Page:The Art of Helping People Out of Trouble (1924).pdf/87

 opposite, this sense of being watched does not become so strong. The idea that an individual is more likely to reveal his secrets when he is in the shadow than when he is in the full glare of light is not without its foundation in experience. We want to tell our secrets unobserved even by the person to whom they are being revealed.

Far more important than this in aiding an individual to unburden himself is the demonstration of a friendly interest in him. It was sucha demonstration which caused a young unmarried mother to talk to a social case worker about the father of her baby when she had been unable to discuss it with any oneelse. Instead of seeking an interview upon this subject, the social worker had written a note to the girl asking whether she would not like to enter night school. She knew that the young woman was anxious to learn bookkeeping. When the girl arrived, the conversation was first directed to her new job. She had just obtained a position which gave her an opportunity to work with figures and which greatly pleased and interested her. The question of further training in business was discussed, and plans were made for her admission to an evening high school. Not