Group Study of the Transfer of Cases

Abstract

Transfer, when it is necessary and realistic, need not be traumatic for the client, but in most instances can even be helpful. The focus in treatment is always on understanding the dynamics of the client's disturbance. The treatment relationship must be understood in its twofold significance—its reality aspect and its transference aspect—if transfer is to be accomplished successfully. With the next worker, the transference factors in operation may be different and thus may initiate a different phase in treatment. The caseworker remains the therapist, in distinction to the “friend,” in all his dealings with the client. Usually, focusing on understanding the dynamics of the client will help the worker to handle his own feelings about the change so that he can make the transfer a constructive experience for the client.

It is understandable that a worker may have feelings about transferring a case, or of taking on a case in which his work can be compared with that of the previous worker. Usually the supervisor can help the worker to carry through the transfer constructively. The supervisor can accelerate the understanding of the less experienced worker by reviewing with him the diagnosis and the treatment plan. Together, worker and supervisor can identify the specific trauma that is being re-enacted, can anticipate on the basis of the recorded material what the transference reactions may be, and can plan how to handle these reactions. Open discussion of a worker's feelings about leaving a client or taking on a client should be encouraged. The worker who is negatively critical of the previous worker's handling of a case, the worker who is convinced that no worker but he can really help the client, and the worker who is painfully self-conscious about his lack of casework skill, can usually learn to handle their feelings about transferring a case through exploring with true professional zeal what this change means to the client.

In conclusion, it was the conviction of this group of supervisors that the majority of workers will need, at one point or another, supervisory help to effect the transfer of cases in a constructive manner. We believe, too, that there is sufficient similarity in workers’ typical reactions to transfer of cases to warrant the use of group teaching as an effective technique for giving supervisory help to workers when transfer is necessary.