My Reflection on the Helping Interview

 

          Communication is vital in everyday life. For some, communication starts upon waking up by giving thanks to the Supreme Being and closing it as the day ends. In relationships, communication is considered as the fuel to keep it going. In fact, schools offer the opportunity to learn writing and speaking to communicate effectively. There are various courses offered and in this case, Conestoga College has offered a Communication in Health Care course for medical office practice students. The elements, concepts, and techniques on therapeutic communication have been discussed so far, and which this paper will describe as well as narrate selected parts that were reflected upon.  The helping interview comprises orientation, identification of the client’s problem, and resolution (Tamparo & Lindh, 2019, p.85-86) is vital to the students who are learning how to communicate in the medical setting.

The Helping Interview

          According to Tamparo and Lindh (2019),  the helping interview is a frequently- used communication tool in the medical setting that involves the health care professional and the person in need of medical intervention (p.85). The figure below will describe its components.

           Control factor, risk/trust, genuineness, sympathy and empathy, and sincerity are vital elements during orientation. It is in this phase that both will have their respective initial impressions of each other. Thus, it is necessary for the health care professional to provide a safe, comfortable space for the client as trust is being built. The next component is identifying the problem of the client. Knowing the roadblocks to communication allows the health care professional to avoid them. Moreover, skills in responding, sharing observations, knowing how to acknowledge feelings, clarifying and validating, and reflecting and paraphrasing are needed in this phase. It is also important to note that at this phase, levels of need are identified to address them. Tamparo and Lindh(2019) states that “recognizing that clients have different levels of need helps professionals to focus their attention correctly.”(p.93) Lastly, a resolution to the client’s need is the final phase of the helping interview by which addresses and answers the client’s questions that they had primarily and provides an explanation of what they are experiencing medically.

          The helping interview may present itself with only three components, yet its importance in communication in health care is very significant as various skills are needed to be acquired and developed by us students as we become health care professionals in the future. It is also relevant to highlight the need to properly and communicate with confidence and empathy towards the client. The word client itself was new as patient is usually the practice in identifying the person in need in the medical setting. The client as an identifier is more empowering and proactive. Knowing this key concept of communication in health care proves to be beneficial in every student’s future endeavors if they are being practiced and implemented.

REFERENCE

Tamparo, C. & Lindh, W. (2019)  Therapeutic Communication for Health Care Professionals (4th Edition) [2.5.8484.0] Retrieved from http://texidium.com