Do I Infantilize My Patients?
infantilize /inˈfantilīz/ – verb – to treat (someone) as a child or in a way that denies their maturity in age or experience. Infantalize is not a pleasant word. It conjures condescension and patronization, neither of which does any clinical caregiver wish to be guilty. There can be a fine line between condescension and explaining…
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The Verbose Patient
In my work, one question that comes up on a regular basis is, “How do I deal with the patient who hijacks the appointment by dominating conversation?” If you have been around for a while, you know what they mean. This is the patient who talks to the point that little or nothing can be…
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Audiology and the Wisdom of Jeb Blount
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a series of articles will be dedicated to the wisdom of Jeb Blount, author of People Buy You (2010, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), which is available wherever books or e-books are sold. I would recommend it highly. –Paul Teie, MS Myth: People Buy from People They Like…
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The Terminally Ill Patient
One of the sadder aspects of laboring in a profession in which long-term therapeutic and personal relationships are often formed is that we all-too-often experience the passing of patients who have become our friends as well. On other occasions, patients may come to us for the first time, having recently received a poor prognosis. We…
Read MoreMindful Counseling
At the end of any interview with a potential new provider, I ask whether they have any questions for me. Many have none, some ask about hours and other working conditions, some ask about clinical protocols. The other day I got a question I had never received before. It made me think. “What do you…
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Listen Deeply to Your Patient. How Do I Do That?
One of the most useful ideas surrounding the concept of the “Continuum of Denial” is how it requires the provider to listen deeply. In a two-day seminar I took on Motivational Interviewing several years ago, the facilitator was ever exhorting participants to “listen deeply”. My question was, “OK, that sounds great. So how do I…
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