During the first session, a young woman sobs as she states that she does not think that she will ever get through the recent dissolution of her marriage. She ends by saying that she “is alone and nobody understands how I feel.” In order to instill hope, the social worker should:

Most practice situations are best handled with no self-disclosure by the social worker. In the case vignette, the social worker should not discuss her own marital breakup and remarriage. Instead, she should instill hope by providing the client with a feeling that she will be heard by the social worker and have the opportunity to address her feelings. The woman may benefit from meeting others who are going through similar experiences, but referring her at this point in the problem-solving process is not an appropriate method for instilling hope. The client’s comments are indicative of those who are in this situation and do not alone indicate risk for self-harm.