Later this week I will be teaching a seminar to gradute students at the Melbourne Uni. The brief was brief: something on how to talk to clients and families. I have only 45 minutes. Here's my thinking so far:
As students we are often daunted by the idea of having high stakes conversations in high emotion environments with 'real' families and clients. Many carry this fear with them after graduation. Some learn to manage the discomfort by sticking to scripts. It kinda keeps you out of trouble but it kills creativity.
So I sent the following blurb to the intended audience: Would you like to talk to clients and be energised by the conversation? Would you like to work in equality and collaboration with families to solve their health dilemmas? Would you like to know what to do when the appointment feels like it is falling apart? For this you need a map, not a script. The clinician in a high stakes conversation has the role of a navigator on a roadtrip. You provide reliable, simple, clear driving instructions for an unfamilar landscape towards a destination (sometimes under time pressure). A good map goes a long way. A script will run you off the road at the first sign of trouble.
I will report back soon.