Persuasion in Clinical Practice

Helping People Make Changes

By the end of this book you are going to be part of an exclusive group. The skill-sets you are about to learn will help you become one of a select few who can, time and time again, help people make changes in any clinical encounter.A" Persuading and influencing are most effective as cooperative ventures that recognise the needs and wishes a person already has, but feels unable or disempowered to decide or act upon. Persuasion in Clinical Practice aims to improve outcomes for patients by helping them to change their own attitudes and behaviours more easily in pursuit of better health and well-being. Drawing on fields such as motivational interviewing, the Stages of Change model, positive psychology and neuro-lingusitic programming (NLP), the book provides skills and tactics to help clinicians avoid communicational roadblocks, find what is really important to patients, why they want it, and then empower them to make changes in key areas such as: * lifestyle adjustments * coming to terms with chronic or serious illness * learning coping strategies and behaviours * overcoming fear of change. Encompassing a five-step strategy for any change consultation, Persuasion in Clinical Practice is packed with information and approaches to enhance knowledge, skills, attitudes and understanding in influencing change. This book will be essential reading for family doctors and other health professionals supporting behavioural change in their patients.