Sample Script- Supporting Healthcare Workers during COVID19

I cut all of this information out of the patient script and have copied it into its own script ideas for use when supporting healthcare workers either by phone or in-person:


Specific Responses to Specific Concerns During COVID19:

(Adapted from the resource found at file:///C:/Users/Dell%20User/Documents/Spiritual%20Care%20Education/Telehealth%20Chaplaincy/VitalTalk-COVID19.html /  It is a free resource that can be downloaded and you may wish to review the whole document.)

When coping needs a boost, or emotions are running high

What they say	What you say
I’m scared.	This is such a tough situation. I think anyone would be scared. Could you share more with me?
I need some hope.	Tell me about the things you are hoping for? I want to understand more.
Nobody cares about us. You people are incompetent!	I can see why you are not happy with things. I am willing to do what is in my power to improve things for you. What could I do that would help?
I want to talk to your boss.	I can see you are frustrated. I will ask my boss to come by as soon as they can. Please realize that they are juggling many things right now.
Do I need to say my goodbyes?	I’m hoping that’s not the case. And I worry time could indeed be short. What is most pressing on your mind?

Anticipating

When you’re worrying about what might happen (or when you’re supporting a healthcare provider who is worried about something that might happen)

What you fear	What you can do
That patient’s son is going to be very angry.	Before you go in the room, take a moment for one deep breath. What’s the anger about? Love, responsibility, fear?
I don’t know how to help this family understand why their loved one isn’t being transferred to the ICU like they want/expect.	Remember what you can do: you can hear what she’s concerned about, you can explain what’s happening, you can help her prepare, you can be present. These are gifts.
I am afraid of burnout, and of losing my heart.	Can you look for moments every day where you connect with someone, share something, enjoy something? It is possible to find little pockets of peace even in the middle of a maelstrom.
I’m worried that I will be overwhelmed and that I won’t be able to do what is really the best for my patients.	Check your own state of being, even if you only have a moment. If one extreme is “wiped out,” and the other is “feeling strong,” where am I now? Remember that whatever your own state, that these feelings are inextricable to our human condition. Can you accept them, not try to push them away, and then decide what you need

Grieving

Supporting Healthcare Workers Who are Grieving Over the Limitations Imposed on Them by COVID19

What they are saying or thinking	What you can do
I should have been able to do more to support that person.	Notice: am I talking to myself the way I would talk to a good friend? Could I step back and just feel? Maybe it’s sadness, or frustration, or just fatigue. Those feelings are normal. And these times are distinctly abnormal.
OMG I cannot believe we don’t have the right equipment / how mean that person was to me / how everything I do seems like its blowing up	Notice:  am I letting everything get to me? Is all this analyzing really about something else? Like how sad this is, how powerless I feel, how puny our efforts look? Under these conditions, such thoughts are to be expected. But we don’t have to let them suck us under. Can we notice them, and feel them, maybe share them? And then ask ourselves: can I step into a less reactive, more balanced place even as I move into the next thing?