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Your therapy sessions

Information before your first therapy session

Over the next six weeks you will:

  • look at how conversation works

  • explore how you and your family member/ friend usually communicate together

  • build lifelong skills that will allow you to have more successful conversations now and in the future

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You will be working together with one conversation partner. By increasing your awareness and confidence in conversations together, you will be able to make positive changes when talking with others as well.

Conversation partner.jpg

The role of the conversation partner is outlined in this document.

 

Nicola Sirman (Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist) talks about the importance of working with a conversation partner.

What to expect

Watch the video below to see Philippa Clay (Specialist Speech and Language Therapist) talking about what the Better Conversations programme involves:

Using video

Before you begin your ‘Better Conversations’ therapy, you will be supported to video day-to-day conversations of you and your conversation partner. We will use these videos in the therapy to help you identify what makes conversation work well for you both, and what changes you might like to work on. You will do this by watching short video clips of yourself having conversations.

 

It is normal to feel some apprehension about being videoed and watching yourself on video. Use of video is key in this therapy approach because:

  • you can identify for yourself what is working well when you have conversations

  • it allows you to take control of the therapy and set your own goals

  • you can see for yourself the impact of strategies that you use in conversation, and choose what works best for you

  • it can support you to make meaningful and lasting changes to your conversations

  • evidence suggests the therapy programme is more successful when people identify what needs to change themselves from video, rather than being told by someone else

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You may wish to take some time to reflect on how you will feel when watching video clips of yourself. This can be an emotional experience for some people and/ or feel awkward. You are encouraged to share any concerns around using video, and you will receive coaching throughout to use video effectively.

Session 1

Build understanding of how your conversations work and what your strengths are

Session 2

Set your goals and choose strategies to work on over the next 4 weeks

Session 3

Practise your strategies and learn about how they help your conversations flow

Session 4

Review your progress and choose your next steps

Session 5

Allow your skills to grow. Use strategies with other people and in groups

Session 6

Plan for the future.

Plan how to maintain your successful conversations.

Video anchor
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