PLAGIARISM FREE "A" WORK

Figure 15-5.

© 2016 Cengage Learning®

It may be useful to invite a colleague or supervisor to sit in on another meeting to help facilitate the discussion.

Opportunity for Self-Re�lection

What experiences have you already had in dealing with people who became angry and aggressive with you? How did you handle it? How did you feel after the encounter? What does this suggest you will have to consider when put in a professional position of dealing with a hostile parent?

Anger is a powerful emotion—destructive if allowed to rage unleashed but potentially a strong motivation to examine a situation and work together for understanding and change (see Figure 15-6).

Figure 15-6.

Five steps for working through con�licts.

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In a Con�lict with a Parent?

Five Steps to Take:

Analyze

1. Analyze your own feelings. Why do you feel so strongly about this issue? Are you emotionally involved? Has this become a power struggle? Are factors other than the child’s best interests entering into your thinking about the con�lict? If so, what are they?

Imagine a walk in their shoes

Put yourself in the parents’ shoes. What are they thinking, and why might they look at the situation the way they do? Assuming that they have their child’s best interests in mind, why are they behaving as they are?

Confer with a colleague

Check out your perceptions. Find a friend or colleague whom you respect but who often sees things differently from you. Describe the situation as objectively as you can. Can your colleague give you any insight into why you and the parent are at odds?

Meet

Arrange to meet with the parent. Make all preconference communications as friendly and unthreatening as possible. Do not get drawn into playing out the dispute before you meet. If you are very angry, have someone else look at your notes before you send them or role- play with a colleague what you will say.

Brainstorm solutions

Avoid coming to the conference with a prearranged solution. Learn more about the parents’ viewpoint. Try to be nonjudgmental. Negotiate. Try to come up with a solution that