Things to Remember about Implementing Desensitisation Programs
Desensitisation programs are about teaching your client to feel more comfortable about procedures/events that might make them feel anxious.
Your support is crucial for your client to be able to conquer things that might make them feel uncomfortable.
Be familiar with the steps of the program yourself. That is the only way you can teach someone else well.
Training your client in the desensitisation programs will take time. You cannot teach someone in a couple of weeks, it will take months.
Have a record of your client’s progress (see an example of a data sheet in general information about desensitisation programs). If you record the progress, you can see how well your client is going. You will be surprised how far they progress.
When it comes to whether or not to implement a desensitisation program don’t just accept what people say. People might say to you: ‘They will never be able to do that”. Ask yourself: “Would I want to learn how to do this? Is this what I would want for myself?” If the answer is yes then your client deserves the same opportunities.
Cancel the appointment if you do not have the appropriate person to take your client. There is no point in wasting your client’s time, your time and the professionals’ time if the appointment is not going to go well.
Be patient. When you feel like you are not getting anywhere you are probably just around the corner from success.
There are “duty of care” issues for implementing these programs. If you are successful with these programs, this could be the least restrictive alternative for your client in the long term.
Just remember…If you find a professional you are happy with, don’t saturate them. That is, do not send all of your clients to them. Try to find a range of professionals. If you saturate one professional they might start saying no because they are inundated. If this happens you will be left with no-one.
