Chapter 5: Preparing
Before Meeting
the Client
Before you meet the client….
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Even before you
meet your client
there are a lot of
things for you to
consider.
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As you gain
experience these
steps will become
more natural and
you will be able to
perform them
quicker.
Preparing To Meet Your Client
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This class covers the
activities that you engage
in prier to a meeting with
a client.
This information is
particularly applicable to
first interviews but also
applies to subsequent
meetings.
Before we get started we
will quickly take a look at
the needs of the client as
they come into our
agencies for assistance.
Prepare
Client Needs
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Although it is difficult to
put yourself in someone
else’s position an effort
must be made towards
empathy with the client.
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Felix Biestek has
identified seven needs of
clients as they come into
the helping situation.
Remember...
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Preparing to meet the client is a good
time to remind yourself of these needs.
Keep them in mind as work progresses.
What This Chapter Covers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Preparatory Reviewing
Preparatory Exploring
Preparatory Consulting
Preparatory Arranging
Preparatory Empathy
Preparatory SelfExploration
7. Preliminary Planning &
Recording
8. Centering
9. Preparatory Exploring
In Addition
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In addition to those topics we
will also discuss the use of
releases of information.
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We will also discuss
techniques you can use to
relax as an aide to helping you
center and meet new clients.
Preparing
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Preparing is the process of getting ready
to meet the client in a fully professional
manner.
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Preparing is a physical, spiritual and
mental process.
Preparatory Reviewing
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Preparing helps you to plan for
contingencies
– Such as the need for an interpreter, safety
concerns, or other considerations

It is:
– Examination of different types of information
available to you prior to contact.
– Reviewing previous records or notes.
Class Discussion
Is it best practice to review old
client records?
Why or Why Not?
Is it best practice to review old
client records?

Some very good practitioners
are on both sides of this
argument.

In the end, you will need to
make a considered decision
based on your beliefs, the
situation, and agency
guidelines
Class Exercise

Divide into groups of three.

Come up with two lists:
1. Positive reasons to review client records
before meeting.
2. Negative reasons not to review those
some records before meeting.
Bane or Blessing?
Negative Aspects of Reviewing Records

Previous records could contain
misinformation.
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Previous records could bias your
judgement in a manner incongruent with
the actual situation or client well-being.
Positive Aspects of Preparatory
Reviewing of Old Records
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Preparatory reviewing can prevent
embarrassing, or even damaging,
events.
Preparatory reviewing shows respect
and consideration for the client.
– Many clients resent having to restate
details they have already related
Advice:
Consider what has been said, or
written, previously but make your own
professional judgment.
Previous records could contain
errors, misinterpretations, or
opinions that could have an undue
negative bias.
Preparatory Exploring
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Gathering the impressions that others have
made
Sources include:
– Receptionist or other office personnel who
may have had interaction
– Referral sources
Preparatory exploring gives you access to
perspectives that might otherwise be lost.
It involves asking questions about a
prospective client and the situation
Preparatory Reviewing with Referral
Sources
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Whenever you receive a referral you will
have some information about the client.
That information could be very basic, or
very complex.
However, appropriate information from
the referral source can be beneficial to
facilitating work with the client.
Releases of Information
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In most cases the flow of
communication from the referral source
and you, if it is more than just a referral
for services, will require a release of
information.
What Is a Release of Information?

Documentation that the client, or a
legitimate person acting on behalf of the
client, has given permission for the
sharing of pertinent information:
– In one direction (there needs to be a
separate release for each direction of the
flow of information)
– For a limited scope and purpose.
– For a limited period of time.
The Direction of Information Flow

