What issue may arise for a social worker treating both a mother and her child in separate sessions?

In the scenario where a social worker treats both a mother and her child in separate sessions, a significant concern is potential rivalry in sharing the worker. When both family members are seeing the same therapist, it can create an emotional dynamic where each party may feel competitive for the social worker's attention and support. This rivalry may lead to feelings of jealousy, resentment, or insecurity, which can complicate the therapeutic process.

In addition, this situation may prevent the social worker from fully understanding the family's dynamics and issues, as the perspectives from each session may conflict or not align. The social worker might find it challenging to mediate or address issues that arise between the mother and child due to the divided attention. Resolving these feelings of rivalry can be critical in ensuring that both the mother and child feel heard and valued in their therapeutic journeys.

While other issues like conflicting treatment goals, scheduling difficulties, and lack of communication can also occur, the emotional and relational dynamics stemming from rivalry for the therapist's attention is a more immediate and impactful concern in such a context.