Perceptions of Power in Client/Worker Relationships

Abstract

Recent literature on empowerment-oriented social work practice raises intriguing questions about the nature of power in client/worker relationships. This qualitative study explores client and worker perceptions of power in their relationships with each other. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted in residential settings serving men and women with histories of homelessness and psychiatric hospitalization. Staff and residents' experiences with helping relationships were probed, with particular attention to characteristics of mutuality, equality, and power. Client and worker preferences were conceptualized as ranging from partnership-oriented relationships to mentorship-oriented relationships. The author draws on empowerment and feminist theory in analyzing the study simplications for social work practice. The question is posed as to whether social work practice can fully realize the goals of shared power, mutuality, and collaboration associated with feminist and empowerment-oriented practice models when client/worker relationships are embedded in a hierarchical power structure.