Att sakna sysselsättning : - Socialarbetarens erfarenheter av att möta klienter som saknar sysselsättning

Sammanfattning: Abstract The aim of this paper was to study social workers experience of working with clients that do not have an occupation or who have earlier lacked an occupation and the subsequent work towards change. This study was conducted with a qualitative method. The empirical data is based on five interviews with professional social workers and the result has been analyzed based on systematic theory. The analysis resulted in four different themes; working methods, the process of change, obstacles in the change process and distinctive groups. The result show that the social workers use a variety of working methods in their daily work with clients, such as motivational-, goal-oriented-, empathetic working methods, different kinds of treatment work and by creating a good work alliance with the client. Obstacles that the social workers experience in their work with clients towards change include inadequate cooperation, shame, resources, and the client's negative attitude. The result also show that the respondents of the study agree that participation and a perceived meaningfulness of the client are crucial for the outcome of the work. Another thing that appears in the result is the presence of groups of individuals who are distinguished regarding certain topics. These groups of individuals may be more difficult to motivate than other individuals within the target group or there may be circumstances surrounding the individual, such as alcohol or drug abuse, which makes it difficult to achieve a change. Our conclusion is that the key to successful change is communication and participation. A positive consequence of the client's involvement in (part of) the decision making during the change process means that he or she experiences a sense of meaning with what is happening, which proved to be very important for a successful outcome of the work. Keywords: occupation, mental health, systematic theory