Sooner or later every clinician faces difficult cases and difficult clients. Boundary issues, suicidality, substance use and personality disorders are frequent causes of stress and uncertainty. This webinar introduces what makes a case or client challenging and teaches strategies for managing yourself in the face of resistance and other obstacles. You will explore Motivational Interviewing skills that “roll with resistance,” the strength of validation and empathy, and the way mastering your inner experience with these clients builds confidence and success. The webinar also talks openly about imposter syndrome, encouraging learners toward a more balanced view of what they can do and contribute.
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to
- Explain behavioral patterns and core characteristics of challenging clients.
- Appraise one’s own style of managing clients who are silent, manipulative, resistant, and demanding.
- Identify at least two areas for professional growth in working with challenging clients.
- Describe common unhelpful and helpful clinician responses to challenging clients.
- Evaluate strategies that are useful in working with clients who have personality disorders, are suicidal, or have substance abuse issues.
- Discover new confidence and skill in managing imposter syndrome and appropriately handling challenging clients and situations.
Syllabus:
Introduction
Objective #1: Explain behavioral patterns and core characteristics of challenging clients.
- Opening Case scenario
- What Makes Some Clients and Cases Difficult or Challenging?
- Types of difficult clients and cases
- Language and labels matter: Deficit vs. strengths-based lenses
- The Therapeutic Alliance
- The Nature of Resistance
- Five types of resistance
- Secondary gains
- Profiles of challenging client types
- Reflective survey: Clinician perceptions and experiences
Objective #2: Appraise one’s own style of managing clients who are silent, manipulative, resistant, and demanding.
- Dealing with Resistance
- Sources of resistance
- Seven precursors of change
- Motivational Interviewing skills review (“the spirit of MI”)
- Clinical recommendations
- Video demonstration: Substance abuse intake assessment (good vs. bad)
Objective #3: Identify at least two areas for professional growth in working with challenging clients.
- Imposter syndrome – Am I good enough?
- Know and explore thyself
- Self-compassion and self-care for clinicians
Objective #4: Describe common unhelpful and helpful clinician responses to challenging clients.
- Using emotional validation, radical acceptance, reframing, and genuine feedback: scenarios
- Clinical recommendations for difficult or challenging clients
Objective #5: Evaluate strategies that are useful in working with clients who have personality disorders, are suicidal, or have substance abuse issues.
- Video demonstration: A difficult client
- Objective #6: Discover new confidence and skill in managing imposter syndrome and appropriately handling challenging clients and situations.
- Special Considerations: Working With…
- Suicidal clients: What practitioners think and feel video
- Groups: addressing problematic behaviors
- Working with personality disordered clients:
- Video example
Wrap up, questions, resources for further learning
Social workers completing this course receive 6 Clinical asynchronous continuing education credits.
For other board approvals, this course qualifies for 6 hours of Clinical continuing education training.
Instructor: Diane Bigler, LCSW, LSCWS;
Recording Date: March 15, 2025
CEUS On-Demand, LLC, provider #2274, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/7/2026 - 08/6/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 6hrs Clinical continuing education credits.
CEUs On-Demand, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7091. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CEUs On-Demand, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
System Requirements: Firefox, Chrome, Brave, Safari, Edge on any modern operating system (Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS). A desktop browser is recommended. We do not provide support resources for issues encountered using a mobile device.
Request for Special Accommodations: Learners can request special accommodations by contacting the administrative team at admin@ceus-ondemand.com