Sounds like a great way to handle this, Michelle! Thanks for sharing more details! 🙂

Dana, in the past I had some parents that would ask a lot of questions, during the visit. What I have done is to help the parent prioritize their questions, such as what were the most important to less importance. I would ask the parent if we could perhaps make a phone time to answer the questions they had and then have a longer conversation but still mindful of time being spent on the phone with the parent. If there were questions that came up immediately, I would address them and try to keep conversation short but saying to the parent, I can provide an answer to you but if you want further input, let’s schedule a time so we can discuss. This way it does not take away from the time I spend with the child and family.

No worries, Michelle! I really like your idea of suggesting that families keep a notebook to record questions, then ensuring that there is time at teach visit to discuss them. How do you handle it when a question pops up during the visit (rather than at the end)? I’ve found that some questions need to be addressed immediately because if they aren’t, then the parent might struggle to get the most out of the rest of the visit with the question hovering between you. Maybe knowing that there is always time at each visit for questions would help avoid this. What’s been your experience?

I also love the two examples of reflective questions you provided. You’ve placed your confidence in the parent’s ability to solve her own problem. Plus, the answers to the questions help you understand what outcome the parent envisions. Any suggestions you provide are much more likely to fit or be meaningful because now you share the same vision as the parent.

That’s a really interesting perspective, Ryan. I hadn’t thought of that – that asking at the last minute might just be testing the waters, not really searching for a concrete answer. You are so right when you say that asking these hard questions (like about diagnoses) takes courage. Hopefully, as you said, the service provider will have built a good relationship with the parent and be able to judge what kind of response is needed in the moment and or later on. I think we have to be honest too – in saying that we don’t know, aren’t sure, or need to time think about how to answer, if this is the case. It was my experience that parents appreciated this kind of honesty and were understanding, even when I couldn’t provide an answer or stay those few extra minutes. I also found that these tough questions often didn’t go away. They came up again later, which was maybe a sign that the parent was becoming more and more ready to discuss the issue. Thanks for adding a different perspective!