Making decisions is a unique and yet one of most painful tasks of life. We all have faced situations in which we are required to face dilemmas and make life changing decisions. Some of these decisions are to be made quickly such as whether to change lanes on the highway when being cut off by another driver. Others have a longer deadline and allow us to think, such as deciding to marry a certain person or not.
Overall, making decisions is not a pleasant task, whether it concerns the self or other people. So how can we make the procedure easier and smother? Moreover, how can we make sure to make correct decisions in life, the ones that will leave us with no regrets?
Scientists have done much research in what part of the brain is responsible for making decisions and how the process unfolds. However, other than identifying certain brain regions, science has not been able to solve the mystery of decision making process for humans. Other disciplines have taken many attempts to come up with certain guidelines for effective decision making processes. For instance, leadership courses always dedicate certain chapters to “how great leaders make decisions” or “how risk takers come up with great decisions of all time”. Different religions have also taken many attempts at this issue. Most of religious guidelines however, discourage making decisions and scepticism and encourage surrendering to certain unbreakable unquestionable rules.
Medicine has come a long way in finding a solution to the dilemma of whether patients should be allowed to decide for themselves or not. However, their guidelines are far from being practical. These principles are also dynamic from society to society. For example, while a woman’s decision to abort her unborn baby is respected in western societies, it is very much the decision of the baby’s father at certain Middle Eastern countries. Same goes with deciding to end one’s life or the whole controversial phenomenon of capital punishment and its validation in certain court systems.
So goes the puzzle of whether we humans are capable of making the right decisions for ourselves and others or not.
In order to answer this question effectively and practically, I observed countless decision making processes in my clients, people around me and also myself. I focused on long term effects of made decisions and also the ones that require snap ones. One observation that intrigues me time after time, is that humans are not patient when it comes to making decisions. The process of sleeping on a dilemma and giving it time is especially a painful one for most of us. Why is that? Why can’t we wait for right answers to come to us rather than chasing them? Having order in life is one of human’s strong tendencies. Not knowing what to do next implies chaos. Or does it? When we are faced with a dilemma, it is the responsibility that we fear more than being in an unknown zone. Taking responsibility for one’s decisions is the ultimate definition of entering adulthood and maturity. That makes the decision making process even more painful. How in the world one could make the right decision and take responsibility for its consequences without being ever stressed by it?
The answer is simple: 1. Start by believing that there is no such thing as a wrong decision. It is all life experiences. You can never go wrong with making a decision. 2. Take pride in being in a decision making position. Imagine a person who is never allowed to make any decisions. Would you rather be that person? 3. Do not rush into making decisions. I know sitting on it is no less painful than sitting on needles! However, doing certain things could ease the pain. Go somewhere or do something that takes your mind off it 4. Do not go too far into the future. You can never know how your decision would turn out. 5. Finally, the most important part of making a decision is not make one! Let the right answer come to you when it is ready to reach you. Do not go and search for it. The more you chase it, the more it will play a hide and seek game with you. Ask for it, and it will be yours when you are ready to see it.
Shahrzad Shahriari
BSc.Psych., MSW., RSW.
www.shahrzadtherapy.com
shahrzad.therapy@gmail.com
647-405-7706
Friday, February 4, 2011
Why Bother?
For anyone who has worked in mental health field, the term “Assessment Tool” should be a familiar one. What it is referred to, is a pre-set questionnaire that an interviewer could use to get to know the client, or in clinicians’ terms, “Assess” the client. Just like a physician who performs a number of examination tasks and questions, a mental health clinician uses an assessment tool to get to know the client better.
Having used these tools in many different setting, I don’t believe that any one of them get us even close to knowing our clients. These tools are nothing but a large number of questions. In them, they give you specific detailed instructions on how to ask the questions and what to ask next after receiving a particular answer from the client. After completing the many pages of questionnaire, the interviewer can sit back and say: “Now I know what is going on with this client”, or can they?
