Lately, Joanne has been finding herself feeling at odds with one of her clients. Whenever she introduces a more challenging sequence of range of motion exercises, he begins to complain of pain and accuses her of ignoring his limitations. At first, he did this in a joking manner, but now it seems he is serious about it. In addition to downgrading the task itself, from an interpersonal perspective Joanne has tried strategic questioning, problem-solving, reassurance, and becoming stronger and clearer with respect to her instructions and expectations. None of these has worked to stop the complaining. When it comes to use of self with difficult or resistant clients, which aspect of communication does Joanne most need to work on?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Joanne has already tried various communication strategies and direct approaches, such as giving clearer instructions and expectations, without success. The next step to improve her communication with a resistant client would be to enhance her use of gentle inquiry to better understand the client's perspective and concerns, and to use summary statements to reflect her understanding back to the client. This can help in building rapport and addressing the client's resistance more effectively.

Lately, Joanne Has Been Finding Herself Feeling at Odds with One