She was slumped in the waiting room chair, arms crossed, staring at the floor. A WorkCover patient who clearly didn’t want to be there. I’d seen this posture a thousand times before. The resigned shoulders. The defensive body language....
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“Place the seven questions from The Coaching Habit near your keyboard. Set yourself the goal of asking at least one of them before you fire off advice, opinions, and suggestions. Maybe even ask two.” – Michael Bungay Stanier, The...
Picture this: Sarah, a 52-year-old office manager with osteoarthritis, sits across from you nodding enthusiastically. You’ve just set the perfect SMART goal together—walk 30 minutes daily for 8 weeks to improve joint mobility. It’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and...
Here’s a revelation that might change how you approach your next consultation: what your patients believe about their pain matters as much as what they feel. In fact, according to groundbreaking research by J.P. Caneiro, Samantha Bunzli, and Peter...
Picture this: You’ve just finished explaining a perfectly sound treatment plan. Your client nods politely, thanks you, and leaves. Two weeks later, they return having done nothing. Sound familiar? Or perhaps you’ve faced the client who outright challenges your...
In my previous piece on patient adherence, we explored Michael Pantalon’s six-question framework for helping patients persuade themselves to change. Today, I want to dive deeper into four specific questions from William Miller and Stephen Rollnick’s motivational interviewing work...
Picture this: Sarah, a 28-year-old with cystic fibrosis, sits across from you looking frustrated. Despite your detailed explanations about the importance of her airway clearance routine, she’s been skipping sessions. Again. Or consider David, recovering from knee surgery, who...
Imagine you’re about to start a physiotherapy session with a patient who’s been struggling with chronic back pain. You’ve got your treatment plan ready, but something feels off. The patient’s body language seems hesitation, their eyes aren’t focused on,...
In his influential book, “Difficult Conversations“, Douglas Stone brings to light a powerful insight: “When we think others have bad intentions toward us, it affects our behaviour. And, in turn, how we behave affects how they treat us. Before...
