The Paradoxes of "Help" as Anti-Oppression and Discipline

Weinberg's Article "Pregnant with Possibility" focuses on the methods used by a social worker "Partricia" with her young single-mother client "Tanesha". Patricia used a framework called "The Wrong Society" which focuses on the social background, family instability, and academic problems of clients. This framework assumes inequality and advocates for the transformation of social conditions. Patricia claimed that her clients had dreams that could be easily attained if only "we had a better government". Patricia's client, Tanesha, used lying as a defense mechanism. While others saw the lying as a sign of bad parenting, Patricia kept in mind that it could be a way of coping with having a sick child and the possibility of loss. The reading mentions an encounter where Tanesha lied about having no money to pay for transportation. When the social worker caught her in her lie, she confronted her with humor and personalization instead of a moralistic attack. This enabled Tanesha to trust Patricia and form a bond with her, because she treated her like a normal person instead of a patient.

When we look at a client, we must note their strengths and avoid characterizing them right away. We must treat them like a human being and not as a business or patient. Clients need to be understood as good and decent people, despite their issues and behaviors. Negative behaviors are often a tool that people use to overcome hurtful feelings and poor life circumstances. For example, today at my internship, I sat in on a treatment team meeting for a young boy in our foster care program. He was removed from his home because of his ongoing negative behaviors, including stealing. His current foster parents are experiencing the same problems, and today's meeting was to decide what steps to take to help the child in terms of this problem. No consequences or other methods have worked for this child, and he continuously lies about what he is doing until he is caught and the evidence is shown to him. In the session, it was decided that this youth needs to see a therapist to deal with this issue, as he may just need someone fresh to talk to about what feelings may be underlying these behaviors. PIt seemed from both the foster parents and the social worker that this child has been confronted over and over in the same way. This method has obviously been ineffective. It seems to me that he has been attacked morally and then been given consequences. It would be best for this child to be treated as a person and not as someone with low morals. I hope that this new therapeutic relationship will provide him a fresh and positive relationship, in which this problem is dealt with in a new way.