ANNA
PT
ANNA
PT
ANNA
PT
ANNA
PT
ANNA
PT
ANNA
Oh, how awful!
Yes, it was. Mum and I were beside ourselves.
How’s she doing now?
Well she’s in remission, but we still worry about her. And
of course mum had to get checked too, so I was worried
about her as well.
But your mum’s okay?
She’s fine. But, you know how when something like this
happens you keep on worrying?
Mmm, I do.
So I said to mum, you’ve just got to keep checking every
month and have regular check-ups.
And do you check yourself too?
No, I feel really weird doing it, so I don’t.
But that’s no good! You’ve got to make sure you’re okay!
This example demonstrates how when the trainer overshares
about her personal life and her feelings, the client shifts her concerns
from herself and what’s going on for her, to her PT. Very quickly,
instead of focusing on her training, or filling the space with some
comments about her concern for her own mother, the client has put
her experience to one side, and moved into the role of the listener,
caring for her PT.
When you overshare, you cross the boundary of the professional
relationship between PT and client. Instead of feeling like she’s in the
hands of a caring, competent professional, the client starts to feel
like she’s doing all the work. She’s paying you to focus on her, but
instead, you’ve slid into focusing on yourself, and your own emotions
and experiences.
While the shift may be subtle, the effect may be more obvious.
That all-important engagement – the secret ingredient that will keep
your client coming back session after session – has been damaged.
Little by little, the client will start to question how important her
training is to her, and whether it’s worth the time, effort, and financial
commitment. Once that questioning starts, it’s only a matter of time
before a break in training for a holiday or due to a bout of the flu,
becomes a reason to drop out.
Resist the urge to talk about your own experiences when your
client shares something emotional with you. Slide your own stuff to
one side, and focus on the client and the job at hand.
Kate Swann & Kristina Mamrot are Melbourne-based psychologists
specialising in treating overweight and obese clients. For information on their
books The Ultimate Guide To Training Overweight And Obese Clients, and Do You
Really Want To Lose Weight? visit pscounselling.com.au
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