Clarifying Roles & Responsibilities
The individuals we support and their families often feel vulnerable in behavioral health settings (Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, n.d.). We clarify roles as one of many approaches to welcoming them into a partnership.
On Transparent Communication
You welcome families into partnerships by sharing yourself beginning with parts of your identity like your name and maybe pronouns. You also invite families into partnerships when you communicate openly and transparently about your and their roles, responsibilities, and rights.
Here is some sample direct and clear language that describes roles and responsibilities in the partnership:
- Your role: a description of your job without using your job title
- “My job is to support you with your behavioral health goals.”
- Your responsibilities: an explanation of your work in the partnership
- “In this partnership, I’m responsible for understanding your hopes, goals, and concerns, as well as connecting you with information, tools, and resources that support your recovery plan.”
- Individuals’ and families’ roles: a description of their part in the behavioral health relationship with emphasis on collaboration
- “Your expertise about yourself and your goals can inform how we decide together the role you imagine having in this partnership.”
- Individuals’ and families’ responsibilities: an explanation of their work in the partnership that prioritizes their value and choice
- “You have unmatched wisdom about your lived experience and goals. I hope you can tell me how you’d like to partner.”
- Individuals’ and families‘ rights: an overview of protections and rights, including choice
- “It’s important to me to offer you information about your rights and choices.”
Practice Pause: On Communicating Roles & Responsibilities
Practice Pause: Cultivating Partnerships Outside of Sessions
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