Listening is a fine skill that anyone can learn with a bit of patience. The trick is to try and understand what's NOT being said while the words are being spoken. Sounds crazy, I know. Yet in my experience it's the truth!
Today my job entailed traveling with a teenager. While riding the roads, she said she's weary of telling therapists, care providers, & psychiatrists what's really wrong with her because they DO NOT listen to her and enact any changes to her treatment (her opinion). As she detailed a few things & answered some questions for me, it rapidly became mine as well. However, I also made clear to her that if the adults working directly with her in the treatment setting aren't satisfying her needs, she needs to TELL me so I can intervene on her behalf. Hopefully that message got through, because upon arrival at our destination I proceeded to share her concerns (in her presence) with the new folks she'll be working with, who agreed with me that further investigation into her issues is most definitely warranted.
Sadly, this discussion also served to remind me how jaded the providers in my field tend to be after a certain number of years. :( I just hope I'm not as jaded as they are!
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