Lindsey is an alcoholic and tells her worker she wants to stop drinking but doesn’t know how. She tells the worker that for a while she stopped drinking while she was going to AA meetings, but she stopped going and began to drink again when she reunited with old friends. The worker says, “Here’s the bottom line. You either do what you need to do or you don’t. Don’t come in here crying about how you stopped AA. That’s your responsibility to go there so go!” Can Lindsey continue to talk about options for not drinking with this worker?

Enhanced Blocked

Above are various scenarios illustrating workers’ responses in a variety of situations. Examine the responses in each case and decide whether the worker is blocking communication or enhancing it. Do the worker’s responses cut off further communication from the other person or seem to encourage the person to continue? Circle your answer after each vignette.