Communication with Katherine
What Is The Effective Helping Interviewing Techniques?
Communication is essential in delivery of quality health care. It determines the relationships amongst healthcare professionals and between them and patients/clients (Khanna, 2017). As observed by Mohanna and Chambers (2018), if these relationships are to be successful, then effective communication must be employed. Katherine is evidently suffering from a psychological illness. She cannot help but imagine that a fire is going to burn down her boyfriend’s residence. For this reason, she keeps on checking the direction of the stove. This significantly prevents effective communication between her and her boyfriend. As a counsellor, applying effective communication in the case of Katherine is not only necessary but vital. It will determine the rate at which she will recover. In the journey to recovery, Katherine will need to see several healthcare professionals. For her to recover soon, there should be effective communication between her and the counsellor. The counsellor should also maintain effective communication with other members of the health care team that are involved in managing her condition. This essay is going to look at the how communication with Katherine should take place, how to develop rapport, possible communication barriers and how to overcome them, ethical considerations and interprofessional practice.
Communication with Katherine should preferably be a face to face communication. It is very important to consider the environment in which the communication will take place. The environment should ensure that the room is open and that there are fewer items in the room. Preferably chairs and a table would be enough. The aim of this would be to ensure that the client easily sees everything in the room with a glance. If there were to be too many items in the room, the client is likely to be searching for any trace of a stove. The disorder is likely to push her to think that there is a stove somewhere in the room. The result would be loss of concentration. Keeping the items fewer is likely to reduce the obsessions and increase communication. The best model of communication for this case would be transactional one. In this model, a message is delivered, decoded and feedback given. There is simultaneous exchange of roles. This time of communication is advantageous as it allows provision of real time feedback. The interaction also makes it possible for one to observe the non-verbal communication such as the facial expressions and gestures. Communication is more effective with this model.
Developing Rapport
It is very important to develop a rapport with Katherine. Developing a rapport in the counselling process would most likely help earn trust from Katherine. When there is trust, the client is likely to feel more at ease, share more information and confide in the counsellor (Grant, 2014). I would take several measures to develop rapport with Katherine. I would employ active listening and demonstrate to her that I care. To effectively achieve this, I would empathize with her by imagining that I were in her situation. I would appreciate small developments and not be in any hurry with her. I would give her enough time to express herself. This would be guided by the knowledge that the healing process may take a significant duration of time. The helping relationship is likely to become better with time. Another technique that I would employ is treat her with respect and demonstrate to her that I care and that my greatest interest is to see her health improve.
For a counselling session to bear any fruits, there must be effective communication. In the case of Katherine, I would employ several strategies to encourage effective communication. One would be listening to her. I would do this by ensuring that I keep my mind free of other things and devote it to the session. I would also demonstrate to her that I am listening through such non-verbal cues as nodding periodically. Another technique would be referring her by name. Research has demonstrated that referring to a client by their names makes them feel more appreciated and potentially increases chances of recovery (Koen and Stein, 2015). I would be sure to use appropriate non-verbal language. These would include maintaining eye contact without staring and using appropriate gestures. The key would be ensuring that these nonverbal cues are in consistent with the message. Otherwise, it would appear exaggerated and lower chances of success. Another strategy would be allowing her time to talk to me without any unnecessary interruptions. It would also be wise to share some of my personal experiences with her but being sure to draw some limits. This would likely make her feel more at ease communicating wit me. If it were only her to share her story, it is likely that she will feel inferior and a victim. In a nutshell, the communication would be too formal. Another way to ensure that the communication is not too formal would be employing a sense of humour (Veale and Roberts, 2014).
