How do you deal with certain clients who have personality disorders?
Narcissistic, paranoid, borderline.......perhaps all 3 at the same time?
What do you do when you have no choice but to *try* to work with them, but they tend to make it downright impossible?
I had a meeting with someone like this earlier this week and it's tough........really, really tough.
The word rotten in fact comes to my mind over and over when I think of this individual.
You have my sympathies. My first social work practicum involved case managing clients with personality disorders. I know nothing about personality disorders at the time, and they basically ate me alive.
ReplyDeleteSince then, I've done a lot of studying and a lot of reading. I still don't believe anyone has 100% of the answers on dealing with these individuals, but the most common advice that seems to come up involves boundaries.
When I have to deal with a personality-disordered client, I make sure they know right from the start what I will and what I won't do. Then I stick to it, no matter how they try to test--and believe me, they do!
But even if I keep my boundaries, interactions with these clients can be exhausting, and they do sometimes feel futile. I think that's just the nature of the beast.
Good luck!
Debra Stang
Alliant Professional Networking Specialist
A Great Source for Online CE
http://www.ce-psychology.com/page4.html
I have yet to come across a PD (other than past friends), it's definitely tough. Wish I had some words of wisdom.
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