During the assessment phase, case managers should be vigilant of potential barriers; such as, clients may be reluctant to reveal their problems due to social stigmas associated with the problems they face, they may have had a prior, negative, experiences with the human service system, or they may not be seeking help by their own free will. The initial assessment/interview phase of the client-case manager relationship unfolds in three steps; the beginning, the middle, and the end. In the beginning step, the client and case manager are meeting for the first time. Naturally, there is an introduction and the case manager may engage in some light conversation to ease any discomfort/nervousness the client may be feeling. The case manager will then bring the conversation into focus, defining the role of the case manager and the client, answering questions the client may have about the processes and procedures associated with accessing help, and opening a discussion about the problems the client is seeking help for (Woodside & McClam, 2013). In the middle step, assessment, planning and implementation take place. The case manager asks open ended questions to gain a better understanding of the problems the client faces. This part of the conversation can bring about negative feelings from the client because they are being asked to face, and admit, their problems, weaknesses, and in some cases, failures. Because of this, the case manager needs to also bring some positivity and encouragement to the situation; this can be achieved by taking time to assess the client’s strengths. Acknowledging the clients strengths can help them feel better about their situation, while bringing them some sense of control (Woodside & McClam, 2013). The client’s eligibility is also determined during the middle step which leads to planning and implementation of services (if the client in eligible). In the final step, the end, the case manager summarizes everything that was covered throughout the assessment and the client issues a decision on whether or not they want to move forward with services. It is also possible that the client does not meet eligibility for services, or there may be an incompatibility between the client’s needs and the services the organization offers (Woodside and McClam, 2013). References Woodside, M. &. (2013). Generalist case management: A method of human service delivery. Belmont, CA: Cenage Learning.