People tend to view confrontation as an argument or verbal conflict. Essentially, confrontations are perceived as negative actions, but they are not meant to be negative. In the context of social services, the aim of confrontations is to bring something out into the open in order to achieve better understanding. By gaining understanding, the social worker can work with the client to move forward and make meaningful changes (Summers, 2009). Confrontations are classified into three categories: 1.) confrontations of a discrepancy between the client's expression of what they want to be and their perceptions of themselves (ideal versus actual self); 2.) confrontation of a gap between the expression of verbal expressions of self-awareness (insight) and observable or reported behaviors; 3.) confrontation of a gap between the way the counselor experiences the client and the way the client experiences himself. (Biggs, 2000, p. 58) The purpose of confronting a client's goal is to facilitate their awareness of discrepancies and to give them insight into how the social worker perceives a certain problem. Confrontations are a form of intervention and should be used at the appropriate time. The goal of social workers is to confront a client when they would benefit most (Grant, 2009). At the most basic level, confrontation should be seen as a tool used by social service professionals to explore differences and resolve possible conflicts between them. and their client. The ability to confront a customer is considered an advanced skill, but it is also an essential skill for a service worker. As previously stated, the social worker can use confrontations to establish discrepancies and promote understanding of differences...... middle of paper ......it is essential for the worker to use confrontation at the time appropriate and initiate a confrontation with caution. The overall objective is for the confrontation to be successful and produce significant results. References: Biggs, DA (2000). Council Dictionary. Retrieved November 17, 2011 from http://books.google.com/books?id=wCGbjQ6dyl0C&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=use+of+confrontation+in+counseling&source=bl&ots=LDM8V70Sp4&sig=_a-pqm5ZE29J50AHA6s2CMa3vC4&hl=en &ei=i ILCTujuOuLd0QHt7PGGDw&sa=X&oi =book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDIQ6AEwBDgU#v=onepage&q=use%20of%20confrontation%20in%20counseling&f=falseGrant, S. (2009). Confrontation. Retrieved November 17, 2011 from http://www.csun.edu/~hcpsy002/Psy460_GrpTask07_Confront.pdfSummers, N. (2009). Fundamentals of Case Management Practice: Skills for Human Services, 3rd Edition. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.