Approaches to Dealing with Resistive Clients
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Transcript Approaches to Dealing with Resistive Clients
Approaches to Dealing with
Resistive Clients
What are resistive clients?
Those willing to engage in counseling and
appear outwardly receptive but who exhibit
various qualities or characteristics that
hinder progress toward their self-identified
goals
Might welcome the interaction but resist
taking action
What causes resistive clients
Fear, inertia, mistrust
Some might envision all financial professionals
as disdainful and self-righteous in dealing with
other’s $
Afraid they will be looked upon as failures
Admission of failure or guilt
Don’t want to face fixing their problem
Fear they will be coerced into something they
don’t want to do
Dispositions and attitudes
Don’t want to share financial matters
Overcoming normal resistance
Warm inviting atmosphere
Sincere interest and concern
Respecting right to privacy
Providing appropriate, reliable, and honest
service
Avoiding apparent, actual, or potential
conflicts of interest
Legitimate sources of resistance
Counselor not listening
Counselor not properly counseling client
Financial counseling does not fit the
client’s need
Client participation is coerced
How to avoid legitimate resistance
Avoid things that might attract or cultivate
legitimately resistive clients
Proper labeling, describing, and marketing
what your counseling program offers
Program flyers and brochures should
make clear the types of clients and
problems your programs serves.
How to avoid legitimate resistance
“Client Dumping”
Clients are automatically and indiscriminately
referred to another service provider
Rationalized on the grounds that almost
anyone can benefit from financial counseling
This practice can generate an excess of
resistive clients
Will take time, energy, and resources from
others who will use it
Mechanisms to discourage
indiscriminate referrals
Contact the agency and work out an agreement
for making appropriate referrals
Insist that appt. requests be made by the clients
themselves, not by someone acting on their
behalf
Screen applicants when they call by asking them
if the counseling is something they want to do
someone else wants them to do it
Don’t turn suitable clients into resistive
clients due to improper treatment
Provide good options
Provide good analysis
Provide good judgments
Provide good guidance
Keys to avoiding
legitimately resistive
clients
Avoid the attraction and referral of
resistive clients by
Clearly labeling and describing nature of
services
Not accepting involuntary and
indiscriminate referrals
Discouraging clients without purposeful
agendas
Insisting that all clients be willing
participants
Referring clients with serious disorders
Avoid creating resistance in
normally disposed clients by
Not prejudging or categorizing any client
Listening carefully and openly to each
client
Basing counseling on what each client
wants
Providing remedies specifically fitted to
each client
Accepting and enabling a client’s selfdetermination
Guidelines for dealing with resistive
clients
Do not make quick assumptions
Place the responsibility of the client’s success on
the client
If progress slows down or appears hopeless,
restate what the client wants to achieve
Don’t get sidetracked by the small stuff
Don’t aim to cure the client but the client’s
situation
Don’t attempt to make every conceivable change
that could benefit the client