ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the large majority—clients who were close to other persons who, in all likelihood, would respond sympathetically to their plight. The client's reaction to the emotional support offered by the worker, it appears, was partially a function of how much support he received from his informal circle. The chapter discusses the bearing that informal resources have for establishing contact with a professional agency. However, informal resources also affect what happens after contact; this is a convenient place to take note of one such inter-relationship. The client's response to the casework situation will, to some extent, be a function of his earlier experiences with his informal network. Some respondents, instead of concealing their difficulties from members of their network, disclosed them only to find the responses of their confidants inadequate in some way. Respondents who were surrounded by 'gossipers' were especially appreciative of the confidential nature of casework treatment.