As mentioned earlier there needs to be
separate documentation for each flow of
information. This slide explains.
Release Documentation One
Referring Agency
Referral Agency
Release Documentation Two
Referring Agency
Referral Agency
The NASW Code of Ethics and Confidentiality
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Social workers should respect clients’ right to privacy. Social
workers should not solicit private information from clients unless it is
essential to providing services or conduction social work evaluation
or research. Once private information is shared, standards of
confidentiality apply.
Social workers may disclose confidential information when
appropriate with valid consent from a client or a person legally
authorized to consent on behalf of a client.
Social workers should protect confidentiality of all information
obtained in the course of professional service, except for compelling
professional reasons. The general expectation that social workers
will keep information confidential does not apply when disclosure is
necessary to prevent serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm to a
client or other identifiable person or when laws or regulations require
disclosure without a client’s consent. In all instances, social workers
should disclose the least amount of confidential information
necessary to achieve the desired purpose; only information that is
directly relevant to the purpose for which the disclosure is made
should be revealed.
• NASW Code of Ethics, text pages 412-413
Sample Release of Information Form 1
Sample Release of Information Form 1
Sample Release of Information Form 2
Sample Release of Information Form 2
Sample Release of Information Form 3
Sample Release of Information Form 3
Preparatory Consulting
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Speaking with supervisors or colleagues
about the client in a purposeful manner.
Preparatory consulting is useful for
clarifying
– agency policies
– legal factors
– safety issues
– technical issues relating to the client
situation
Sample Agency Policy
Identify Potential Legal Issues
Client and Your Personal Safety Matter
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Client Safety
– Is client situation a
safe or dangerous
one?
– Does the client have a
history of dangerous
behaviour?
– Is the client at risk of
self-harm?
– Is the client at risk of
harming others?
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Social Worker Safety
– Are you at risk of being
harmed?
NASW and Protection of Social Worker Safety
http://www.naswma.org/content.asp?contentID=143&topicID=28
Ethical Considerations: Seeking Advice and
Consulting
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Social workers should seek the advice and counsel of
colleagues when it is in the best interests of clients.
Social workers should know colleagues’ expertise and
competencies and seek consultation only from those
who are knowledgeable, expert, and competent.
When consulting about clients, disclose the least
amount of information necessary to achieve the
purposes of the consultation.
– NASW Code of Ethics
Class Exercise: Preparatory Consulting Discussion
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Take a few moments to read this example:
– Brenda is an sixteen year old client with an IQ of
83 who has been referred for services to your
agency. She is pregnant and claims that the father
is a 32 year old uncle. She is currently taking
psychotropic medications for a bi-polar disorder
and another medication for seizures. She was
recently arrested for shoplifting at a local
convenience store.

Break up into groups of three and discuss the
areas, and issues, you might clarify with
preparatory consulting relating to this client’s
situation.
Preparatory Arranging
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This is the logistical preparation for the meeting. It
includes what has to happen for the meeting to
take place as well as what needs to be arranged
for the time to be spent effectively. It includes:
–
–
–
–
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scheduling the appointment
adequate time & privacy
organization of the physical environment
your own physical state
Do not ignore the actual setting where the meeting
is to be held.
Class Discussion
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Would you consider the interview
settings below safe or unsafe?
Why? Why not?
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Identify both safe and unsafe
interview settings (place/location
and layout of space)?
Safety Considerations
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Do not ignore safety
considerations when
scheduling the
interview, or when
making other
arrangements.

The time, place and
physical layout of the
room needs to be
considered whenever
there are even modest
concerns for safety.
Putting oneself in the client’s shoes
and trying to view the world through
their eyes is….
…The heart and soul of EMPATHY
Preparatory Empathy
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This is time spent before the client arrives
anticipating their situation.
This time should be spent considering the
person-in-environment, as well as examining the
situation from the strengths perspective.
Preparatory empathy is a holistic exercise that
should prepare you mentally for meeting the
client on their terms.
–
–
–
–
Who is the client?
What is their experience like?
Why are they coming here today?
What will coming here be like for them?
Empathy: Assessing Yourself

