Is the “Unmotivated” Client a Myth? Reconstructing Human Service Practices

ABSTRACT Although there many factors outside of the human service context that influence client motivation, the label of an “unmotivated client” obscures the fact that in some significant measure the problem is not “unmotivated clients” but a missed opportunity for the social worker/counselor to engage the client. Assigning culpability for disengagement to the client, rather than the context, disinclines social workers to explore opportunities to support motivation. Reframing motivation as an attribute contingent on counseling practices provides opportunities to influence client motivation. This paper examines the implications for human service practices.