Communication strategies I would use to Facilitate Effective Communication
There are some barriers to effective communication that might arise and affect the process of communication negatively. For instance, if the counselling session were to take place in a noisy environment, it would be challenging to hear each other well. This can be overcome by ensuring that the counselling occurs in an environment that is relatively quiet (De Silva, 2014). This consideration should be made long before the commencement of the counselling session. Another thing that is likely to be a barrier is use of technical terms. This would be overcome by appreciating that the client is not necessarily familiar with the field and using as simple language as possible (Heyman, Mataix and Fineberg, 2006). There could also exist some emotional and cultural barriers. It is important to have substantial background information about Katherine to keep this at minimum. Mentioning items related to fire such as stoves would potentially hinder communication by diverting her thoughts to that. I would be careful to make sure that I do not mention such. Attention of Katherine is easily carried away and this is likely to be a barrier. For instance, she does not listen attentively to what her boyfriend says to her due to fear of fire. For this, it would be very necessary that anything associated wit fire be kept away from the counselling room and in the neighbouring environment (where her eyes can reach). In case she losses concentration, it would be wise to be patient with her as this is likely to improve with more sessions.
In a counselling relationship, it is very important to maintain ethical standards. For instance, it would be very appropriate to limit the relationship with Katherine to only a helping relationship. Once she has recovered, the relationship should be terminated. Such moves as making personal relationships with her would considerably lower the quality of care and would amount to a breach of professional ethics of conduct (Hammaker, Knadig and Tomlinson, 2016). It is also ethical to offer the highest attainable quality of care and to maintain confidentiality. If it is necessary to share any information revealed during the discussion, such a move should be made with her consent. Otherwise, it would amount to a breach of confidentiality and may negatively affect the quality of care.
To achieve the highest quality of care, it would be necessary to communicate with other members of the health care team to offer comprehensive care (Foronda, MacWilliams and McArthur, 2016). Since the mental processes are greatly affected, it would be necessary that Katherine see a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist would offer more professional help that would aid in recovery. It would also be necessary that Katherine see a dietitian to monitor her diet. It is very important that her diet be providing the necessary amount of energy and nutrients. Extensive research has shown that healthy diets significantly improves mental health and wellbeing (Bokor and Anderson, 2014). Before sharing the information about Katherine with other health professionals, it is ethical to ensure that she is aware and that she gives her consent.
Conclusion
Effective communication is essential in administration of health care. There should exist a smooth and effective communication amongst healthcare professionals. There should also be effective communication between the professionals and patients/clients. When dealing with psychological illnesses such as that of Katherine, effective communication could accelerate the rate of healing. Such communication should exist between her and the counsellor and between the counsellor and other members of the care team. Establishing effective communication with Katherine would involve strategies face to face communication. Transactional communication seems to be the best model in this case. Establishing a rapport is very key in establishing a helping relationship. Ethical considerations such as maintenance of confidentiality should be made. In addition, it would be necessary to work together with other professionals such as the dietitian and the psychiatrist. Information about Katherine should only be shared with her consent.
References
Bokor, G., & Anderson, P. D. (2014). Obsessive–compulsive disorder. Journal of pharmacy practice, 27(2), 116-130.
De Silva, P. (2014). Obsessive-compulsive disorder. In Adult Psychological Problems (pp. 143-162). Taylor & Francis.
Foronda, C., MacWilliams, B., & McArthur, E. (2016). Interprofessional communication in healthcare: An integrative review. Nurse education in practice, 19, 36-40.
Grant, J. E. (2014). Obsessive–compulsive disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 371(7), 646-653.
Hammaker, D. K., Knadig, T. M., & Tomlinson, S. J. (2016). Health care ethics and the law. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Heyman, I., Mataix-Cols, D., & Fineberg, N. A. (2006). Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Bmj, 333(7565), 424-429.
Khanna, S. (2017). Effective Communication Skills-A Road Map for Success.
Koen, N., & Stein, D. J. (2015). Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder. In Neurobiology of Brain Disorders (pp. 621-638).
Mohanna, K., & Chambers, R. (2018). Risk matters in healthcare: communicating, explaining and managing risk. CRC Press.
Okun, B., & Kantrowitz, R. (2014). Effective helping: Interviewing and counselling techniques. Nelson Education.
Stein, D. J. (2002). Obsessive-compulsive disorder. The Lancet, 360(9330), 397-405.
Veale, D., & Roberts, A. (2014). Obsessive-compulsive disorder. BMJ, 348, g2183.
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