Supportive counselling and active listening are very important and here is why......

From experience with speaking to GP trainees and Colleagues, I often see that many are underestimating the power of “simple” supportive counselling and active listening.

Supportive counselling and listening do 3 very important things for our patients.

1 It provides our patients with a very important human need of connection especially if it is perceived as “unconditional”. When they feel connected, there may be less fear and anxiety, less fight or flight responses, and less biopsychosocial health issues.

2 It allows our patients to “extrovert their thoughts” in order to defuse, detach, or detach from them and gain more of a “zoomed out” perspective to the issues. It may not change the problem but it does change how they may view it.

3 Once defused or detached or distanced from those thoughts or feelings, more possibilities may arise and help them to get unstuck.

Please do more of supportive counselling and don’t feel as if you are doing “nothing” or “not doing much”. 

You are doing a lot!