Relationship Ruptures

Abstract

The social worker’s first task with clients is to develop a positive relationship, but as the intervention progresses he or she faces the ongoing challenge of sustaining that relationship so that the client can experience a positive environment for working toward his or her goals. As with all relationships, however, despite the practitioner’s best efforts, conflicts and misunderstandings may develop between the two parties that can threaten their bond and possibly undermine the work being done. The term relationship rupture refers to any event in direct practice that contributes to a deterioration in the social worker/client relationship once it has been positively established. The purpose of this chapter is to help social workers to become more skillful in identifying and repairing ruptures so that the relationship can resume in a productive direction.