Case Study: Using the Language of Change

Purpose: To draw on all acquired skills to purposively move an interview in a solution$-$building direction.

The following is a transcript of a dialogue between a client $($C$)$ and her practitioner $($P$).$ What would you do differently if you were to talk to this client? Fill in the spaces $($right after the points at which the original practitioner said $$Uh Huh$$ or $$Yup$)$ with solution$-$building responses and leads which might be helpful in moving the conversation in a solution$-$building direction.

C: I wanted to be grown and I was going with the wrong people doing stuff and by the time I was $17,$ that was the first time I had ever tried cocaine $...$

P: Uh$-$huh.

$($Possible solution$-$building responses and leads$)$:

C: By the time I was $18,$ I was really doing it but I had to stop because I was pregnant with Dilisha and by the time I had her by $19$ or $20...$ I started experimenting with it again and by the time I was $22$ or $23,$ I was smoking it$.$ So$,$ I had to take an honest look at how long I had actually been doing drugs cause I was in denial about how many times I had been doing drugs because it$$s been a while and it$$s time for me to stop.

P: Uh$-$huh $...$

$($Possible solution$-$building responses and leads$)$:

C: You know it$$s time for me to stop $...$ while I still have a chance to do something.

P: You have a chance to do a lot.

C: Uh$-$huh, it$$s like I say, so much has changed and I had a problem with that $...$ change. I had a fear of it$,$ like you all gotta be crazy. I don$$t want to stop doing this because if I stop doing this, what am I gonna do$?$

P: Uh$-$huh $...$

$($Possible solution$-$building responses and leads$)$:

C: And it$$s like what am I really gonna do$?$ You know, and I think that the first time I realized I had to make a change was when I stopped doing drugs and I was still going to the tavern and around other people and I realized that if I didn$$t stop doing that I was going to end up back getting high. So once I changed that and stopped going to the tavern and started going back to the Heavy Hitters $($treatment program$),$ everything started to change. You know, like they tell you, $$it$$s a process.$$ Everything is not going to happen at once, like I had thought. You know it is not all going to happen at once and I found out it is a lot of pain to change.

P: Right.

$($Possible solution$-$building responses and leads$)$:

C: You know $...$ to let go of stuff $...$ to let go of people $...$ to let go of things that you used to do$.$ So$,$ it$$s a process. You find yourself listening and you go back to pick it up$.$

P: Uh$-$huh $...$

$($Possible solution$-$building responses and leads$)$:

C: So I understand. I had to learn, I look back now $...$ the first time I was in treatment was in $95.$ Yeah, in $95.$

P: Where was that?

C: St$.$ Anthony$$s$.$ Well actually, I had started to commit suicide.

P: Really?

C: Yeah, and I spent like $23$ days at the County Mental Hospital and they diagnosed me with a cocaine problem and I was like, I thought they was out of their minds. I was like I didn$$t know $...$ I didn$$t know. I didn$$t have the slightest idea.

P: Really?

C: I didn$$t have no idea about nothing I was just dumb to everything. I was just doing it$.$ To fit in and doing it to fit in $...$ that created a habit.

P: Uh$-$huh.

$($Possible solution$-$building responses and leads$)$:

C: You know, a real bad habit.

P: Yeah, I suppose so $...$

C: A real bad habit. So$,$ you know I look at all that stuff.

P: I think you$$ve been through a lot $...$

C: Yeah, I have. And I put people around me through a lot.. You know I had a thing like $...$ don$$t nobody care about me$.$ I didn$$t care about myself.

P: Right.

C: And you know I thought I ain$$t hurting nobody so why everybody be in my business and worry about what I$$m doing? But that wasn$$t true because there were people who actually loved me for me and I didn$$t understand.

P: Yup.

$($Possible solution$-$building responses and leads$)$:

C: I thought everybody was against me$.$ I really did $...$ and its like now when you make changes in your life you can see the people that care, like you and Sheila.

P: Yup.

$($Possible solution$-$building responses and leads$)$:

C: You know, you can just see.

P: Isn$$t it amazing how many people are really out there who are just full of love and energy and want to help you $...$ and you never see those people $$til you need them?

C: Aw$!$ that was, that was the killing part about it because I didn$$t know these kind of people existed.

P: Uh$-$huh.

$($Possible solution$-$building responses and leads$)$:

C: I thought that only happened when you were old and you got love because you had so many years of wisdom $...$ and they always say $$Baby $,$ you know you really don$$t need to be doing that.$$ That$$s what old people be saying.

$****$

$($Client talks about admiring women like T who get their GED or college education$)$

C: And when I started coming around and star