PROtect Yourself! Empowering Tips & Techniques for Personal Safety: A Practical Violence Prevention Manual for Healthcare Workers. Rae Stonehouse

the problem. Address persons by name, e.g. “John”...

      •Pay attention to the response. Do not assume your message is understood.

      •Do not use jargon.

      •Avoid giving advice.

      •Listen and learn, open and active listening (nod and “yes, yes”). What does the client see as the problem and what do they expect of you?

      •Use silence and restatement to clarify message.

      •Ask questions to seek information, a favour or to distract the person.

      •Avoid sarcastic or insulting remarks. Be careful of using humour. When in doubt, don’t try to be funny. Humour is a high risk, high gain technique.

      •Reassure acting-out and frightened individuals that you, the care-giver, did not intend to be a threat.

      •Telling aggressive people their behaviour frightens, worries or upsets you can be appropriate. They may not see their behaviour this way and may attempt to change it.

      •Asking individuals who are aware of their aggressive urges to tell you when something you do or say makes them angry may defuse a touchy situation.

      •Verbal abuse is not always a safety valve and may aggravate assault.

      C.Non-verbal messages

      •Be aware of non-verbal communication. A person cannot “not communicate.”

      •Avoid exaggerated gestures which may startle or threaten.

      •Reduce nervous mannerisms and avoid over-activity. You will appear in control even though you may not feel that way.

      •Portray a confident non-anxious manner.

      •Keep your hands in view and not behind the back or in the pockets. The person may believe you are hiding something.

      •Approach with the palms open. This is the handshake or welcoming position.

      •Honour “personal space”. Remember the variables involved include the sex, size, familiarity and the speed of the approaching helper.

      •Remember this distance may double or triple when a person is in a crisis state.

      •Use the “tactical interview stance”. Standing at least one leg length distance from the client (about 3 feet), and turned approximately 45 degrees to the side with the hands in plain sight is less threatening and offers individuals a “perceived” route of escape. Keep hands open and above waist line. Standing squarely face to face is issuing a challenge and is also unsafe.

      •Avoid standing over people who are upset. Use eye level. Use increased distance to approach eye level.

      •Isolate the situation.

      D.Empathic Listening (an active process to discern what a person is saying)

      •Don’t be judgmental.

      •Don’t ignore or fake attention.

      •Carefully listen to what a person is really saying.

      •Use silence and restatement to clarify messages.

      •Reflection can be used to clarify.

      Listening Versus Really Hearing

      Give others a chance to choose their own course of action

      There is a tendency among listeners to try to rescue a person with problems and pull them out of negative situations. People don’t really want that. They just want to discuss what is on their minds and reach their own conclusions.

      Really listening phases are:

      “You seem to think ...”

      “You sound like ...”

      “You appear to be ...”

      “As I understand it, you...”

      A constant bombardment of questions can disrupt communication and be a barrier to conversation. Commands will have the same effect and many of them are impossible to follow anyway.

      “Stop feeling depressed ...”

      “Don’t be so upset ...”

      “Don’t think about it ...”

      “Stop worrying ...”

      Comments that seem threatening will end a conversation as quickly as changing the subject or not paying attention.

      “You had better stop feeling sad...”

      “You had better stop feeling ... or I will ...”

      Chapter Three Summary:

      In Chapter Three we explored the criteria for conducting a risk assessment for workplace violence. We were challenged to consider how we personally view working with potentially violent individuals. This would be a good topic to discuss with your coworkers at break time or at a staff meeting.

      We were then introduced to techniques to utilize when communicating with a disturbed individual.

      Chapter Four will introduce us to the nature of crises and provide examples of the characteristics of crisis-prone individuals in a Quick List. We will then learn how to identify events that can trigger a crisis response. We then move on to identifying and expanding upon the four levels of a crisis. Specific attitudes or approaches to be used in each of the four levels of a crisis are introduced.

      We will then differentiate supportive and directive approaches to take with a disturbed individual and the appropriate time to use them. This is followed by techniques to handle verbal aggression.

      From there, we move in to exploring how our body language works for or against us in resolving a crisis. Physical interventions are discussed. We focus on the psychological reactions experienced by an individual in crisis.

      Techniques for utilizing a team approach to resolve a workplace crisis are explored.

      There is always paperwork to be completed in any unusual situation. We will explore the legal aspects of documenting, post incident. Then, we will move into exploring post incident debriefing techniques. Tips on contacting emergency responders i.e. police, fire & ambulance will be provided.

      How we as individuals handle a crisis will be explored. Do we stay or do we run? Chapter Four concludes with several case studies from my experience to illustrate the chapter’s content.