Role Play In Social Work

This role play was very helpful in establishing my own style because my client was unlike any other client I have had before. This client was very energetic and talkative. For example, when we started the session I started with the “hello, how are you?” and before I could even finish my sentence my client goes into her rambling, for a lack of better words, about how “it’s really good to see me again and [how she] has so much to talk about this week.” She then continues for about the next two minutes about a coffee date she had and how she had used past things we talked about like “thinking positive thoughts” and then how “everything went downhill because Brenda showed up with her cute child and then he lost interest and now I feel like I …show more content…
For the first time, my client began to cry. I had no idea how to handle this situation because I naturally am a reserved person and do not naturally show emotion. So, when my client began to cry, I was shocked for a second and tried to recover by saying “I see this is very upsetting for you.” At the time, I thought it was enough to just say that and then try to move on so the client would stop crying. After reviewing the role play, I wished I would have allowed more time for my client to release these emotions and maybe use silence as a way for the client to decide what she is comfortable with saying next. I know I need to work on showing more empathy and warmth with my clients if I want them to feel comfortable talking with me. In the previous chapter, it talks about the importance of the vocal tone of the therapist (Ivey et al., 2010, p. 130) which is something I could use to try and show I am actively involved in the conversation even if it becomes outwardly emotional such as in this case. In the future, I want to work on being more comfortable in this type of situation and remember that the client may also be uncomfortable crying or showing extreme emotion in front of me so I should be accommodating of