You are arranging for housing for a woman who is in a homeless shelter. Her parents come to see you and ask you to see that she also goes to therapy. They tell you she has never “seemed right,” and they ask you to give them your opinion of her mental status. Who owns the problem? 

In the above situations, identify who owns the problem. As you study each case, decide whether it is you, as the worker, who owns the problem; whether the client and perhaps the client’s family owns the problem; or whether both you and the client own the problem at the same time.