Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk
As we walk this road there are so many instances where we can only appeal to divine wisdom. But there are tools to help us especially in the aftermath of a disaster or truly life altering news.
I'm paraphrasing today from Dr. Renato Lenzi's SPIKES Protocol given to me by one of our hospice providers. Starting with "S."
S-etting, can make all the difference. Choose a quiet area with few distractions and calm your own spirit before you begin to intervene.
P- erception, find out what the person thinks about the situation. Pay attention to both body and spoken language; what is not said is equally important.
I-nvitation, "may I suggest or have you considered", is a whole lot better than "you should". Don't force your point of view or try to solve. Sometimes listening and allowing the person to talk it though is the best remedy.
K-nowledge, use your experiences sparingly. Jargon and big words may be just a waste of time. Speak at the person's level and make sure they are following what you are saying.
E-mpathy, please dont say "I know how you feel" unless you actually have had the experience. And even then, your response may have been different. Say "this may be hard for you, or "I can't imagine how this must hurt." Cry with them, pat their shoulder, hold their hands IF their body language says this is okay.
S-trategy, explain what you can do to help or repeat their action plan to them. Clarify any questions and last, see if they are open to meet again or to be referred to another professional.
Remember, sharing each other's pain is one way of showing the love of Christ in us.
Walk in His steps .
As we walk this road there are so many instances where we can only appeal to divine wisdom. But there are tools to help us especially in the aftermath of a disaster or truly life altering news.
I'm paraphrasing today from Dr. Renato Lenzi's SPIKES Protocol given to me by one of our hospice providers. Starting with "S."
S-etting, can make all the difference. Choose a quiet area with few distractions and calm your own spirit before you begin to intervene.
P- erception, find out what the person thinks about the situation. Pay attention to both body and spoken language; what is not said is equally important.
I-nvitation, "may I suggest or have you considered", is a whole lot better than "you should". Don't force your point of view or try to solve. Sometimes listening and allowing the person to talk it though is the best remedy.
K-nowledge, use your experiences sparingly. Jargon and big words may be just a waste of time. Speak at the person's level and make sure they are following what you are saying.
E-mpathy, please dont say "I know how you feel" unless you actually have had the experience. And even then, your response may have been different. Say "this may be hard for you, or "I can't imagine how this must hurt." Cry with them, pat their shoulder, hold their hands IF their body language says this is okay.
S-trategy, explain what you can do to help or repeat their action plan to them. Clarify any questions and last, see if they are open to meet again or to be referred to another professional.
Remember, sharing each other's pain is one way of showing the love of Christ in us.
Walk in His steps .
No comments:
Post a Comment