308
- “When I was pregnant, I was anxious/worried all the time.”
- “So, you are from Chicago. I grew up there. I really miss___.”
- Identifying with your patient as a parent: “I think it’s natural for us as parents to
struggle when deciding what’s best for our families.” - Patient: “This pregnancy is so important to me. We spent 5 years getting pregnant
and had to do an in vitro fertilization. Counselor: “Infertility can color your per-
spective and make any type of risk to the pregnancy seem unacceptable. I felt that
way, too, when I was deciding about prenatal testing.”
Reinforces Patient Self-Disclosure
There is a give and take, in that both the patient and you are risking being open (cf.
Henretty and Levitt 2010 ).
- Pt: “It’s hard to explain what’s going through my mind right now.”
- Co: “Sometimes I have a hard time explaining myself when my feelings are so
mixed. I wonder if that’s how it is for you?”
Reassurance that the Patient Is Not Alone
This type of disclosure tends to normalize or validate patient feelings and decreases
patient anxiety and isolation.
- Pt: “I feel so mixed up right now; I should be able to make this decision.”
- Co: “I’d have a difficult time, too, if I were in your situation.”
Provides Reality Testing
Self-disclosure can point out that decisions are not always clear-cut (Dewane 2006 ;
McCarthy Veach 2011 ).
- Pt: “I can’t believe I’m waffling on this! I mean, I told you before that I was hav-
ing BRCA testing so I’d be able to let my daughters know if they were at increased
risk. Now I’m afraid of telling them my results.” - Co: “It’s been my experience that many people in a similar situation initially feel
as conflicted as you do.”
Generates New Perspectives
You may be able to assist patients in decision-making by providing a different view-
point or strategy.
11 Counselor Self-Reference: Self-Disclosure andfiSelf-Involving Skills