28 Speak Out
August 2014
Speech Pathology Australia
One of the highlights
of the National Conference for
me was participating in the ‘Managing challenging clients and
situations’ panel discussion. I loved the opportunity to not only
hear the views of the panel members (Kellie Dell’Oro, Meridian
Lawyers; Leanne Toby, Guild Insurance; Chris Wilson, SPA’s
Senior Advisor Professional Issues) on the three scenarios
presented, but also to listen to the questions and comments
from the audience. If there is one thing speechies enjoy it’s
a lively conversation! In this article I thought I would discuss
one of the scenarios that is causing many members angst –
dealing with discordant parents.
Most clinicians who work with paediatric clients will have come
across this scenario; the parents of the client they are seeing
are separated or divorced and their relationship is acrimonious.
The clinician often feels like the meat in the sandwich and
she/he can often spend as much time managing the situation
between the parents as she/he does working with the child.
The law in this situation is quite clear, unless there is a Family
Court Order restricting access to the child or information about
the child, then both parents are entitled to attend speech
therapy and/or access health related information. So, easier
said than done I hear you say… you are absolutely right!
Here’s how I would deal with this challenging situation.
Step 1
Think about the variety of situations that could possibly arise.
•
Parent 1 doesn’t want parent 2 to know that the child is
attending speech therapy.
•
Parent 1 doesn’t want parent 2 to receive a copy of the
report.
•
Parent 1 is bringing the child to speech therapy and
parent 2 wants to come as well but both parents don’t
want to be in the room together.
•
Parent 1 and 2 share custody of the child 50:50. The
parents want to attend therapy on the week they have
custody. How are you going to maintain communication
regarding home practice and progress?
•
You are asked by parent 1 to write a report to be used in
court proceedings.
Step 2
Think about how you are going to obtain detailed information
about the parents’ situation in a sensitive and unobtrusive way
so that you are forewarned of any potential problems.
Step 3
Develop policies and procedures that will allow you to obtain
information and manage situations should they arise.
Step 4
Think about (and practice) how you will gather information and
discuss your policies and procedures with a parent.
Step 5
Seek advice (either from a lawyer or from SPA) if a challenging
situation arises before a problem occurs.
Two resources
that you may find valuable when you find
yourself confronted by challenging situations are:
•
Guild’s SAFETY tool
which has been designed to
promote risk based thinking in the workplace. It acts as a
quick reference guide for managing any risk and is available
in the
and
•
SPA’s
which is a
closed Facebook group where SPA members working in
private practice can post comments and questions and share
information about how they deal with challenging situations.
Most importantly, remember, being prepared to deal with
these situations is the best defence and will help to avoid
disputes or claims being made against you and don't forget
that you are not alone. Others will have found themselves in
similar situations and SPA staff are always willing and able to
support you through a difficult time.
Christine Lyons
Senior Advisor Professional Practice
professional practice news
Managing challenging clients and situations
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