U NIT 1 E FFECTIVE COMMUNICATION FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE Dealing with Distressed Behaviour

R EFLECT What can you say to a person who is upset or distressed and crying, perhaps because they can’t cope, following the death of their partner? Why might a person be upset or distressed? What kinds of behaviour might someone exhibit?

R EASONS FOR DISTRESSED BEHAVIOUR Pain Fear Grief Frustration Communication differences Feeling vulnerable and threats to self esteem Past learning

PLENARY What is distress? Distress:Extreme sadness, grief, fear, misery, worry, anxiety ……….. Think of other words

S ENSITIVE AND C OMPLEX INFORMATION Burnard and Morrison (1997) argue that caring and communication and interlinked. There is no advice of information that is likely to be very useful to a person who is overwhelmed by grief, but many people do want someone to be with them. (Stretch and Whitehouse 2010, p:23) Communication with someone in distress should focus on the person’s emotional needs rather than any information that might have to be given….. WHY?

I NEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION Loss of self esteem Loss of purpose in life A feeling of being threatened A belief that we can not longer control our life circumstances. Poor Communication might make someone feel Vulnerable Worthless Emotionally threatened.

S KILLS FOR WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS Stay calm Communicate respect and value Assertion Creating trust and negotiating with a distressed individual

S TAGES IN MANAGING A CONVERSATION WITH A DISTRESSED PERSON Stay calm Try to establish if the other person wants you there Try to gently calm the other person using appropriate verbal and non verbal behaviour Have a caring presence ( Engebretson 2003 cited in Stretch and Whitehouse 2010) Try to engage the other person if appropriate. Listen to the other person Build trust and meet the other person’s self esteem needs

S ELF E STEEM AND E MPATHY Self esteem is a term used in psychology to reflect a person’s overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. It encompasses beliefs about the self and emotions. A person’s behaviour may affect their self esteem. Empathy is imagining the thoughts and feelings of another person. Imagining the emotions associated with the pain and grief that another person is experiencing.

A SSERTIVENESS Behaviour where individuals can stand up for themselves. Individuals can control their own emotions. They can express feelings. Individuals personal rights are respected.

A GGRESSIVENESS Aggressive behaviour means standing up for your rights, but in a way that violates the rights of other people. Aggressive behaviour

S UBMISSIVENESS Submissive behaviour is when an individual is willing to carry out the wishes of others. Submissive people sometimes do things against their own good because they are frightened or unwilling to stand up for their own wants or needs. Submission is the opposite of aggressive behaviour.

B EHAVIOUR T YPES Types of behaviour – 10 scenarios

W HAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU HAVE LEARNT TODAY ? W HY IS IT MOST IMPORTANT ?

R EFERENCES Stretch B and Whitehouse M 2010 Health and Social Care Level 3 Essex Pearson Education Burnard P & Morrison P 1997 Caring and communicating : the interpersonal relationship in nursing London Macmillan Press