Let’s look at this practice from the client’s point of view. They come into the interview often distressed, anxious and in pain. They are looking to receive comfort and hope. Instead, they sit with a stranger who holds a thick pile of paper in their hand as keeps asking one question after another one. The client gets a good view of the top of the interviewer’s head as they continue writing their answers down. At the end, while both the client and the interviewer are tired out of their minds, the client gets to go home wondering what was the purpose of answering all these questions? It is not until the following session that the client actually gets to tell their story and the reasons for which they seeked help in the first place. That is if they decide to come back after the boring useless assessment session.
So what does the clinician do after the client leaves? They put the completed thick assessment tool in the client’s file. Does anyone ever read these questionnaires? I guarantee you not. The clinician will have to write a summary of the assessment, containing the history of presenting problem, family history etc., which has very little to do with the many questions been asked in the assessment tool. In other words, the interviewer will not be relying on the assessment tool to write their assessment report. Anyone going over the client’s file will briefly glance at the report and not the questionnaire. No one has time to go over so many questions and try to make sense out of them.
So what is the point of asking all these questions? I would say to do the job for those clinicians who don’t have the innate skills of being in the mental health practice. You either have what it takes to relate to clients or you don’t. Furthermore, these tools cover the clinician from ever being accused of not having done their job. When I conduct an assessment interview, I do not relay on any assessment tools. Nor do I use a thick endless questionnaire to get to know my clients. After having a casual conversation for half the time spent on completing any assessment tool, I get an idea of where to go from there.
The problem is rooted in our education system, where people who do not have the skills to be in the profession are being graduated and thrown into the practice. How do we compensate for their lack of people’s skills? Give them a bunch of questions to ask their clients and give it a fancy name such as “Assessment Tool” is not going to make them good clinicians. To me, these tools are nothing but waste of time which will only scare the clients away.
Shahrzad Shahriari
BSc.Psych., MSW., RSW.
www.shahrzadtherapy.com
647-405-7706
Having used these tools in many different setting, I don’t believe that any one of them get us even close to knowing our clients. These tools are nothing but a large number of questions. In them, they give you specific detailed instructions on how to ask the questions and what to ask next after receiving a particular answer from the client. After completing the many pages of questionnaire, the interviewer can sit back and say: “Now I know what is going on with this client”, or can they?
Let’s look at this practice from the client’s point of view. They come into the interview often distressed, anxious and in pain. They are looking to receive comfort and hope. Instead, they sit with a stranger who holds a thick pile of paper in their hand as keeps asking one question after another one. The client gets a good view of the top of the interviewer’s head as they continue writing their answers down. At the end, while both the client and the interviewer are tired out of their minds, the client gets to go home wondering what was the purpose of answering all these questions? It is not until the following session that the client actually gets to tell their story and the reasons for which they seeked help in the first place. That is if they decide to come back after the boring useless assessment session.
So what does the clinician do after the client leaves? They put the completed thick assessment tool in the client’s file. Does anyone ever read these questionnaires? I guarantee you not. The clinician will have to write a summary of the assessment, containing the history of presenting problem, family history etc., which has very little to do with the many questions been asked in the assessment tool. In other words, the interviewer will not be relying on the assessment tool to write their assessment report. Anyone going over the client’s file will briefly glance at the report and not the questionnaire. No one has time to go over so many questions and try to make sense out of them.
So what is the point of asking all these questions? I would say to do the job for those clinicians who don’t have the innate skills of being in the mental health practice. You either have what it takes to relate to clients or you don’t. Furthermore, these tools cover the clinician from ever being accused of not having done their job. When I conduct an assessment interview, I do not relay on any assessment tools. Nor do I use a thick endless questionnaire to get to know my clients. After having a casual conversation for half the time spent on completing any assessment tool, I get an idea of where to go from there.
The problem is rooted in our education system, where people who do not have the skills to be in the profession are being graduated and thrown into the practice. How do we compensate for their lack of people’s skills? Give them a bunch of questions to ask their clients and give it a fancy name such as “Assessment Tool” is not going to make them good clinicians. To me, these tools are nothing but waste of time which will only scare the clients away.
Shahrzad Shahriari
BSc.Psych., MSW., RSW.
www.shahrzadtherapy.com
647-405-7706
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