Calculate your emotional quotient by
completing the empathy quotient scale
– http://glennrowe.net/BaronCohen/Empathy
Quotient/EmpathyQuotient.aspx
Empathy: Skill development resources
Preparatory Self-Exploration
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Self-analysis of your personal reactions
to them or their situation.
Identification of potential effects of your
–
–
–
–
–
personal history
characteristics
needs, biases
emotional buttons
behavioral patterns.
Preliminary Planning & Recording
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Tentative assessment of what the meeting
is about and planning optimal outcomes
for the client.
What is the purpose of the visit (there
could be more than one)?
What are the possible outcomes?
Why is the client coming and what are
they wanting to take away?
The Case of Brenda
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Refer back to the case of Brenda we discussed
earlier. Imagine that you are at an agency that helps
clients with Section 8 housing and that is why she is
coming in today.
Go over each area as you do your preliminary
planning and recording:
1. Tentative assessment of what the meeting is
about and planning optimal outcomes for the
client.
2. What is the purpose of the visit (there could be
more than one)?
3. What are the possible outcomes?
4. Why is the client coming and what are they
wanting to take away?
Centering
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Spiritually, physically, and mentally
preparing for the meeting.
Preparing to be with the client in the
here and now.
Attention and focus turning toward the
client situation.
The Goals of Centering
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Minimizing your own inner distractions.
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Preparing to maximize your potential of
fully being with the client.
Brief Centering Exercise
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While sitting in a
chair, begin
contracting /
tightening your
muscles from your
neck down.
First your neck,
shoulders and chest.
Hold for 15 seconds,
then release.
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Next tighten your
arm and back
muscles.
Hold and release.
Next do the same
with your stomach,
back, arms, and
legs, feet, hands,
etc. etc.
Brief Centering Exercise
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Lastly, contract your entire body – hold
– release.
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Once you recognize the difference in
your body between tension and
relaxation, it will become easier for you
to center.
Tip :
calm the body
calm the mind
calm the mind
calm the body
What can you do?
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Deep breathing
Progressive relaxation
Meditation
Biofeedback
Sound/music
Self hypnosis
Exercise and massage
Diet and Nutrition
Autogenic Training
Deep breathing
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Consciously slowing heart rate,
decreasing perspiration and
relaxing muscles is more difficult
than simply slowing and deepening
breathing.
Breathing can be used to directly
stimulate the parasympathetic
nervous system
– results in relaxation and reverses
changes from the stimulation of the
sympathetic nervous system
Chest vs. Abdominal breathing
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Put your right hand on your chest
Put your left hand on your
abdomen.
As you breathe, see which hand
rises more.
If your right hand rises more, you
are a chest breather.
If your left hand rises more, you
are an abdomen breather.
Chest breathing is inefficient
– results in less blood flow, less
oxygen transfer to the blood and
subsequent poor delivery of nutrients
to the tissues.
Abdominal breathing
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Place one hand on your chest and the other on your
abdomen. Take a deep breath in, the hand on the
abdomen should rise higher than the one on the
chest.
Exhale through the mouth, take a slow deep breath in
through your nose and hold it for a count of 7
Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 8.
Gently contract your abdominal muscles to
completely push the remaining air from the lungs.
Exhale twice as long as inhale
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Repeat 4 more times for a total of 5 deep
breaths and try to breathe at a rate of one
breath every 10 seconds (or 6 breaths per
minute).
To enhance, say to yourself the word,
“relaxation” when inhale and “stress” when
exhale
– bring in the feeling/emotion you want with
inhalation and release those you don't want with
exhalation.
Deepen respirations not by inhaling more air but
through completely exhaling it.
Other ways to center…
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Tension which has built up through out
the day can lock up your upper body –
shoulders, neck and head. When your
neck and shoulder muscles are tight,
you cannot optimally relax and be fully
attentive to your clients.
Practice the following simple relaxation
techniques to help center yourself.
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Progressive Relaxation
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Involves tensing specific muscle groups and
then relaxing them to create awareness of
tension and relaxation.
It is termed progressive because it proceeds
through all major muscle groups, relaxing
them one at a time, and eventually leads to
total muscle relaxation.
Progress Relaxation Steps
1. Get comfortable. Lie down; loosen tight
clothing, close your eyes and be quiet.
2. Focus on yourself and on relaxing specific
muscles.
3. Tune out all other thoughts.
4. Tense and relax each muscle group
5. If any muscle remains tense, tighten and
relax that specific muscle 3 or 4 times.
6. Repeat as needed
1. Forehead - Wrinkle your forehead, try to make your eyebrows touch your
hairline for five seconds. Relax.
2. Eyes and nose - Close your eyes as tightly as you can for five seconds.
Relax.
3. Lips, cheeks and jaw - Draw the centers of your mouth back and grimace
for five seconds. Relax. Feel the warmth and calmness in your face.
4. Hands - Extend your arms in front of you. Clench your fists tightly for five
seconds. Relax. Feel the warmth and calmness in your hands.
5. Forearms - Extend your arms out against an invisible wall and push
forward with your hands for five seconds. Relax.
6. Upper arms - Bend your elbows. Tense your biceps for five seconds.
Relax. Feel the tension leave your arms.
7. Shoulders - Shrug your shoulders up to your ears for five seconds. Relax.
8. Back - Arch your back off the floor for five seconds. Relax. Feel the anxiety
and tension disappearing.
9. Stomach - Tighten your stomach muscles for five seconds. Relax.
10.Hips and buttocks - Tighten your hip and buttock muscles for five
seconds. Relax.
11.Thighs - Tighten your thigh muscles by pressing your legs together as
tightly as you can for five seconds. Relax.
12.Feet - Bend your ankles toward your body as far as you can for five
seconds. Relax.
13.Toes - Curl your toes as tightly as you can for five seconds. Relax.
What This Chapter Covered

This chapter covered the activities that
professional social workers engage in
prior to client contact.