I have been away from the blog, again, for much longer than I had planned. That’s what 4 kids will do to you 😉
I know that I talk exclusively about children here- but today I’d like to get your feedback on working with adults (though I promise, this will relate to all the people in your life, no matter their age, in the end!) If you’re strictly a pediatric SLP- I still would love your input. Not an SLP? You can still help me out here! Keep scrolling. And I’ll be following this post up in a couple days to explain why I’m asking these questions today. I am also asking these questions on my Facebook page, if you’d like to head over there and join the conversation.
For SLPs: Your Adult Client
If you are an SLP, I want you to pretend you are working with an adult- let’s say a 60 year old male who has acquired apraxia. He comes to you twice a week to work on his speech. One day, after working a bit- he gets frustrated. It is hard work and he can’t always say the things he wants to say. Then, he starts to cry.
Right there at your therapy table. He starts to cry.
Tell me, how do you respond to his cries?
Now it’s YOU
Here is where both SLPs and non SLPs can help me.
Now it’s YOU who needs therapy. You’ve gotten in a car accident where you broke both your legs and you sustained a mild brain injury. The bones are now healed, but you have a LOT of work to do to be able to learn to walk again and your head injury sometimes makes it difficult for you to pay attention and follow directions. Your muscles are weak from lack of use over the months in casts.
You’re happy to be alive- but one day in physical therapy, you’re just exhausted. You are sore and your brain is fuzzy and you are frustrated. You sit down and just start to cry.
Right there on the floor the rehab room.
Tell me, how do you want your therapist to respond to your cries?
Leave me a comment- I want to hear your answer(s). Or, if you are getting this via email- simply hit “reply” and send me your response.
Like I said- I’ll be following up in a few days in a post to explain why I am asking these questions- but for now I can’t wait to hear from you all!
Katie
Katie,
I’m thrilled to receive an option for newsletter! There’s simply nothing like learning from the experts. It’s the difference between Concorde travel and the stage coach. And, that means, not wasting a client’s valuable therapy time. The example you sent today certainly makes salient the empathetic experience of client vs. therapist. Thank you, Emily
I would want my therapist to tell me that I can tackle it. That she believes in me. That there are things I can do to rebuild myself and my life. And while it might not be the same, the tasks they will give me and things they will teach me will give me a shot at it. I want her to tell me that it’s hard and that she is proud of me for taking it on. That life is worth it, that I am worth it, that my loved ones are worth it.
And then I would want her figure out the details of my TBI… executive function? memory? attention? divided attention? high level language skills? And then to teach me every trick she knows for improving those deficits, give me tasks to build them back up slowly and incrementally. Help me problem solve compensatory strategies. Help me educate me and those closest to me about my abilities and limitations.
I hope this helps. I have been on the therapist side of this issue. I pray that I am never on the patient side… and that if I am, I have good people to help me.
Thank you for your blog. I am an SLP that has been practicing for for 16 years and I find great ideas and inspiration here. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and talent.
If I broke down during a therapy session, I would hope my therapist had the skills and training to gently probe and find the root of the crying. If there were another underlying issue that I needed help with, realsources would be a relief.
If break down was due to the tragedy of crash, A reminder of how far I had come and accomplishments made since beginning therapy.
There is no substitute for human touch and compassion.
I would definitely offer my client some tissue, and at least touch his arm in a supportive way, if not offer a hug. If I were the patient receiving rehab (and I have been), I would welcome a hug, a tissue, and some kind words as well.
We are human beings, and responding to very human reactions with kindness and support is just a part of life, in my opinion.
Hope this helps!
Julie
Let me start by saying-I’m a cryer. Happy, touched, overwhelmed, angry or frustrated, I cry. It has been embarrassing. Until a stranger who saw me crying and overheard me apologize said, “Don’t be sorry, it is wonderful that you care that much.â€
So, my advice Is to treat it as normal behavior. Not too much sympathy, just understanding that we all are there sometimes and they are not alone in their struggle.