The Working Agreement
Kathi Chambliss
Course/322
August 1,2011
Connie Giles

The working agreement has four parts, the assessment, goal setting, contacting, and evaluation. Not only will this paper explain each of these parts it will also apply them to a hypothetical situation known as Freydia. Even though Freydia is a 27, year that has been hooked on crack cocaine for 4 years, her children have been taken from her by Child Protective Services and placed in her mother’s custody, she is in a drug program and wants to get her children back. The purpose of the assessment is to answer some basic questions. Why was Freydia referred and why is she presented for help. In this case Freydia needs help with her drug addiction. This will also answer the “who” part of the question. Next one has to decide what information needs to be gathered from Freydia. How should this information be gathered and what methods would be used to gather the information. Where should the assessment take place, and when will the contract and the plan begin? The family is also assessed to determine how the unit as a whole functions. In the case of Freydia, knowing the family structures will be important because her two children will be placed in her mother’s care. There are many principles regarding a good assessment. First one should consider the relationship between the client and the clinician starts at the first meeting however things change as the relationship continues. Next the clinician to make sure the client is seeking the right institution to meet his or her needs. There is also a need for the assessment to be culturally responsive. Methods and strategies are also important for creating a good assessment. Multiple perspectives help in an assessment along with knowing the influence the clinician has on the client’s behaviors. The assessor has to be careful not to be the client’s rescuer. Another important factor is where the clinician carries the assessment is going to have an influence on the data that will be collected. Another detail is the importance to gather as much information as possible. Remember that the assessor is also being assessed. A clinician needs to also remember that research is important so they can assess all of they symptoms of a client’s disorder. The assessor needs to always keep in mind the need for ones intuition. The desired outcome is the goal the clinician and client are working towards. This starts from an understanding of what the client does well and what he or she needs to improve on or solve. The goals need to be clear. As in the case of Freydia, she has a clear and precise goal to get sober and regain custody of her children. Goals also have to be prioritized. For instance with Freydia, her overall goal is to get sober however she has to have a prioritized schedule of what steps it will take to not only achieve sobriety and then to regain custody of her children. Out of those who are involved in a client’s case each may have a different goal. For example, Freydia’s goal is to get her children back and her mom’s goal is to keep them in a safe environment until Freydia has done what it takes to get sober and be a good mom. Contracting is making an agreement between the clinician and the client that details the goals and objectives that have been set towards achieving the overall goal. Freydia has a goal of getting her children back. A contract between her and the clinician has been drawn out detailing what it will take for Freydia to get sober and follow the processes it will take to achieve this goal. The contract explains what Freydia and her clinician will be responsible for. For example Freydia will need to complete a program that will teach her how to get sober and live soberly. The clinician will need to make sure that Freydia is enrolled in the best program that will help her be successful in meeting these needs. The methods that will be used in creating Freydia’s sobriety will also be listed in the contract. What programs will cost, how long will they last, and what kinds of payment arrangements will be sufficient for Freydia to meet her goal will be in the contract. Another function of the contract is how Freydia’s progress will be measured and what the consequences will be for failure to meet the terms and conditions of the contract. There are several issues in contracting. One issue is what will be focused on. Another will be which stakeholders will be included. Contracts have to be detailed. This helps to show if the parties concerned are doing their part in following the contract. A contract is equally important for the clinician and the client so both parties need to be involved in it’s development. There is always a risk involved with any type of treatment of programs. This has to be discussed between the clinician and the client and along with the solutions to any problems that may arise. All situations and circumstance change and the contract will need to be updated periodically to accommodate these changes. A contract should also be realistic. Unrealistic goals cannot be met and this will be a disaster for maintaining a contract. Rules such as being on time and showing up for appointments can be reasons to void the contract. It is important for the terms of the contract to be followed so the overall goals can be met for both parties. The evaluation of the work being done is necessary to ensure success of what is trying to be achieved. Supervisors have to be kept up to speed on what is going on with a clinician’s cases. Many tools can be used to help the clinician record the progress. Some of these tools are audio-recordings, videotapes, and notes. Many facilities have computer programs set up to insert the information and this helps with tracking progress. A baseline is used when establishing the goals, contracts, and goals. Checklists are also used to evaluate progress along with a time line for measuring the success of what is trying to be achieved. Follow-up evaluations will also be required to determine if more help is needed. The evaluation is only as good as the one doing the evaluating. It is important that the need for the clinician to have good results should not interfere with what the client really needs. Client’s need help and are usually dealing with some type of dysfunction. This is a time for the client to be reminded about his or her strengths. The clinician should not always evaluate by using tests and written reports but also by an objective observer. Evaluations should sometimes be done in a familiar setting such as home or park. There also needs to be a follow-up evaluation. This helps the client and the clinician to keep on track and make sure the process is not being forgotten about. A successful agreement has to have an assessment, good goals, have a detailed contract, and measure the success and progress of the agreement. Freydia is trying to achieve her goal of getting sober and regaining custody of her children. Without someone who cares, has training, and knows what resources are available Freydia would not be able to achieve this goal. Having people to rely on when in trouble is important, not only for him or her, but for the people who love and depend on them. Good clinicians are able to help those in need first through the assessment process, then by setting up a the contract, realizing what goals need to be set, and finally through evaluation.

References

EBOOK COLLECTION: Murphy, B.C. & Dillon C. (2003). Interviewing in action: Relationship, process, and change. Brooks/Cole, a division of Thompson Learning, Inc. Chapters 5-6