#7404 Managing Emotionally Difficult Conversations: Ethical and Relational Strategies

#7404 Managing Emotionally Difficult Conversations: Ethical and Relational Strategies is organized by MotivationsCEU.

Description:
This course discusses significant aspects of emotionally challenging conversations among health professionals, their clients, e.g., patients, family members, legal representatives, etc., and their colleagues.  By “emotionally challenging” is meant conversations that cause the professional to feel angry, abused, defensive, anxious, disrespected, helpless, or stupid. The presentation will begin with a list of the most important fundamentals of conducting emotionally challenging conversations; descriptors of professionals who skillfully conduct these kinds of conversations and professionals who don’t; key psychological and technical strategies for the professional who is conducting the conversation; and very practical “what-to-say-when-you-don’t-know-what-to-say” recommendations.  Although the techniques and considerations described in this presentation will not succeed in each and every difficult conversation, they should work in the majority of them, at least in the sense of supporting the health professional to get through the conversation and not make an already delicate or potentially volatile situation worse.  Furthermore, many of these techniques are extremely useful in navigating any emotionally charged or delicate conversation, and they can be used in everyday, run-of-the-mill conversations.

Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, the participant will be able to:

1. Describe how aspects of the painful conversation relate to the health professional’s construction of their professional “self”.
2. Explain how an ability to control one’s feelings can influence the success or failure of an emotionally difficult conversation.
3. List various empathic responses that are useful in conducting difficult conversations.