How do we, as Social Workers, help clients who are desperately short of money? They park their cars four blocks away from the office because they don't want a policeperson to see their expired inspection sticker. These clients have stickers that have expired, sometimes, years ago. What is the dynamic that allows a life on the edge? What happens when we tap into that moment of constant fear expressed intently in our office.
When we ask, "Would you like eighteen dollars to pay for the sticker?" The client responds, either, "I can't pay you back" or, "I can pay you back." Either answer is not important at this time in the intervention. What is important is the alleviation of the debt.
It appears that the sudden relief of debt triggers the start of sort of an immune reaction in the client's world view, the client suddenly sees possibility. If the client does indeed pay for the sticker, progress has started. In the event the client spends the money on something other than the stated purpose, this is not a despairing event but delays the therapy, we shall talk more about this later. But, if the client does pay for the sticker, we can encourage the feeling of progress and freedom that is inherent in the current state of the client's mind.
Regarding the meanings of reimbursement by the client for the money disbursed: it is a sign of more rapid progress in self determination and life control if the client pays the money back immediately. The opposite, when there is no repayment, has a truth: there is a much slower, but never-the-less, growth in self control and positive life changes. Years instead of weeks. When the client does not feel compelled to pay it back on their own accord, we, as clinicians, can expect to see personality disorders, severe traumas and accompanying PTSD.
The positive side is that the client does grow, slowly, as the client enjoys the freedom from fear and beginning of trust. Here, are the two essential parts of our financial therapeutically sound intervention, reduction in stress and increase in ability to trust (or, another way of saying trust is the development of community.
The highly anxious client is not relieved of their anxiety. That is a biological condition, I believe, and can be utilized to enhance the life of the client, but that is a matter for another chapter.
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