ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a description of the cultural, historical and social underpinnings of our responses to being challenged by the behaviour of another within health and social care settings.
Challenging behaviour can be understood as an expression of unmet need, powerlessness and distress that contravenes social norms. As such the behaviour invites responses that protect society rather than focus on the person’s needs, which therefore remain unresolved for the person who ‘challenges’.
The chapter explores what happens when we are challenged by the presentation or behaviour of those we care for, and how our responses may not be those of the caring professional we strive to be. It also considers challenges placed on us and the organisations we work for. The chapter examines how our coping with distress in a challenging work environment may challenge our clients, resulting in them enacting systemic distress and in turn being labelled as challenging.
Cognitive analytic therapy provides an opportunity to develop a compassionate and inclusive formulation of challenging behaviour that acknowledges the challenges faced by a person and their carers, and suggests that ‘exits’ lie in meeting the emotional needs of both.
