How to Coach Yourself and Others Coaching and Counseling in Difficult Circumstances | Page 28

This book is in B&W, not color - Print page in Grayscale for Correct view! 4. Communication and psychosis / II Key Tips in communicating with a person who has psychosis Since psychosis directly affects a person’s ability to perceive, interpret and communicate information, family members have to learn new communication skills. A few key tips in communicating with a person who has psychosis: Psychosis generally makes people much more sensitive to emotional tones and stimulation. It will help to keep the environment as low-key as possible, and to speak to the person with a kind, matter-of-fact voice.      Use short sentences. Don’t try to go into long explanations. Be concrete and specific. Avoid abstractions and generalities. Be careful about word choice to avoid communicating negative judgment. Provide consistent, sincere praise and positive feedback. After you speak, give the person plenty of time to digest the information and respond. If there is something particularly important you are trying to communicate, use simple words and repeat the same language rather than using different language. Don’t argue with people about delusional beliefs. Remember that their perception of reality is just that to them: reality. Directly confronting delusions usually causes people to become defensive and less prepared to consider alternatives. Don’t “go along with” or agree to delusions, either. Learn reflective listening techniques. Agree to disagree. Approach delusions in a spirit of shared inquiry. Don’t push if the person starts to get upset. Reflective Listening No matter how hard it is to understand what a person is saying, there is ALWAYS a grain of truth. When a person is experiencing psychosis, their communication gets mixed up, but through reflective listening you can find a common ground. The steps in reflective listening with a person who has a psychosis:       Listen to what they’re saying. Look for elements of reality. Ask yourself what they are feeling, or how you would feel in the situation. Ask clarifying questions only. Comment about the feeling, without stating any judgments about the content. Give the pers on time to respond. Comment about feeling again, and maybe gently begin to reframe/create a shared context. Give the person time to respond. Begin to identify “common ground”- reality you can agree on, or a way of addressing the feelings the person is having. Here are a couple of examples: Example 1 - Person with psychosis: “God told me he doesn’t want me to take my medicine.” - Family member: “How did God tell you that?” - Person with psychosis: “God created the world in seven days, and on the seventh day He rested, and I can’t rest on this medicine”. For [email protected] Property of Bookemon, do NOT distribute 30