Dealing with Resistance: Working with Involuntary Clients in Community-Based Drug Treatment Programs in China

ABSTRACT

This study explores strategies for dealing with client resistance that are commonly used by a group of selected counsellors who work closely with illicit drug users in the community-based compulsory treatment programs in China. Through semistructured in-depth interviews with 16 counsellors, this study finds that different forms of client resistance were experienced in their day-to-day practice, encompassing passive and active behaviours. Five typical strategies are used by Chinese counsellors in this study to deal with client resistance: showing respect and caring and expressing empathy; attending to the needs of the clients; making effective use of peer influence; altering clients’ unwillingness to change; and strategically enhancing clients’ self-determination. Considering these strategies can also be seen as general principles for dealing with involuntary clients in other fields of social work services, the findings of this study may have broader impact.

IMPLICATIONS

• Effective ways that can be used by counsellors for reducing illicit drug users’ resistance during treatment include: showing respect and caring, and expressing empathy; attending to the needs of the clients; making effective use of peer influence; altering clients’ unwillingness to change; and strategically enhancing clients’ self-determination.

• Professional social work training is urgently needed among community-based drug treatment social work practitioners in China, to achieve efficient practices and better outcomes.

本文探讨了一些解决客户不配合的方法。在中国的社区强制治疗项目中，与非法吸毒者密切接触的咨询师们通常会采用这些方法。通过对16位咨询师做的半固定深度访谈，笔者发现了在他们的日常实践中经历的客户不配合的各种形式，包括被动和主动的行为。中国的咨询师采用了五种典型的方法来解决客户的不配合：显示尊敬关爱并表达同情理解；关注客户的需求；有效地利用同类人的影响；改变客户不愿改变的心理；鼓励客户的自我决断。本研究的意义或许不限于此，这些方法可能成为社会工作其他领域应对不自觉客户的一般性原则。

KEYWORDS:

• Strategies
• Involuntary Clients
• Resistance
• Community-based Drug Treatment
• China

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Social Science Fund of the People’s Republic of China [grant number 19BSH029]; and Jiangsu Provincial Social Sciences Research Key Project, the People’s Republic of China [grant number 2018SJZDI119].