Chapter 6: Clarifying Who Owns The Problem

In any scenario, key to fixing a problem is knowing exactly what the problem is; part of knowing what the problem is is knowing to whom the problem belongs. According to the author of the text, this is the easy part: It is the person whose needs are not being met.

Aside from the obvious, there are 3 main reasons that knowing who owns the problem is a good idea:

1. You will know who is responsible for solving the problem:  By having a clear understanding from the beginning of who is responsible for solving the problem, you prevent yourself from taking responsibility and setting in on trying to solve everyone else's problems.  The job as a helper, therapist or case manager is to facilitate change, not to further hinder the client by solving their problems for them.  
2. Meddling is disrespectful:  When you try to take over and solve the problem for the client, you send the message to the client that you do not trust their ability to solve their problems.  It also conveys the message that you are the only person with great enough insight to understand them and know what is best for them.  This is, at the very least, disrespectful, but it also further hinders the process of change and greater independence.
3. The client loses opportunity to grow:  If you take over the situation and solve all of the problems for them, you rob the client of the opportunity to experience real growth and change; there is a difference in an ability to say "I did this" and "my case manager did this..." Which one seems the most empowering to you?  A no-brainer, huh?

When your client comes to you, be a sounding board; offer insight, ideas, and even alternative points-of-view but allow the client to remain in charge.  It is essential to their healing process that retain authority over their lives and their decisions.  As a good case manager, therapist or helper, while it may seem counter-intuitive, your job is to work yourself out of a job.  Clients should,

 eventually  learn to problem solve on their own and gain the power. strength, insight and

wisdom to be able to do so rather than relying on you to solve their every problem.

If the client owns the problem:

Hands off is not the answer.  Just because the client is the one owning the problem does not mean that we are not to offer any help at all.  In fact, a "wise" case manager, helper, therapist will know when to help less and when to help more.  it is a delicate boundary, but one that must be tended to carefully to ensure that we are providing the most help possible to our clients without causing any further damage.  It is easy to feel as though we are not doing enough or that we are insensitive or uncaring.  But frame the concept correctly:  we are not refusing to help the client because it is their problem not ours; we are utilizing a little bit of tough love.  We allow the client to participate in the planning and execution of their solutions; we allow them growth potential and independence while all the while respecting their privacy and self-determination.  The process is collaborative and the level of help given needs to be a strategic decision; based on the individual client, determine to what extent the client is able to handle their problems alone.  Remember that this will not be set in stone, the client will likely prove you wrong by needing either more or less hands on help; but keep in mind through this dance that above all, you need to ensure that the growth potential for the client is not being hindered because of the amount you are helping.  Your job, at the very least, is to be a valuable resource to your client; know the system and what is available within the system to help your client.
If you own the problem:

As in all human relationships, including helper/client or case management relationships, we are not immune to having a problem.  What if you are a stickler to schedule keeping and you have one client that always comes in 10 minutes late, throwing your whole schedule off?  Who owns the problem?  The person whose needs are not being met. The problem, then belongs to you, the case manager, because you are the one feeling the negative effects.  Because it is your problem to own, it is your responsibility to fix the problem.  Talk to the client about the problem that you are experiencing as a result of their behavior.  The client my not take steps to implement the change that you are requesting, but you have taken the first step in solving the problem by owning the problem!

But what if both you AND the client share joint-ownership?

There are situations that can arise in which both you and the client have needs that are not being met, at which point you both own stake in the same problem.  In this situation, collaboration with one another is very important, as is your willingness to negotiate and find some middle ground.  Never view this situation as a win-lose scenario and help the client view it in alternative ways as well.  There are solutions and compromises out there to help in every situation, you just have to be willing to step back and find them.  You will both have to own your part of the problem but solving the big picture can be done.

What are other's saying about this?

I came across an article just today that I thought was pretty relevant to this topic.  While we have focused on owning the problem in a therapeutic setting, we have neglected to discuss the idea of owning the problem as a life lesson that should be taught by parents to children.  This article, Teach Kids Problem Solving Skills, discusses the importance of teaching our children to own their own problems.  There is undeniable growth potential in teaching children how to recognize, own and remedy a problem.  That is not to say that they have to go it alone.  No, the real beauty in this article lies beyond the surface concept of owning and solving a problem; the real beauty is that it teaches children to seek out resources, use collaborative relationships (parents, teachers, uncles, aunts, pastors...) to help find solutions to problems.  This empowers them and helps them grow!

Now let me ask you this...

This chapter of the textbook and the outside article referenced make the idea of problem ownership and solving seem fairly cut and dry, but anyone that has lived outside of a bubble and dealt with the  public, children, spouses or in-laws at any point in their life knows that it is anything but easy.  If we are able to take steps in our part of the problem, how do we effectively handle the situation where the other party is not willing to own their part?  Yes, we could just cut ties with that person, but would that not just create more problems?  Personally, my bigger concern is my tendency to own other people's problems.  It seems that there is a fine line between compassion or caring and owning a problem that belongs to someone else.  Especially for those with "bigger hearts" how do we care for the person, and what happens with them, without taking on the problem as our own -- how do you know when enough is enough or too much?