1. Ben has been sober for 2 years and is now working consistently on a job he likes. He divorced his wife during the time he was in rehab because she could not give up her drinking and seemed to "want to pull me down." Now she has returned, intoxicated, and begging him to take her back. They talked into the night about "old times" and both of them got drunk. (a) What are some interviewing techniques you could use to help Ben at this juncture? (b) Who makes the final decision about what to do about Ben's ex-wife? (c) Construct a response you might give Ben that accurately and matter-of-factly reflects his ambivalence.
2. Elmer does not want to be abusive to his wife and wants his marriage to resume. His wife left and is staying in a shelter where she has indicated that she will not come home until Elmer gets some help. Elmer admits to you that abusing his wife was "probably wrong" but seems to resist any ideas about how to go about changing his behavior. (a) What are some interviewing techniques you might use to help Elmer at this point? (b) How responsible is the case manager for Elmer changing his behavior? (c) Should the case manager be actively involved in getting Elmer to change and the wife to come back home? Yes? How active? No?