How to Discuss Mental Well-Being with Audiology Patients
The Hearing Review spoke with Bec Bennett, PhD, an audiologist at National Acoustic Laboratories, about discussing patients' mental well-being at hearing clinics.
The Hearing Review spoke with Bec Bennett, PhD, an audiologist at National Acoustic Laboratories, about discussing patients' mental well-being at hearing clinics.
In the ”New Age” of patient autonomy—as persons with hearing loss increasingly have the ability to self-direct their care by testing and purchasing hearing devices over-the-counter—counseling and customization are components that still require a human element, and at the heart of this human element is Interpersonal Audiology.
This article is a micro-level analysis of how hearing care professionals can help patients deconstruct their hearing loss and reprogram “wrong messages.” To the extent that a person with hearing loss has internalized negative social norms, a "traditional" audiology or hearing care visit is likely to trigger shame-based self-evaluative cognitions. For example, "I didn’t study properly for the hearing test, therefore I’m unworthy."