Dealing with conflict with patients?
Anyone have any literature, or even personal advice, on how you deal when patients are confrontational or demanding? Knowing I am going to go into a tough visit with certain patients will cause me anxiety all day and often the day before or while I am sleeping. I find myself rehearsing literal scripts of what I can anticipate. I feel guilty that sometimes I respond to these patients defensively (which can come off as aggressive) as a coping mechanism rather than taking the responsibility to de-escalate the patient. I work in psych, so this is especially important because some of these patients are ill (but most are just dysregulated themselves or substance seeking) Something I need to work on (I am in therapy which helps some but not my reaction in the moment). Any tips?