How to Improve Communication with the Patient?

Communication is a key element of the therapeutic process: it depends on whether the symptoms are adequately explored, that the hypothesis about the cause of the problem fits reality, and that the patient understands what is happening to him and adopts measures to improve his condition. adequate health and prevention.

However, Knowing how to communicate correctly in the context of therapy is as complex as it is valuable. , partly because it is not based on theoretical learning but on “soft skills” and skills put into practice. But even in cases in which the professional encounters serious problems in managing communication with patients well, it is always possible to learn and find the appropriate dynamics to “connect” with those seeking medical or psychological help.

Keys to improve communication dynamics with the patient in therapy

These strategies and advice are useful in any form of therapeutic intervention, but especially in the case of psychotherapy, where a good part of the services offered are linked to the emission and reception of ideas and the establishment of a climate of trust in which to express oneself. honestly about the problem at hand. In any case, they are general recommendations that must be adapted to each situation and context, since one of the keys to communication is precisely flexibility, as we will see.

1. Make clear the confidentiality of the information disclosed in the sessions

Beyond regulations by law and the delivery of information in writing, it is important eliminate all doubts and possible reasons for concern that the patient may come to the consultation with regarding their privacy. In this way, your approach to therapy will be more favorable from the beginning.

2. Use humor at strategic moments

Humor is a very good way to release tension, and It helps prevent the patient from assuming that just because the topic discussed (health) is serious, the entire conversation must be very serious as well. Furthermore, it is a sign of human treatment that makes patients adopt a more active and involved attitude in the conversation, so that they do not limit themselves to briefly answering the questions asked and dare to express their own observations and concerns.

3. Use non-verbal language to set the tone you want to create

Through non-verbal language it is possible to help set the rhythms of the dialogue and generate an environment with a certain emotional charge. This also involves knowing how to analyze the patient’s gestures, postures and elements of paralanguage, to understand how they feel. In this sense, one of the most used strategies is to slightly imitate the posture and movements so that it does the same with us and creates one of the first forms of connection between both and, little by little, leading it towards the style of language non-verbal that interests us.

4. Don’t forget that context affects the meaning of words

Some professionals make the mistake of assuming that the context only influences emotions, how the therapist and the patient feel. For example, the colors that predominate on the walls of the office can influence the mood, and in the same way, speaking in a large room with natural lighting is not the same as in another narrow room without windows, in which the voice echoes through the walls.

However, the truth is that The context also influences the cognitive aspect, and specifically, in the way in which the ideas and expressions of the other are interpreted. The same phrase can be understood as a reason to rejoice or as a joke depending on the time and place in which it is said. Taking this into account is key, especially because patients with certain disorders or problems are especially predisposed to adopt a very pessimistic perspective when analyzing what they are told.

5. Fluency should prevail over perfectionism

It is not worth trying to make everything perfect when communicating with the patient; Trying will only lead us to stress and nervousness, because we will internalize and overanalyze every word we say. Luckily, in the same way that the context modifies the interpretation of what the other says, the actions taken after the fact will also cause the patient to “rewrite” their interpretation of the facts, so that apologizing, rectifying or making clarifications is just right. After we notice that we have explained ourselves poorly, it will serve to remedy the situation in most cases.

Thus, Always prioritize the objective of leading to fluid conversations and if you make a mistake, simply rectify it at the moment. Ultimately, even if we do not think about it every day, we expose ourselves to multiple errors of this type, to the point that we often do not even recognize them as such and assume that they are part of the nature of real-time communication.

6. Use silences in favor of the therapy session

Creating fluid conversations does not mean avoiding silence at all costs. On the contrary, in the context of therapy, these must be present, given that the information handled is important and at the same time it is possible that several of the issues that arise are personal and require an effort of honesty. Furthermore, patients usually quickly learn that in therapy it is normal for silences to be somewhat longer than in any everyday conversation, and when they feel pressured to respond quickly, they willingly accept it and stop thinking about it.

In any case, do not forget that silences are not only the absence of words due to a limitation (for example, lack of time to know what to say next): they can also be deliberately created as a communicative tool. They serve, among other things, to emphasize the most important ideas that will be worked on in the session, and also to provide the sessions with a specific rhythm at certain times (they can even be integrated into strategies to promote relaxation and openness to the environment). communicative exchange).

7. Bad news must be communicated clearly from the beginning

We should not go into too much length explaining something anxiety-inducing that we believe will greatly affect the patient.; Doing this will contribute to your not understanding or forgetting fundamental aspects, because if your emotions overwhelm you at a time when you have not yet been told what is important, you may not be in a position to understand it or pay attention to it.

8. Use examples (which may be based on you)

It is very common for the concepts used by psychotherapy professionals to be so complex that the patient does not understand them. That is why examples are valuable: in addition to serving to illustrate what is meant, They offer a narrative structure of approach, middle and end which makes it easier to memorize. Additionally, if they are based on you (or a fictional version of you) they can help create therapeutic rapport.