© British Association of Social Workers
The Client, The Caseworker and The Absent Third Person
John Nurse qualified as a psychiatric social worker at the London School of Economics in 1967. From 1962 to 1971, he was employed as a social worker in a London Borough, first in the combined hospital and local authority community care service and later as assistant area officer in the Social Services Department. From 1971 to 1972, he was a Lecturer and Tutor in Social Work at Exeter University. Since the beginning of this year he has been Principal Social Worker at Whittingham Hospital, Preston
Summary
Some people seek social work help with problems that have arisen in their relationships with others to whom they are very close and by whom they feel betrayed, attacked or maltreated. Often, so great are the distress and force with which the problem is brought, the social worker may find himself drawn to accept as substantially accurate the client's view of the situation and to act accordingly. This article argues that such a line of action may be misguided or even harmful, and that help can only be effective in the situations described if it has as one of its basic assumptions the notion that the picture conveyed of 'the absent third person' has more connection with the client's own inner needs than with anyone else