In establishing a working alliance, the social worker should?

• A. Allow for the client's ideas, understanding that conditions change as clinical work proceeds
• B. Insist on the client's plan
• C. Impose agency rules only
• D. Maintain strict professional distance

Answer: (A)

Building a working alliance centers on partnership and collaboration with the client. The social worker should invite the client’s ideas and recognize that plans will evolve as work proceeds. This approach builds trust, engagement, and motivation because the client feels heard and invested in the process. It also allows the worker to adapt goals and strategies as new information emerges, the client’s readiness for change shifts, or practical barriers arise. Insisting on a fixed plan, enforcing agency rules without client input, or keeping a distant, overly formal stance would undermine the collaborative relationship and reduce the client’s participation and buy-in.