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From: Jenn
Date: 07 Oct 2008
Time: 07:59:35 -0500
Remote Name: 76.17.183.48
Hi Pam, I really liked your response. Sharing the "story" is a difficult situation for a clinician I think for a couple of reasons. Both reasons have to do with a balancing act which can be tricky. I know in my situation, when I work with my students/clients, I often battle the line of professionalism. In other words, what should I share versus should I share openly? Picking and choosing when to share is difficult to judge at times. I also think that there is a fine line with sharing because the clinician should be careful not to turn a session into "their" session. So, for a clinician to share their story, they must be careful to not make to much time spent about them. I can see a newer clinician being hesitant to share for those reasons. For a clinician of any age, I can see sharing the story being difficult, especially if they are not in tune to themselves, reflectively. I think in general, being able to share personal stories is imperative for the development of trust and deeper meaning for therapy. This is how change can happen. The communication disorder (whichever domain) inevitably carries deeper issues beyond that of the mechanics of speech production. Teaching the mechanics of speech production can be easy but like you said, “That which is held sacred between client and clinician then becomes the grist for true therapeutic process and progress” (I love that quote). I agree with you! A good clinician needs to know themselves so they are able to know when to contribute personal stories to further develop the therapeutic process. To turn it around a bit… The client who also is ready to break down those emotional barriers, like you have done by telling your story, is really in a place to make positive changes. Just to pick your brain. What advice do you have for the client who has not maybe reached this level of acceptance? In other words, some clients are not as willing to be this vulnerable, yet, and may need someone like you as inspiration. In these cases, are there tips you could give a clinician and client to help with this struggle? Thank you for the great dialogue!! Jenn