the brain is rewired with heavy use of alcohol causing high levels of anxiety and stress. Problems regulating stress are associated with behavioral and mood disorders.
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting is that it took a scientific study with mice to find out what we have already come to know and experience.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the observation. If anyone wants to study anxiety or stress we have a lot of humans they can talk to. I think mice work cheaper, though.