I really enjoyed reading this article. The author did an excellent job of presenting the complexities of working with this population while also providing insight for potentially effective treatments of this seemingly “hopeless” population. Something I find to be an essential function of social workers is the ability to meet people where they are at, this is easier said than done. There is a certain level of internal resource a clinicians must have in order to effectively work in this field, let alone with challenging populations. Instead of working against these populations’ assumed deficits, Mendota’s decided to “work with what’s left”, and in this application saw significant results, and changed the trajectory of many of these individuals' lives. This is a great example of what social work is about.